Which is a bigger waste of money? The war in Iraq or the Space program?

Question

Both seem to be pointless. With the space program we spend trillions of dollars to study places 98% of us are most likely to never go when we could be using the money here on earth to build houses for the homeless, feed the hungry and send kids to college. We are all very well aware of the total money wasted on the War in Iraq. Could you imagine the house each of us could have with a portion of that money. There is no goal for the war. There is no mission anymore. So what do you think? Which one is more worthless than the other?

Answer 1

At least with the space program, maybe we can find in time another planet to live once we have drain this planet of all its resources.

Like a virus.

Answer 2

Well your question implies that both are equally useful/useless. You're comparing two COMPLETEY different issues, which invalidates the premise of your question.
However, I would point out, humbly, that the cellphone you can't do without, CD's/DVDs, the 'Net you posted this message on, and the computer I'm replying to you on, are ALL directly a result of the Space Program. Almost forgot, the commercial satellites you get TV/telecomms from are also from the Space Program.
Advanced research by Space-related engineers will also directly affect you in the next few years, as they work on hydrogen fuel, more efficient solar arrays, and more powerful/lower power microprocessors. Also, advances in bio-memory will drive another huge revolution for consumers, health professions, and the environment.

Do you think that's worth about $15Billion (nowhere near 'trillions" as you seem to believe) a year? I do.

Answer 3

We don't spend very much on either. As a function of per-capita income, there has never been a war in the history of the united states with as little financial support as the War in Iraq. Similarly, we don't spend very much on the space program compared to what we spent in the 60s.

While some could claim the money spent on the War in Iraq is a waste, there has not been a successful large-scale attack on US soil since Al Qaeda's September 11th attack.

The same "waste-of-money" arguments you are making here were made fighting socialist insurgencies in Germany, nationalist insurgencies in Japan, and communist insurgencies in Korea, and we spent a lot more money on those conflicts.

I think we didn't spend enough. In our initial plan for the war, we called for an occupation force of around
500,000 troops. Our planning was based on the "Powell Doctrine" of overwhelming force. Cheney came in and said we could do what we needed to with not much more than 125,000. Hindsight has proved that our plans were right and his plan obviously didn't work.

I get really disappointed in the spirit of the American people when I read comments like "Think of the house each of us could have with a portion of that money." It sounds so selfish. You and I both know that had we not spent the money on the war, it would go to pork barrel projects, not to building houses for the homeless, feeding the hungry, or sending kids to college.

Conducting a low budget Cheney style war did not work. The war was just not as important as all of the pork barrel projects passed by BOTH parties in congress. I am not smart enough to know whether or not adding money to the war will be too little too late, but I can certainly say that the average American hasn't personally sacrificed as much as those of us who fight it, certainly not their nice homes or sending their kids to college.

What we really need is to reign in our government, BOTH parties, and hold them accountable for the financial decisions they make.

I see neither the Space program or the war as pointless, but both seem to be experiencing a lot of failures. However, if you "peel back the onion" on any modern spending bill passed by the officials we elect, I think you will find layers and layers of pointless spending on things much less important.

Answer 4

The war in Iraq is a waste of money it's costing the U.S 12 BILLION A MONTH!!!!!!! that money could be better used like health care plans,college funds for those who can't afford college,feed the hungry i mean did you know that over 32,000 children go to bed hungry on long island every day? And did you know that the U.S fell to number 25 on the best and affordable health care it's nuts!!!!!!! i have no more to say.

Answer 5

Interestingly enough, I found, while reading the constitution, that the government (specifically congress) has these powers:

"To promote the progress of science and useful arts...,"
and
"To declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules concerning captures on land and water."

But nowhere was I able to find where the constitution gives our federal government the power to "build houses for the homeless, feed the hungry and send kids to college."

Maybe that should tell us something about where the REAL waste of money is.

Answer 6

It is quite apparent that the USA is now in a potential death spiral. The golden years are long gone. The damage done to our country by class polarization, dependance on welfare and subsidies, political corruption so endemic that we have no sense of American identity. We need a total moratorium on all immigration for 5 years, and a different system of taxation, clarification of who is our friend and who is not. The decay of America has been accelerated by groups so stupid that they deflect attention from the true issues. It is not even remotely possible to expect America to recover to its past golden years, without a significant cost. I have posted several replies to other similiar questions and the questions usually hinted at the type of answer desired and the truth is not flexible . Unfortunately most of the questions on such a critical issue....are asked by children..We live in a world of the "haves" and the "have nots".........the only thing keeping peace now is the presence of weapons and power. The shift has started in the power balance......India and China have both displaced the USA in key areas.......unless we are willing to undergo a type of "isolation", the USA can not recover without removing and neutralizing the upper 2 % of wealthy Americans and corporations. Changing our sense of fair and unfair.....as it applies to Christian values.....not as it applies to money and greed. The lessons of the past have not been remembered, we are making the same mistakes again....only this time we dont have the resources to recover. The true spirit of America will live on, even if America the country falls apart. We need to stand up and be proud to be American and not give a damn what other countries think. We need to start taking care of our own.........we owe it to America

Answer 7

Out of those 2, i'd pass with the conflict in Irag. Now reckoning on what you think on the way forward for guy, this answer ought to alter. Mankind will in all probability injury itself, in the past we get into area, so NASA is the waste of funds, as a results of fact we does not income from it. however the conflict is kinda pointless besides, have been going over there getting killed, killing them, and have been investment the conflict, and rebuilding the wear we do. We bomb the area at a cost of five billion+, and rebuild what we in basic terms freaking bombed at a cost of 10 billion+. everybody else see the priority with this!? If have been going to pass combat a conflict over there, we ought to continuously in basic terms take them over, the international became in accordance with conquest!!

Answer 8

Lemme see now, with Aphophis due to have a near impact in 2036 and hundreds, if not thousands of asteroids still not mapped, and with the need for 10 years advanced warning to interdict a planet killing asteroid, and with NASA the only agency capable of inter-planetary interdiction, i'd say the answer is a no-brainer.

Answer 9

The war in iraq, and the lives are counted as a loss as well. The space program brought us some cool things. satellite communication has been great for america.

Answer 10

Allot of good has come from the space program, weather satellites and cell phones just to name 2.

The war in Iraq wasn't a good idea from day 1.

Answer 11

In all the years that the space program has been in effect, it has nowhere cost as much in lives, goodwill or money as the Iraq war. At least space exploration may someday afford us to discover new horizons besides all the new technology that we have gained from it..