We are working on a brand new version of the game! If you want to stay informed, read our blog and register for our mailing list.
Bill: The United Jakanian Space Program
Details
Submitted by[?]: Jakanian Liberal Socialists
Status[?]: passed
Votes: This is an ordinary bill. It requires more yes votes than no votes. This bill will not pass any sooner than the deadline.
Voting deadline: January 2121
Description[?]:
| This bill seeks to create the United Jakanian Space Program, and eventually celebrate the end of United Jakania's first elected parliament with the launch of UJ's first orbital man made sattelite. This bill recognises that space exploration and research has brought other nations technological advancements and advantages not currently economically feasable in the short term for private companies to pursue via their own research and development. In line with other laws, all technological advancements, designs, and discoveries will be made public for individuals, education, and private companies. Beginning with only modest government financing, funding for other, more ambitious projects, may be agreed upon seperately in future bills. |
Proposals
Article 1
Proposal[?] to change Government policy towards space exploration.
Old value:: Space exploration and use is totally prohibited.
Current: The government shall operate a space agency that contracts with and oversees private space-exploration companies.
Proposed: The government shall fully fund a state-owned space agency which controls all national space-related activity.
Debate
These messages have been posted to debate on this bill:
| Date | 04:43:49, October 01, 2005 CET | From |   Islamic Nationalist Front | To | Debating the The United Jakanian Space Program |
| Message | The LP objects to any government-funded space exploration program and will vote against this bill. Furthermore, we urge all parties that are opposed to wasteful government spending to not support this legislation. (I'd type a more detailed response except my fingers hurt after responding to that bloody anti-discrimination bill) |
| Date | 05:19:23, October 01, 2005 CET | From | Jakanian Liberal Socialists | To | Debating the The United Jakanian Space Program |
| Message | The JLSP disagrees that this should be classified as wasteful government spending. It's an opportunity to invest into a very beneficial area of research that no one in Jakania currently has access to, legally or financially. (I kind of look forward to your next response. After all, hasn't NASA contributed more scientific (practical) innovations than any other modern organisation? Landing a man on the moon may have no economic benefit, but getting him there has huge ones. I think NASA have said that for every dollar placed into the space program, the government alone gains back seven for the new jobs, markets, and existing economies that benefit from the advancements. That doesn't include benefits taken directly by the economy or private sectors. While I'll accept such claims with a grain of salt seeing as they're not independant, I definately don't believe such figures are in the realm of impossibility. Keep in mind also, that only now IRL is it becoming economically feasable for private companies to build space craft, and that's itself a result of NASA's work. This is the reason why it makes sense to be a government program, because the government can front the short term costs without worrying about profit. IRL, we might be decades behind on quality of life and technology without it, and that's something Jakania can't afford to miss out on) |
| Date | 06:55:36, October 01, 2005 CET | From | Islamic Nationalist Front | To | Debating the The United Jakanian Space Program |
| Message | (I'm really really too tired to debate any more tonight. I promise I'll get back to you hopefully tomorrow. One point though: I would never trust any organization, whether an alphabet soup agency or a corporation, to give me accurate data if its life was at stake. Of course they're going to say that. The question is, if the taxpayers kept the dollar instead, how would it have been used? I promise you they have no way of showing that, ceteris paribus, a dollar invested in NASA means 7 more dollars for Uncle Sam.) |
| Date | 07:49:18, October 01, 2005 CET | From | Jakanian Liberal Socialists | To | Debating the The United Jakanian Space Program |
| Message | (Agreed with your point there. See you tomorrow!) |
| Date | 17:39:42, October 01, 2005 CET | From | Nudist Party of United Jakania | To | Debating the The United Jakanian Space Program |
| Message | The NP would love to see a space program implemented, however, I am not sure that a soley government run agency would be the best. Perhaps a cooperative agency that is both government and civilian run? |
| Date | 18:07:24, October 01, 2005 CET | From | Islamic Nationalist Front | To | Debating the The United Jakanian Space Program |
| Message | http://www.thespaceplace.com/nasa/spinoffs.html The above is the best justification I could find for NASA funding. I will admit that it all looks convincing enough. Surely all those inventions are worth the mere $2.4 TRILLION the tax payers dish out each year. Afterall, that's only about $8115 per capita and, well, who needs a college education anyway? But on closer examination, we notice that most of these benefits are "spinoffs," which means they still originated in the private sector with the government only footing the bill. There is little reason to believe that private funds donated to universities and other research facilities would not generate equally beneficial inventions. In fact, because private donations would be demand-driven, the allocation of funds would be a lot more efficient, going toward things people actually want (the 1.5 million bonus for the National Institutes of Health comes to mind, which among other things, funded research on homsexuality among Native Americans and Asian prostitutes in San Francisco). I would also point out that even if such government spending were justified by the benefits attributed to NASA, there is still little reason for space exploration itself. You said: "now IRL is it becoming economically feasable for private companies to build space craft, and that's itself a result of NASA's work. This is the reason why it makes sense to be a government program, because the government can front the short term costs without worrying about profit." True, private companies would not built space craft in the past. The government invested a ridiculous amount of money in space research (it was perfectly acceptable, though, because we had to show those damn Reds!) and now, since the government footed the bill, private companies can... make a huge profit by charging celebrities millions of dollars for a trip to the moon. Yay for corporate hand outs :D Seriously though, space exploration is only beneficial in two ways: materially and scientifically. We may eventually materially gain from it if we develop the means to live in space, on other planets or what have you. The only other benefit to space exploration though is scientific knowledge, and, while I ackowledge the importance of expanding our understanding of the universe, I'm not willing to exchange my child's education for it. Let those people that care enough about it foot the bill. And as far as the material gains, if we ever reach a point where we have not enough room, resources or clear air (an unlikely scenario in itself), then there will be enough market pressure for companies to seriously invest in space research. Until then, though, there are much better things to waste our incomes on. |
| Date | 01:07:49, October 02, 2005 CET | From | Jakanian Conservative Party | To | Debating the The United Jakanian Space Program |
| Message | Space reasearch should be private, as things generally progress faster in the private sector. |
| Date | 16:00:33, October 02, 2005 CET | From | Jakanian Liberal Socialists | To | Debating the The United Jakanian Space Program |
| Message | (Ideally I'd like a public organisation to work alongside private programs, but that isn't an option here, unless of course anyone reads this bill as also allowing private organisations.) |
subscribe to this discussion - unsubscribe
Voting
| Vote | Seats | |||||
| yes | Total Seats: 171 | |||||
| no | Total Seats: 79 | |||||
| abstain |
Total Seats: 0 |
| Random fact: If you are likely to be logging in to Particracy with the same IP address as another player with an active account, please inform Moderation on the forum. Otherwise your account could be inactivated on suspicion of multi-accounting. |
| Random quote: "A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercises, I advise the gun. While this gives moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball, and others of that nature, are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun therefore be your constant companion of your walks." - Thomas Jefferson |