Walter Reed closed. Space Program ended... What's next?

[SnoopDog]

All American icons....

Because...because... we don't have a viably tax rate.

As America crumbles and fades away...our 'government' funnels every last penny to the rich oligarchy...

What will it take America to get you to get off your/our be-hinds.

[Drale]

1. Really? The space program is completely over?

Wrong they are currently working on the replacement for the shuttle. I agree that they should have finished the replacement before retiring the shuttle, but lets not blow it out of proportion.

[onenote]

6. The whole point of the OP is to blow things out of proportion

The NASA budget is not significantly lower than it has been in previous years. Walter Reed will live on as newer more modern facility.

[Initech]

2. End all wars. Legalize and tax marijuana. End the Bush tax cuts. Budget solved.

[Historic NY]

3. Walter Reed was a dump....that became a nightmare a few yrs back

"In the weeks ahead, the hospital's 5,000 staff members will be divided between the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., which will be renamed the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, and the newly completed Fort Belvoir Community Hospital in Virginia."

http://www.usatoday.com/news/military/2011-07-27-walter-reed-closing_n.htm

Even where I live they are closing two outdated hospitals in about 7 days they will either be repurposed or demolished....only the very newest stuff is making the move to a new 150 million dollar medical & trauma center. The rest will stay in the old building to be sold or scrapped.

[CBHagman]

4. The Walter Reed closing was announced in 2005.

Services are moving to Bethesda, Maryland.

This is not a new development. This has diddly squat to do with the current budget/debt ceiling debacle.

Look at the date on this article.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-08-25-base-closing_x.htm

The Base Realignment and Closure Commission voted 8-0 Thursday to consolidate Walter Reed with the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.

(SNIP)

Fixing Walter Reed would cost too much money, said Anthony Principi, the commission's chairman.

Consolidating Walter Reed with the Bethesda hospital would cost more than the $989 million estimated by the Pentagon, Principi said, but it was worth doing to provide "world-class health care."

The commission's recommendations will go to President Bush. He will send them to Congress, which has 45 days to reject the whole list without making changes. If Congress doesn't act, the changes become law.

This is the fifth round of base closures, following others in 1988, 1991, 1993 and 1995. Congress has never rejected the list of proposed closures.

If approved, the changes would occur over the next six years. The Pentagon hopes this round will save $48.8 billion.

[TheKentuckian]

5. Yup, we are no longer an aspirational people. Some of the saddest affairs

to see a great turning away from all promise.

The current paths willfully march into darkness. Just the failure to invest into infrastructure may prove essentially fatal. Closing down modest but high yield avenues that give us new industries and solutions.

It is like they are adjusting the horizon to somewhere past our noses.

[SnoopDog]

10. Exactly... We are a people who no longer aspire for greatness and

the unknown, to explore...

That was the point of this post - that we are now under the cloud and cancer of greed, that we no longer seek the future.

[Tx4obama]

18. The space program has been run and staffed by corporations for decades ...

and the USA government picked up the tab for it all.

Nothing much will change other than the taxpayers won't be footing the bill anymore.

Probably a good idea to do some research before getting so upset.

[Vanje]

7. Medicare , medicaid, and social security

The bad guys have won.

[Vanje]

8. But!

We still have our ridiculous fucking WARS!

Yipee!

[LeftyMom]

9. We've still got a few wars going.

:shrug:

Srsly though, Walter Reed MOVED to a larger and newer site because that made more sense than throwing a bunch of money at a site that would still be too small and out of date. Since plenty of other hospitals of that vintage have done the same I suspect that's legitimate reasoning.

edit: And the shuttle program was a money pit of limited utility, at best. NASA is doing their best work outside of the manned program and has been for decades.

[mwooldri]

16. I agree w/you about NASA for the most part.

Obviously there is a gap now between the shuttle ending, and a NASA/private partnership program is going to be fully operational. One of the parties concerned - SpaceX - are claiming that they will be able to launch manned missions into earth orbit and dock at the ISS - for a much lower cost than the Russians or the Chinese. I believe soon the USA will have a space program to be proud of and one that could actually make money.

[csziggy]

11. You forgot - FAA shut down - some airports will have to close

Post Offices closing, especially in smaller towns. Reduction in passenger train travel.

I would not be surprised to start seeing interstates being closed due to lack of maintenance - if that has already happened.

[AnnieBW]

12. Walter Reed was closed, but they've built a better facility

at Bethesda Naval Hospital. The DC media was showing it this week. It's a state-of-the-art rehab facility. Even the service dogs are being moved to a new facility.

[gateley]

13. Didn't Walter Reed get a newer, better facility? nt

[Davis_X_Machina]

15. Boon: Forget it, he's rolling.

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Animal_House

[stevedeshazer]

14. We could gain world-wide support for a new space program sending Republicans to Mars

The Russians could supply some Soyuz capsules to a space station....oh shit, nevermind.

:(

[JI7]

17. WR closed for something better and more modern, there is no comparison

[NYC Liberal]

19. Yes, and replaced with something better...

:wtf: