Defending Government Spending During this Latest Shutdown

Anyone who knows me or has read my blog knows that I'm Libertarian-leaning in my political preferences. Less government and more freedom is my motto. But it may surprise some folks to learn that I actually do favor government funding in some industries where normal rules of economics don't work so well. My three favorites are, NASA, the Military and Education.

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As a Star Trek geek that remembers the first moon landing, I love seeing those folks at NASA ramping up the budget, which they rarely do. As a business strategist, to the chagrin of many of my colleagues,  I also favor not only maintaining NASA's budget, but significantly increasing it. My strict anti-government spending colleagues are quick to point out that SpaceX is an example of how private industry can replace the boys at government-sponsored NASA and do a better job at it. I agree that SpaceX will do a better job at what they're doing. But lets get real, the boys at SpaceX are riding the coat tails of NASA's decades old approach at developing technologies with little commercial value at the time. If there was commercial value in rocketry, the moon would be swarming with industry giants and Kid's meal at at Mc Donald's would come with a real moon rock as a toy.

NASA develops incredibly costly technologies, cost prohibitive technologies, that private companies later commercialize. They're the most cost effective R&D arm of any corporation in America. Their activities spawn new industries and bolster existing industries through collaboration. And all the money NASA receives is spent in the good ole US of A on high paying tech jobs, which in turn feed into the economy in general. Imagine the aviation industry today without NASA. Imagine its potential because of it.

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The US military is one industry that benefits form a well-funded NASA. Take post world war II Europe for example. In our common goal of beating Hitler, the US built the USSR into the one of the most formidable militaries in the world. If we hadn't developed payload capable rocketry, capable of reaching Russia, guided by satellite images that could read newspaper headlines in Red Square, France might be the largest satellite in the soviet empire. And all of this technology was being developed by well-paid American workers used indirectly to guard the right of the rest of us to pursue more profitable ventures in the US.

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And now, having made a case for spending funds in those two industries, imagine if there weren't any local employees to fill those high tech jobs. Education must be a priority. I have some experience here. I worked as a volunteer substitute teacher, K-12, to gain domain experience for an education-related new venture I'm working with. I took advantage of the position to talk with as many teachers as I could. They all had the same complaint; problem kids were ruining the educational experience for the rest. Rules of engagement, and that's an accurate term, made it impossible for teachers to manage these kids. They acted-up constantly and had a greater influence over other students than the teachers. Funding must be directed at removing these students, placing them in an atmosphere where they can not only realize their own potential but not continue to poison others, thereby generating another generation of delinquents. I can't wait for the liberal posy to attack me on this one. But read on.

I recall a good friend of mine describing how after a night of drinking and vandalism as a teen, he was  offered jail or military by a judge. He chose the Navy and rose quickly under that low-tolerance, highly structured atmosphere, to become an officer and ships medical physician. Perhaps a step between traditional school and that extreme choice offered my friend is warranted and worth investing in.

Bottom line, post shutdown, America, Inc. needs to cut spending, but sensibly. We need to think of government spending and invest like a business in assets and eliminate those investments that clearly aren't working. Prioritize where limited funds are invested to gain the most equity. Government spending isn't a bad thing, over-spending and improper, inequitable allocation is the issue.

First we clean house. Term limits, no lawyers or anyone who calls themselves a democrat or republican.
Perhaps an economics degree should be required to qualify to run for office. At least a MBA or maybe having successfully run a business. Then we start over. Every item that cost money should be scrutinized and eliminated if not a sound investment in the growth of America, Inc.

Perhaps the new budget would pay for an educational system that producers citizens so smart, they'll actually vote like shareholders, which we all are. Perhaps the savings would fund an actual national healthcare system instead of the joke we're being forced-fed now. Government shutdowns might even become a thing of the past.