It was a pretty exciting day yesterday for me and those who follow space exploration closely with the docking of SpaceX’s Dragon craft with the International Space Station (ISS). While perusing the comments below the article I found a great deal of misinformation being bandied about which is something I’ve noted for a while when it comes to President Obama’s plans for low earth exploration.

What I find fascinating about the criticism is that it seems to come largely from those who claim to espouse Libertarian ideals. Obama’s plan, basically, is to rely on private industry (with generous funding from NASA) to provide vehicles to get men and supplies into low earth orbit where the ISS resides. When he announced this budget for 2010 many Republicans immediately denounced it despite the fact that it was one of the president’s few forays into supporting Libertarian ideals. I see these same arguments today now that the plan is successfully coming to fruition.

This sort of behavior angers me. This is the downfall of a nation. When a man who we largely disagree with espouses a plan that is perfectly in line with our ideals we should pat him on the back, support him, tell him congratulations, and then, when the plan works get him to implement more of the same. Instead we see attack after attack aimed not at making the country better but at getting elected.

Getting elected is not more important than doing what is right for the country. I’ll repeat that phrase because it seems as if the voters largely don’t understand it. Doing what is in the best interest of the country is more important than getting elected. When the voters don’t understand this the officials they elect will clearly not either. That’s the point. The politicians aren’t the problem in this country. It’s the voters.

Now, don’t think I’m merely chastising Republicans. Democrats were all aboard Obama’s plan that if presented by President Bush they would have likely denounced. I see not even the faintest glimmer of cooperation towards a better country on capital hill and that reflects our voting habits.

I remember as a young idealistic liberal being very impressed with Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No” program as compared to the get tough prison policy promoted elsewhere. Even then, in my youthful folly, I was able to acknowledge a good idea from someone who I largely disagreed with on most matters. We see how the War on Drugs has worked out. Go Nancy!

So, my plea to you, the voters, is to forget your party. Register Independent, vote Independent.

Go SpaceX and all the other companies propelling us forward into Space and go NASA!

Tom Liberman
Sword and Sorcery fantasy with a Libertarian Twist