"I moved the thread not because of the politics, but because I thought that bringing up Marxism was so off-topic as to start another flame war and lose the important issue raised about quality workers at NASA. It appears others thought so too."

Maybe you don't know what Marxism is:

"Most forms of Marxism share:

* an attention to the material conditions of people's lives, and lived relations between people
* a belief that peoples' consciousness of the conditions of their lives are reflections of these material conditions and relations
* an understanding of "social class" in terms of differing relations to production, and as a particular position within such relations
* an understanding of material conditions and social relations as historically malleable
* a view of history in terms of conflict between classes with opposing interests
* a sympathy for the working class
* a belief that the ultimate interests of workers best match those of humanity in general."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marxism

So, Marxism actually has:
Never: "improved the material conditions of people's lives".
Always stifled "peoples' consciousness of the conditions of their lives"
Never produced anything worth a piece shit, re "an understanding of "social class" in terms of differing relations to production". Or other words, it doesn't understand jack shit about it.
History has not been "in terms of conflict between classes with opposing interests"
It may or may not have had sympathy "for the working class" but it hasn't ever improved their conditions.
And final thing is simply foolish: "a belief that the ultimate interests of workers best match those of humanity in general"

Now, a lot people think the above crap called Marxism makes sense.
They are foolishly wrong and are ignoring all the results from those practicing Marxism.
Marxism has nothing which is true about it, but that makes no dent in the faith of the true believers.