NASA To Continue Funding Canceled Ares Project Until March

wooferhound passes along this quote from the Orlando Sentinel: "Thanks to congressional inaction, NASA must continue to fund its defunct Ares I rocket program until March — a requirement that will cost the agency nearly $500 million at a time when NASA is struggling with the expensive task of replacing the space shuttle. About one-third of that money — $165 million — will go to Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, which has a $2 billion contract to build the solid-rocket first stage for the Ares I, the rocket that was supposed to fill the shuttle's role of transporting astronauts to the International Space Station. ... The odd scenario, in which NASA is throwing money at a canceled rocket program but can't fund a modernization program, is because of several twists in the legislative process that started a year ago and came to a head this month. At the root of the problem is a 70-word sentence inserted into the 2010 budget — by lawmakers seeking to protect Ares I jobs in their home states — that bars NASA from shutting down the program until Congress passed a new budget a year later. That should have happened before the Oct. 1 start of the federal fiscal year. But Congress never passed a 2011 budget and instead voted this month to extend the 2010 budget until March — so NASA still must abide by the 2010 language."

Comments

NASA modernization program?

[mschaffer]

Seems odd that the US space agency needs a "modernization program". Obviously, it should be called something else since NASA still plans on using Russia's own antiquated hardware to keep the ISS going.
Anyhow, I don't understand why we should be so happy that NASA is funding a program that it's not planning on using---regardless of where the funding is coming from.
Well, it's only money. After all, it's not like they are taking your money, out of your wallet.

Re:NASA modernization program?

[c6gunner]

He's just bitching because the people who pay 90% of the taxes get a few breaks here and there. Apparently, if you're part of the small percentage of the population who actually keep the country running, you shouldn't get any special treatment. That's his idea of "fairness".

Re:NASA modernization program?

[geekoid]

wow.. just.. wow.

The middle class pay most of the taxes, not the rich. And the rich pays nowhere near when the amount of wealth they have would justify.

slightly over 66% of all income tax is paid by people earning between about 34K and 353K.

Exxon made billions of dollars, didn't pay a cent to the US.

When talking about taxes, 'Fair' has to so with wealth distribution, not everyone paying the same percentage.

Of course, when talking about fair taxes, the only thing that should be considered is total taxes v. total income. As it stands, the middle class carries most of that burden as well.

You are being stupid. Stop being stupid, it's beneath you.

What if they just don't?

[cfa22]

How bad would the penalties be?