Re: What are you willing to give up for it?
Alex,
Given the history you outlined, is it possible that NASA is playing the beurocratic game of "make someone else pay for it?" If congress plussed up NASA's budget once, might they not do it again? That way NASA gets a mission to pluto and doesn't have to take it out of hide.
About cutting a shuttle mission. It looks like you'll get your wish. The MSNBC article today said NASA will be reducing shuttle mission to about four a year. Somehow I don't think the savings will be used to fund deep space missions.
Dave M