It seems that tax incentives ALREADY exist for alternative energy companies. Why not for space businesses? Airports and railroads can offer tax free bonds, but not spaceports? The current system's broken, and its inherent contradictions (and their predictable consequences) embolden our space program's CRITICS. If we care about space, shouldn't we do what we can to make sure Bush's space proposals can outlast him in ways that his father's did NOT? History's easier to change now in the age of the telecommunications revolution. How many California recall initiatives even made it to the ballot before the one that Arnold won? ZERO.

Anyhow, as for:

>>>There are too few space enthusiasts as it is. As a voting block it's not even on the map.

It seems that the more space ENTREPRENEURS are inspired by Bush's proposals, the lower prices can become and the more political support for space will increase as space becomes less of a nonissue for a growing quantity of voters & taxpayers... Few if any space entrepreneurs do NOT think that we need space-related tax incentives, and homesteading (property recognition) rights in space in order for us to finally be able to bring life to space and space to life in the absence of vast increases of federal expenditures. Growth in federal expenditures regarding space sounds GREAT to me, but we need RESULTS or else our critics will be able to increasingly bring up our record high $6.9 trillion dollar national debt. The prospect of NASA's potentially having to finally offer competitive prizes like DARPA does also inspires plenty of actual or potential space entrepreneurs.

I like and appreciate the persuasive and nonhostile tone of your reply. It makes you seem less like a potential tax-leeching beltway bandit and more like an admirable pragmatist who shares in our strong devotion to space commercialization & colonization. We seem to agree on the goals, but perhaps not the means. We are in agreement that the property rights issue is not an easy one. It's not nearly as difficult as the debate about invading Iraq though. Nevertheless, as Dick Cheney has repeatedly said while quoting Yogi Bera: "[w]hen you come to a fork in the road, take it!".

Bush preaches competitive sourcing. Does it hurt our cause to politically remind him of this even as [corrupt!] Boeing and [Mars-monopolizing] LockMart seek to manipulate our elected president?