I have a piece up on the subject over at The Weekly Standard.
4 thoughts on “How Crony Capitalism Is Undermining The Space Program”
I know you have a win when Shuttlelyndra makes it on the evening news. I agree that you’ve chosen the right horse to keep beating.
For me, did I ever mention what a single square kilometer claim could pay for?
What a hoot! So now it’s “crony capitalism” to have NASA do what it’s done for the last 50 years, but shoveling government money to an Obama donor for not one, but all three of his quasi-technical scams — the Grifter’s Trifecta — is not. Which edition of the NewSpeak dictionary do you have on the shelf?
NASA has been handing out uncompeted sole-source cost-plus contracts to congressional campaign donors at the behest of Congress for fifty years? And that’s not “shoveling money,” but giving modest funds, matched by private investment to multiple competitors for fixed-price contracts for actual milestones is?
It’s a good piece, but I’m not sure it warrants the headline. I think it was kinda of weak on explaining the capitalist cronyism, unless you were attacking SpaceX and Boeing. You mentioned ATK, only after a list naming government installations.
Congressmen/Senators giving money to their districts government installation is standard pork. Solyndra was about giving money to a corporation to reward political patrons. Its slightly nuanced, but that nuance is lost when you argue that SpaceX and Boeing are complaining about funding cuts (that rumble you hear is the shockwave of Matula’s head exploding).
The editorial still works, as it points out the flaws of SLS and the potential for commercial crew. I just think it missed the cronyism mark, though like you, I know it is there.
I know you have a win when Shuttlelyndra makes it on the evening news. I agree that you’ve chosen the right horse to keep beating.
For me, did I ever mention what a single square kilometer claim could pay for?
What a hoot! So now it’s “crony capitalism” to have NASA do what it’s done for the last 50 years, but shoveling government money to an Obama donor for not one, but all three of his quasi-technical scams — the Grifter’s Trifecta — is not. Which edition of the NewSpeak dictionary do you have on the shelf?
NASA has been handing out uncompeted sole-source cost-plus contracts to congressional campaign donors at the behest of Congress for fifty years? And that’s not “shoveling money,” but giving modest funds, matched by private investment to multiple competitors for fixed-price contracts for actual milestones is?
It’s a good piece, but I’m not sure it warrants the headline. I think it was kinda of weak on explaining the capitalist cronyism, unless you were attacking SpaceX and Boeing. You mentioned ATK, only after a list naming government installations.
Congressmen/Senators giving money to their districts government installation is standard pork. Solyndra was about giving money to a corporation to reward political patrons. Its slightly nuanced, but that nuance is lost when you argue that SpaceX and Boeing are complaining about funding cuts (that rumble you hear is the shockwave of Matula’s head exploding).
The editorial still works, as it points out the flaws of SLS and the potential for commercial crew. I just think it missed the cronyism mark, though like you, I know it is there.