Mr. President, If you Really Want to Invest: Let's Go to Mars Within a Decade!

By Raj Bhakta

This might come across as glib; however, under some basic analysis, it is far more sound than throwing money into the financial black hole of insolvent banks and attempting to stimulate the reckless consumption that got us in the mess to begin with. Why? America has not invested in new technology for a long time. If we are going to spend like mad, let's get something for it! Let's DO something! Let's develop some stunning new technology and shock the world with our wizardry. Like the development of the Internet and other advances resultant from military and NASA spending, it will pay long term dividends to all Americans. It will lay the foundation for long term American economic growth based on American technological supremacy. For those worried about the environment, I'm sure we'll have to come up some new energy technology to make it out there and back. Regarding our slipping in math and science, I can imagine that the huge number of jobs generated by this initiative will lead to an adjustment of majors away from marketing and philosophy towards the hard sciences. The trickle down from this spending will yield immense long term benefits, and America needs it. [more...]