It is not fucking TALENT! If you want something you invest in the outcome. If we wanted to have American engineers and scientists today that can put people back on the moon and not Musk’s fail rockets spinning out of control over the Indian Ocean and exploding over the Caribbean while a bunch of clout hounds cheer on the livestream like it’s a big success then 20 years ago we would have been putting money into things like universal higher education, like other countries that take the future seriously.

I grew up around Johnson Space Center and remember the layoffs being devastating to so many people, actual trained engineers and such being laid off to facilitate the pivot toward a private space industry thats most recent success has been to pollute South Texas and the Gulf, as if that poor 300 million year old inlet sea can take any more abuse. 198 Raptor engines are down there. Just a little ecocide as a treat.