And I love how you didn't read my cite as it clearly shows that all the funds you listed, bar none, contribute to the MLF. I know how to read, thank you.

Most other states also partially fund their roadways out of their General Fund. PA only uses gas taxes, license and registration fees.

You're either ignorant or a liar.

One other thing, gas taxes are the fairest way to fund roadway work. [blah blah blah]

Totally irrelevant to the points I've been making but thanks for trying for present a little misdirection to make yourself look more insightful than what you really are.

Except for that utilities are very much regulated throughout the entire country, sir. There is no free market to speak of. Pricing adjustments, policies and procedure and budgets are denied and approved by the government. What "private" utilities would be better termed as would be subcontractors.

The gaslines in DC are already a regulated utility. You're trying to act centralist but your language shows that you're clearly in the government-owned camp.

This has lasted a lot longer than the last 10 years. I'm a resident for 40 years and it has been an issue in all of that time. Don't try to make this into something that it isn't.

I'd also like to point out that PA has the 15th highest gas tax in the nation. So maybe it's valid that the tax payers are sick of getting reamed by the state and given a crap service instead? As my OP on this topic stated, there is corruption in the government too... this only further proves my point. Thank you.

People are running for a government solution when there isn't even a problem yet? And you wonder how they feel that warrentless wiretapping and text scanning isn't seen as a problem by these same kinds of people?

I personally don't want to see it either but another peice of legislation isn't the required route for this.

Then plenty of people are fooled because PA is typically rated on the low end of national surveys when it comes to roadways.

Come to Pennsylvania and tell me how great government run programs are when you look at our roadways. Government isn't an automagic solution. There is just as much greed and corpution in the government as there is anywhere else.

Thanks for posting this. Wish I had mod points.

It's good to see the recognition for a guy who helped make it a bit more affordable for backyard stargazers to get into a serious scope without selling a kidney.

My astronomy group hosted John a few years back for a lecture, sadly I didn't make it but he did stay at a member's house for a few days while on his tour. The guy who hosted John still has an 8 inch dob that is signed by John Dobson. It's always neat when he brings it out to the star parties. Also, a few members have engaged in sidewalk astronomy over the last few years. I think this is another tip of the hat to John Dobson who was still doing his sidewalk work until at least mid 2013.

It's only fake because they lack the skillz...

Now me, on the other hand, actually did create a woman from a Barbie doll with the help of a NORAD computer. It's really not that hard.

You'd still have to rocket whatever you need to build into LOE. So you'd still be spending the same energy either way.

Everything will need to be launched from Earth until you have a base that can produce it's own equipment and fuel. You're not going to have that in LOE.

There are articles on Slashdot on pretty much a monthly basis about various entities working their way to a Mars mission. Sorry that no one is just throwing a set of engines on the ISS and pushing it off towards Mars but that's the nature of humans in space in the current era.

My guess it'll be at least another two decades until Mars has a serious manned mission attempt. Even when W was in office their best guess at getting people back to the moon was something like 2018 and that's when going back to the moon was the primary goal of human space flight.

Get your presidents to stop dickering in NASA missions and maybe these programs would come to fruition in a more timely fashion. Until then don't blame NASA and don't blame the science.

Probably nothing. That is one of the downsides of the whole NASA deal is that pretty much each administration redefines NASA's mission and we lose tons of R&D in the process. Not to say that it's all a waste but I would be happier seeing presidents not treat NASA like their statement on how scientific they want their legacy to be seen.

Thanks for spending my money on something I actually can get behind instead of just spending it on tracking my phone calls, funding terrorist organizations and god knows what else.

Maybe you can keep this up and we can have a real science budget in the USA.

Why would he feel that way?

To me, if a doctor can find something about a patient without going to crazy lengths to do it then he shouldn't feel bad about it. It would be like me telling my doctor I've given up smoking and he sees me smoking in front of my local Starbucks a month later. On my next visit should he really ignore that I'm smoking again or should he ask about it or come outright and say "I caught you in the act."

Granted, I'm an adult and I can decide but for medical guidance to be accurate and worthwhile you have to be honest with your doctor and his pointing out the embarrassing truth might be what it takes to get a patient to straighten up and fly right.