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somkoala3703 karma

I also come from a post-communist country, even thought less severe than USSR and I was just a kid when it fell. I've thought a lot about the answer to this question. And my counter-question is - can it be done right in the end? Data doesn't support it (and Nordic EU countries are not real communism - note I say this because some people use them as an example, not because I would think they are communism). Every attempt at implementing communism started out with good intentions and failed. Maybe it can at some point in time, but looking at what's happening around the world (events that are based on bringing out the worst in people, like Brexit, or how The Arab Spring turned into an Arab Winter) I don't think much has changed.

somkoala5 karma

Brexit is about refusing to work together for the long term and choosing the selfish option (regardless of which one really is beneficial, we could have a long debate on that as I think it isn't). It is based on us vs them mentality which in my eyes certainly isn't the best in people, but leads to violence and conflict. It has also been pushed through lies. How is any of that good? Feel free to disagree.

somkoala1 karma

No, it isn't, but the avenue of spending OP mentions impacts the immediate future of all of us. There is no guarantee we'd be able to move into space in case global warming becomes too much of an issue. So technically it's money not being spent on our collective survival, but rather on a big unknown (there is no telling for when we'd be able to actually colonize another planet and move efficiently). It's not his money, but he can have an opinion on how could it be better spent.

somkoala1 karma

Depending on how immediate the problems are you need to be able to reallocate resources. The problem is - space exploration is the cool problem so it gets more funding, while global warming is a more pressing problem, yet it is overlooked. And yes, I would prioritize research for down here, unless there is a tangible in reach estimate for the space research telling me that it means we don't have to care about problems down here if we focus on space exploration for an estimated amount of time. I am not saying I would do no research for space, just shift priorities around.

somkoala1 karma

Well I would assume a lot of resources were poured into Coronavirus vaccine at the cost of other treatments probably for the short term since it's most imminent. You don't drop it completely, but you still react. The OP's headline is about all of us thinking about the space economy while we should be thinking about the green economy much more.