Insofar as analyst hours, kwh, computing hardware, etc. can all be converted to dollars, spacefight and I are talking about comparable units. And the idea of r

Insofar as analyst hours, kwh, computing hardware, etc. can all be converted to dollars, spacefight and I are talking about comparable units. And the idea of reducing the cost for intelligence agencies to surveil us to save money is an interesting one. While I agree that paying more taxes for a dubiously useful "service" is bad, I disagree that the right response is to reduce that marginal cost--i.e. be more transparent in the face of government surveillance. Under a regime of high marginal costs, I'd like to believe that the NSA would simply be more selective in its targets, rather than be successful in securing additional funding.