US Officially Out of the Space Program

[David Floyd]

Hey, in all seriousness, I already agreed that you were more knowledgeable than I am about this subject. OTOH, your debating style comes across as arrogant, childish, and frankly, assholish.

Additionally, the point I am making is more of a value judgment than objective fact. I feel - and Colon agrees, as, obviously, do many people - that the potential benefits of scientific research outweighs the possibility that government funding of such research will end up being pointless. In other words, the possibility of being right outweighs (and again, in my opinion, but certainly not yours) the cost of being wrong.

[Thue]

Government spending on the space program (and in fact on all science) is almost completely wasteful. The control mechanisms to ensure that spending is directed to worthwhile goals are ineffective in the extreme. A much more fruitful use of government money would be to engage in patent buyouts (with payouts to the patent holder significantly higher than the currently privately-appropriable value)

Or... Reform the patent system, invalidating all patents on software and business methods, for example. That can be done for free.

[KrazyHorse]

I am in fact extremely skeptical of some types of patents, Thue.

But patent buyouts eliminate a lot of the deadweight losses arising from the patent system, IRRESPECTIVE of whether or not a certain type of patent is even worthwhile allowing.

[KrazyHorse]

I feel - and Colon agrees, as, obviously, do many people - that the potential benefits of scientific research outweighs the possibility that government funding of such research will end up being pointless.

Who gives a **** what YOU FEEL?

Do you have ANY QUALIFICATIONS (either from a scientific or economic point of view) that would make your opinion worth ANYTHING?

Hell, I WORK on projects related to LHC results and I don't have a clue how valuable the LHC will end up being. I DO know that the decision to fund the LHC was taken by a lot of people with a lot less understanding of the issues involved than I have. Why the **** should I believe that their decision is more right than that of the entire private sector (which implicitly decided that the LHC, or an equivalent project was NOT worthwhile)?

And I don't particularly give a **** what you think is "childish", you ****. If and when you start demonstrating that you have anything of value to add I'll stop insulting you.

[David Floyd]

Oh, the insults don't particularly bother me. Like I said, it just makes you look like a dip****. I mean, really, to continue to berate me for knowing less than you, after I already admitted I know less than you, is pretty ridiculous.

What makes you even more ridiculous is that you just said you have no clue what the long term benefits of the LHC will be any more than I do. Maybe it will pan out, and maybe not. Then again, maybe it's good public policy to fund initiatives like that, whether or not they reap the desired result. Personally speaking, I'd rather my tax dollars go to projects like the space program or the LHC (if the US was involved, which AFAIK it is not), than to social programs such as health care or welfare. I'm not claiming to be right, and I'm not claiming to be smarter than you, or anyone else.

In short, get over yourself, show a little humility, and maybe you'll sound a little less idiotic.

[SlowwHand]

He's an idiot, David. He doesn't know everything. He knows physics. Goody for him.
The rest is blustering bull****.

[KrazyHorse]

Oh, Slowwie. Sweetheart. You should know by now that I don't bother to read your little puppie dog posts.

[David Floyd]

As I recall, he's pretty good at poker. Maybe a little friendly match, and the loser shuts up?

KH, whaddya say? I play on Doyle's Room. We could set up a little heads up freezeout, any stakes you want up to $500 or so. Just give me a day or two to set aside a block of time for the game. The winner gets the money and the bragging rights, and the loser shuts the **** up?

Could be fun

[KrazyHorse]

Davey-boy, I haven't played serious poker in years.

Right now I'm 1-0 in "big" hands with you. I'll happily sit on that

Not to mention the fact that I have no idea WTF poker has to with gov't funding of science.

[Lorizael]

Back on topic, boys. Discuss the future of the space program.

KH, if you want to continue talking about the fact that insulting people is a necessary part of your debate style, you can create a thread dedicated to that and hash it out there. In the mean time, cut it out.

[SlowwHand]

You tell him!

[David Floyd]

KH, I wasn't all that serious about poker. Just kidding around. That said, sorry to hear you stopped playing. As I recall you were getting pretty good a couple of years back.

[David Floyd]

And yes, thanks Lori - back to the topic, by all means!

[Imran Siddiqui]

To bring it (somewhat) back to topic: This country put a ****ing man on the moon and we can't figure out how to offer affordable quality health insurance and care to every citizen? I mean, ****! Even Italy figured out how to do it!

[KrazyHorse]

What makes you even more ridiculous is that you just said you have no clue what the long term benefits of the LHC will be any more than I do.

Please learn to differentiate between rhetorical and literally true statements, ****. Could I make a guess as to what the value will be? Yes. Is my guess going to be vastly more informed than yours? Yes. Doesn't mean that my guess is particularly informed on an absolute scale (absolutely informed meaning certainty about the results). This is the ****ing point. Even ASSUMING that the politicians and scientists who make the funding decisions have their priorities aligned with the public's, there is no reason to believe that the discovery mechanism of political appropriation puts the most informed people in place to make the decision. There is at least pressure in that direction in a market setting.

Holy ****, it's almost as though you've never heard this critique of central planning before.