Proving once again that everyone has their things they don't mind money getting spent on...I'm pretty bummed over the announcement that SETI is going to have to shut down for a few years due to a lack of funding.
SETI has been limping along for the last couple of years off a very generous donation from Paul Allen. The funding it does receive from the Government is not enough to allow it to remain in operation, so the plan is to 'mothball' things for a few years, and save some cash so they can open up and operate again for a year or two, or since the economy will be so much better in a few years, stay open.
As a Sci-Fi geek who listens to Coast-to-Coast AM, I would love to see SETI stay open. Another article quoted one of the executives at SETI saying that if each person in the U.S. would add 3 cents to their taxes this year, it would easily fund SETI for the next year. If it was possible to add money to my tax return and ensure where it goes to...I would be okay with that.
As a libertarian tax-payer...I have to 100% agree that The Search for Extra Terrestrial Life is not something that should be government funded. Of course, neither is about 50% of the rest of stuff that Government IS paying for.
Just one more reason I need to win the Mega-Millions....then I could fund SETI, and be the first guy to talk to aliens.
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