Is the USA an incapable nation?

I had to ask. One fact prompted me to do so. The USA, at this time, has no means to send astronauts into space. It is entirely dependent on paying the Russians for the privilege of hitching a ride on its spacecraft. This, to me, seems a very humbling fact.

It is the 50^th anniversary of John Glenn’s adventure in space. One would have expected, that, after the passage of 50 years, America would truly have become a spacefaring nation. But no...it seems to be in retreat, in some respects. Fifty years ago, America had the means to send a man into space. Now, they don’t. That is quite a striking fact. Something, clearly, is wrong with modern America.

Let us talk a look at the situation. NASA and America knew for a long time, that the shuttle was to be retired. They knew when it would be retired. Yet, what they did not do, was to ensure that a replacement was ready in time for that retirement. This seems to be a failure of planning, of foresight and, perhaps, the willingness to fund such a replacement. Ultimately, it is a failure of America as a nation.

Everyone imagines that NASA has a huge budget. There is a common assumption that vast sums are being spent on space. However, the true figures are very much smaller. NASA recently announced a 17.7 billion dollar budget request for 2013. My immediate reaction to that: “How pathetic!” It is a miniscule budget compared to the supposed wealth and status of the American nation. The truth is such a small budget (compared to the 3 or 4 trillion spent on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan) shows, with overwhelming clarity, that space is simply not a priority, interest or asset of the United States of America. It shows us that space faring is being neglected, indeed, largely ignored. So small is NASA’s budget and the American commitment to space, that the wealth of a few individual billionaires, would be enough to sustain the present level of expenditure, indefinitely. That is nothing.

America was once a great nation – or at least, seemed great. I don’t, however, believe that it is, any longer. The very fact that America is no longer a space faring nation, indicates a precipitous decline in its capabilities and willingness to maintain capabilities. That can only mean that there are profound problems elsewhere that are distracting attention from space efforts.

It seems likely that, in a few decades, another nation will be the world’s leading space nation. That nation could very well be China. If so, America has only one entity to blame: itself. America is wilfully throwing away its lead in the space arena, simply by not caring enough to maintain it. That is emblematic of a nation in decline, a nation that has lost it pride and its ability to sustain its historical advantages.

America is fast becoming an incapable nation – a has been State. I wonder whether it will be seen, in another fifty years time, as the UK is now: a shadow of its former self, a once great power, hanging on to the vestiges of its position, through international tradition alone?

We shall see. What is for certain, however, is that whilst America neglects space and the attendant technologies required to attain it, other nations are forging ahead. The history of space travel was once an American province. The future of space travel is likely to be of a very different origin.

Posted by Valentine Cawley

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California State Public School System in Jeopardy

It is strange, sometimes, to see, from afar, the priorities of another country. America has built itself on the ingenuity and energy of its people (and the immigrants they managed to attract) - yet those who decide on education matters, there, sometimes seem to forget this.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is proposing 4 BILLION dollars of cuts in the education budget, in attempt to balance state finance, in the face of its housing crisis and stagnant economy. For those who may not know, I should point out that this does not mean that the education system was over-funded to start with. It is just that he has to find cuts somewhere and thinks he can find them in schools.

California needs its teachers but doesn't appear to value them. Apparently, every year, it has become traditional for many teachers to receive pink slips, in the Spring (before March 15, according to State law), informing them that they might soon be fired. This is done to prepare them for the possibility of losing their jobs. Many of them, in past years, did not, in fact, go on to lose their jobs - but they were informed just so that the state had the option of firing them.

What do you think this does to the morale of teachers in California public education? It must be terrible. No doubt they feel undervalued and insecure. In sending this message to the teachers that they are of no value, I have no doubt that that will affect what happens in the classroom. A demoralized teacher is hardly likely to be an inspired or inspiring one. No doubt this annual and rather cruel ritual negatively impacts teaching throughout the California state education system.

About 14,000 Californian teachers have just received pink slips. Some of these are even award winning teachers like Lincoln High's Guillermo Gomez, 37, who was declared a San Diego County Teacher of the Year in 2006 for his work in suburban Chula Vista. Not even being talented in the classroom, is protection against these latest cuts.

Other states are stepping in to offer signing bonuses to Californian teachers, to lure them away.

What effect will all of this have on Californian education? Well, firing so many teachers will not change the number of students - but it will logically increase class sizes and the workload on the remaining teachers. This will prompt some of those teachers to give up teaching as the job becomes too much - or leave for another state. Thus, it could be the beginning of a viscious circle.

One thing is certain: the quality of public education will decline further in California. Is this wise? Can America afford to have a poorer educated population when it already has one that is poorly educated, by international standards (see the PISA OECD education report, I have referred to elsewhere in this blog. America was outshone by very modest countries, on the education front.)

The damage done to the education of California's children, by such cuts, is cumulative and not easy to change.

From a foreign perspective, it is strange to see a country built on great minds, take so little care of future ones. I only hope that the cuts eventually come from somewhere else in the state budget, than education.

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