Bush moons the nation

The Bush Administration made a bold move when it announced a few weeks ago the president would be interested in sending a man back to the moon. The plan entertains the notion of using the moon as a launching pad to Mars. \nThe prospect may leave scientists starry-eyed, but the national budget would experience astronomical effects. \nThe moon and Mars idea wasn't well received with the public -- neither was his plan to start a work program for immigrants, which also came out the same week -- and the Bush people decidedly left both topics out of the State of the Union address Tuesday night.\nThe Mars proposal was a purely political move, and sources close to the White House didn't make much of an attempt to hide it. It's an attempt to move closer to the center for the upcoming re-election campaign, to launch a proposal to captivate the electorate, and perhaps make some workers at the NASA pleased enough to vote for Bush. (NASA, of course, has a large base at Cape Canaveral in Florida, a crucial swing-state for 2004.)\nThe plan is brave, in that it resembles other ambitious moves the Administration has failed to follow through with during its first term. But this is certainly not to say it has made nothing but empty promises for the duration of his term. The contrary has been proven true, time and time again. \nDuring the campaign, Bush's gigantic tax relief package was at the crux of his message. He has unsuccessfully sought to enact faith-based initiatives, giving grants to religious organizations to help with social concerns, but he has not given up. He promised to appoint conservative judges to the bench, and has done so. He promised a prescription-drug benefit package, and -- depending on how you define "benefit" -- one now exists.\nSpace research can be invaluable, but a more responsible way to invest in it is to continue down the path we are now on. Of course, that won't be accompanied by the media fanfare as they talk about the idea of going to Mars.\nBut manned missions into space once more are recklessly wasteful with taxpayer resources, and will fade into the background -- never to be discussed again, until election time. \nWe are already deepening the deficit. Perhaps instead of proposing enormous, needless programs, the Administration could center its goal around significantly cutting back spending and avoiding passing burdens onto future generations -- another promise Bush has made we would like to see him come through with.