U.S. SPACE FORCE
Establish Permanent and Self-Sustaining Lunar & Mars Colonies
Build a Defense System to Prevent Asteroid Collisions with Earth and Satellites
Accelerate Graphene Research Through University Grants
Allocate 5% of the Defense Budget to the U.S. Space Force
Build the U.S. Space Academy at Alameda Point and U.S. Launch Base at Treasure Island
Monitor Natural Disasters and Climate Changes from Outer Space
Form International Treaties in the Construction of Additional Space Stations
Dear Cyndi:
Thanks for letting me comment regarding the space program and its value to our country and to mankind. Many special-interest groups have been attacking our exploration of space on the basis of how much could be done to provide needed social welfare reforms with that money. Sometimes it makes me wonder if this isn't the same kind of opposition Columbus ran into when he was trying to raise money for the exploration that led to the discovery of America. Man's great yearning to explore the unknown should not be curbed because he can't tell in detail all he hopes to find.
No one denies that we should do all we can do to correct the causes of human misery. It isn't necessarily true, however, that spending more money will accomplish that end. Our proposal to reform welfare was made because the money presently going to welfare is being inefficiently used and is not serving the people it is supposed to help. Remember too the money for the space program isn't spent on the moon. It pays the wages of tens of thousands of people all over the United States who make the equipment. If the space program were cancelled, these people would be unemployed and in need of welfare.
Just one last point- look how many people are better off, how much better the world is because of the voyage of Columbus. Can we say for sure that exploring space may not create such great benefits for mankind?
Best regards,
Ronald Reagan
(Letter from Ronald Reagan to Cyndi Davis during his governorship)
