http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A10334-2004Jan12

"WASHINGTON - President Bush's plan to build a space station on the moon and eventually send astronauts to Mars hasn't grabbed the public's imagination, an Associated Press poll suggests. More than half in the poll said it would be better to spend the money on domestic programs rather than on space research....Just over half of Democrats' opposed the plan by "the United States." Once it was identified as a "Bush administration" plan, Democrats opposed it by a 2-to-1 margin. "
--------------------------------------------------

Can anyone rationally dispute the contention that if we want voters to support Bush's bold new agenda, then it has to be pro-entrepreneurial? Prizes empower folks in every state to dream that they can win and change the course of history forever. Money's easier to get when investors know there's a prize instead of some ephemereal market that even Beagle 2's charismatic Colin Pillinger couldn't find. Along with that, it couldn't hurt to have property rights recognized in space, and tax incentives as well.
Hopefully "W" has learned from his father's bold space proposal's flop. They already took an interesting step by leaking it through a Democrat-controlled media source. Now, in our democracy, the PEOPLE (especially voters) need to feel like they're actively involved, or at least know someone who is. If these projects are dealt out in monopoly-preserving contract form though, then perhaps this Fall we'll be hearing more chants like "Like father, like son, 4 years and he's done." The U.S. economy only added 1,000 new jobs in December, and the Euro's historically high values means inflation's on the way even as fewer and fewer foreigners are willing to invest in U.S. real estate. Our record high national debt, foreign trade deficit, and average age don't exactly bode well either. Incumbency's an advantage that escaped W's father, and tradition didn't stop the California Recall petition from being the first (of nearly 2 dozen) ever to make it to the ballot.