Nasa

[Thorne]

the facts show whether home or abroad Americans (particularly at the government level) are very often slow to respond to disasters. New Orleans had offers of aid from Cuba and many other countries before the US made an official response. There are other examples where most of the G2X (whatever X is these days) had responded before the Americans.

What you're saying is quite possible, I suppose. There's little doubt that the American media has degenerated into partisan and sensationalist reporting rather than factual reporting. But as for New Orleans, the primary failure there involved FEMA, and the government bureaucracy as a whole. The military, on the other hand, responded immediately and effectively, particularly the coast guard. As far as overseas disasters, from what I can gather the offers of aid are extended almost immediately. But when local governments refuse that aid until it's too late, there's little the US, or any other nation, can do other than wait it out.

Something to think about: If international aid is causing the US's poor reputation, why is it that other countries that are even more active with international aid don't have the same reputation problems?

I have no answer for this. I've never understood international politics. Hell, I can hardly understand local politics.

Lastly, regarding space, in order to have company owned asteroids you have to have a claim law. Deciding just what that claim law is is going to be incredibly controversial. If the standard is landing, does the US now own the entire moon? Just the area near where they landed? Does the government itself own the land to issue as it pleases, is it instead owned by the government organization NASA (which could conceivably sell it to fund further space exploration)? The current claim law for space seems to be it is impossible to claim ownership of land on non-Earth planets.

I agree, the problems involved are extreme. Certainly I wouldn't advocate the US should claim the entire moon, as we've only managed to put feet on a very tiny portion, and we have not built any kind of habitation. That should be a major requirement, I would think, for any claims: nothing is yours unless you build on it. Just landing and poking a flag in the dust won't qualify.

Also if a corporation claims an asteroid what nation owns the asteroid, is the corporation now the government of that asteroid, does the country in which its incorporated own that asteroid, what property tax applies? Are there royalties on the minerals?

Why does a nation have to own it? Let the corporation own it, as long as it maintains a viable population/work force and continues utilizing it. No property taxes needed, since no nation would be providing any infrastructure or services to the asteroids. And no royalties, either, unless a corporation mines an asteroid under contract to another corporation/nation/individual.

But overall, I agree there are a lot of problems to overcome. However, we aren't going to overcome them by sitting on our asses looking up at the pretty stars. We're going to have to go there, and soon, before we find ourselves following the dinosaurs down the inevitable path of extinction.