Essay by: Bryan Harrison
Subject: Environment, Space Exploration
Earth First
How much money does the world spend on space exploration? Quite a bit of our tax money goes to wasteful funds such as the space exploration program. Certain strengths of our great technology are being wasted on ventures to mars and expensive space ordeals. In my opinion, we should learn to manage our own planet before we set out to settle on other planets like mars. Don’t get me wrong; I support the idea of communication satellites put in orbit by private corporations. I only think we should narrow our efforts to the goal of good living on our own planet. How can we accomplish this task? The most obvious ways to come closer to success are financing education and environmental technology and to lowering taxes.
Why would education be a better use of our resources? We would do great deeds by upgrading the school system. Many of our schools lack the funding necessary to properly educate students. Many people who live in third world nations go through their whole lives without any contribution to the progression of their society because they know not how. Educating third world countries would greatly reduce the number of illiterate people, causing even greater speeds of new technology and scientific advancement to come forward. With this new-found knowledge, folks can escape their desolation by their own power.
How would greater environmental technology help our situation? We could work on ways to increase the efficiency of waste disposal and find new ways to eliminate waste. With the mastery of the atom, we could do away with coal burning plants and replace them with nuclear technology. The destruction of our source of oxygen, the rain forests, must be stopped in order for our descendants to survive. Several possible cures for AIDS are being wiped out as we destroy entire species of life every day. We have lately gained the power of genetic manipulation. We can change our surroundings to produce things more effectively to feed starving nations. One of the most despicable causes of destruction is overpopulation. Even if we can produce ten-foot tomatoes, we will soon run out of space.
What effects would be exhibited by the lowering of taxes? In America, more jobs would be created, the amount of poverty would drop because of these new jobs, and our market would achieve higher growth than ever before. Fear would be reduced for people making business investments and opportunities.
What could come about from space exploration that would devalue these wonderful causes? Let us imagine that we find life on another planet that is comparable to our own society. What would we do in this situation? We could not possibly let them visit our planet. Too many of us have retained enough racial tension to kill each other let alone welcoming these aliens to our planet. Suppose that we bump into a superior race. We could not possibly share information, for the aliens would consider us unprepared because or our poverty and ignorance of our decrepit situation. Other alien races would see us as an easy target for domination and turn us all into slaves. We couldn’t begin to apply for interplanetary alliances because we have not even developed peace among our own cultures. When we can master our own domain, then we can start to talk about sharing our nature with the universe. Until that time, we had better hope that we do not encounter any types of races like our own who can’t learn to accept anyone who is different.