What I meant is that if every constituency got all the money they thought was absolutely essential to them, then we would have gone into national bankruptcy decades ago.

Do you seriously believe that letters from enthusiasts like me matter a hundredth as much as the input from big contractors, NASA agencies, and the politicians representing them, all trying to save all those lucrative contracts? Believe me, they don't want the budget cut any more than you do.

I'm not ready to do away with NASA. I just have a realistic view of their role in getting humanity into space in a big way. I had arguments like this years ago when I stood up at L-5 Society meetings, and declared that the government was not going to be the answer they were looking for.

Space will become what it was in "2001: A Space Odyssey" when someone figures out how to make a load of money at it. Same as almost every other major push forward in human exploration.

Not very romantic, but true.