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> Does anyone understand this? I don't quite grasp the details of the story, but the "four kinds of money"[1][2] theme may help understand the point of view.

> Does anyone understand this? I don't quite grasp the details of the story, but the "four kinds of money"[1][2] theme may help understand the point of view. Why exactly would Musk spend money in a way that disturbs conservatives more than how say ULA does it, is probably complicated, but I assume they have their reasons. PS. Also, quite illuminating is Ron Paul's original opinion piece on foxnews [3]. 1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MQp-5lZToE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MQp-5lZToE 2. http://lpmaryland.org/liberty-quotation-milton-friedman-four-ways-spend-money/ http://lpmaryland.org/liberty-quotation-milton-friedman-four... 3. http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2017/09/12/ron-paul-crony-defense-budget-hands-spacex-monopoly-why.html http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2017/09/12/ron-paul-crony-def...

jmh530 9y ago
The whole thing doesn't even make sense. We used to have a monopoly that cost a whole bunch of money. If Elon Musk can do it for less, then he's breaking up the original monopoly.
- grondilu 9y ago
  Have you read Ron Paul's piece? I think the argument about Russia makes a lot of sense. He claims that introducing protectionism in space actually made things more expensive, not cheaper. "Specifically, Section 1615 of this year’s NDAA expressly forbids the Air Force from developing new launch vehicles by restricting expenditures to the development of new engines or the modification of existing systems. This prohibition is supposedly designed to address the “Russian threat” -- a threat manufactured by those seeking a new Cold War. In addition to flaming anti-Russian hysteria, this provision makes the company SpaceX the only affordable option for launch services. " Also, shouldn't we be glad that space exploration is an international effort? Why should the USA design and build itself its entire launch systems?

jmh530 9y ago

The whole thing doesn't even make sense. We used to have a monopoly that cost a whole bunch of money. If Elon Musk can do it for less, then he's breaking up the original monopoly.

grondilu 9y ago
Have you read Ron Paul's piece? I think the argument about Russia makes a lot of sense. He claims that introducing protectionism in space actually made things more expensive, not cheaper. "Specifically, Section 1615 of this year’s NDAA expressly forbids the Air Force from developing new launch vehicles by restricting expenditures to the development of new engines or the modification of existing systems. This prohibition is supposedly designed to address the “Russian threat” -- a threat manufactured by those seeking a new Cold War. In addition to flaming anti-Russian hysteria, this provision makes the company SpaceX the only affordable option for launch services. " Also, shouldn't we be glad that space exploration is an international effort? Why should the USA design and build itself its entire launch systems?