(#4553) This morning Bezos lifts off into space

      I know that many people are just a little bit irked that these billionaires who are building space programs are doing our planet and its people a disservice. Many have made the point that with the private money they are spending and being subsidized by our government they could be solving problems here on Earth that are immediate and urgent. I get that and feel like it is at least a sensible starting point for making an argument. Yet after that is where I diverge. I feel like they could be doing both if not more at the same time. I suppose it is because I am so pro space advancement that I will gladly accept space and Earth design and repair as doable.
     The problems of our planet are not new although the global warming man made climate change of it is relatively new. Decades of minimal movement away form fossil fuels and toward green energy has been our modus operandi yet we are moving faster in the last decade despite the trump era. Our federal government is the one entity that could make a much more effective dent in helping to make our planet less at risk and that is about to happen with the increased taxes on the wealthy that will now be easier to collect from those who have historically been protected by republican politicians. That paradigm is about to change and that will make these billionaires more involved in contributing to our society beyond the allure of space.
     With each of these space shots we are learning and proving theories and facts about how we as a species will be moving into the last great unknown. For me it is exciting to have opportunities to watch and see others get into space and bring back their experiences with them. This just adds to the collage of messages that challenge and inspire our future generations to fix their sights on the great beyond of space. It is coming whether we like it or not so why not get it going while we are also correcting the social, environmental, and economic injustices that currently plague our planet. We can and should do both without debate and that is how I feel about what is happening this morning.