I hate war. Hate. And there isn’t really much I use that word for, at least not seriously (I hate ticks, for instance, and mosquitos, but not like WAR…). And I actively dislike that my tax dollars go to support it.

I also love science. And I actively dislike that my tax dollars do NOT go to support it. At least not in any significant way. Hence the table on the left.

It’s a fact: the entire history of NASA’s budget is less than TWO YEARS’ military budget. Yep. You read that correctly. As Neil deGrasse Tyson notes, the 2008 bailout of banks alone was more than the 50-year history of budgets for NASA. What is up with  THAT??

So here’s what I want to know: with Star Wars, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Eureka, Big Bang Theory, and the beloved Dr. Who, each  garnering huge viewer market share, and sci-fi books one of the best-selling genres, why don’t we vote for more science $$?

Here’s my new mantra: Make spaceships, not war. Or at the very least — Make discoveries. Because discoveries are generative. They will feed us, enchant us, and enrich our lives. War? As the brilliant Edwin Starr told us years ago, absolutely nothing. Not to mention the whole ‘collateral damage’ thing.

Why not shift our $$ priorities, and look into our future…?