Who were your favorite presidents?

[Magikrazy]

Somebody voted all of them.

Even James Buchanan.

The hell?

 

[DragonFreak]

Also Andrew Jackson/Johnson? No...

 

[Daniel Dyce]

Truman and Polk are the best

 

[Dr. Javelin]

As for Obama with the NSA, while it's all a sack of ass, one reason I'm not holding that solely over Obama's head is my firm belief that this isn't anything new. The only new things are the advances in technology; the US government has been shits about spying and privacy against its own people for like forever, getting tremendously worse with Bush Jr. and Obama I guess got sucked into that. What he can do is have a hand i undoing it and that'll really make him shine.

Yeah I can't say "it's all obama's fault evul democratz" but I mean considering the programs are still in effect and he hasn't pardoned Edward Snowden that just tells me he supports the programs.

I like JFK, because without him, we may have never went to the moon...I think.

Sure, but we didn't really gain anything substantial by going to the moon.

Other than national pride, I suppose.

 

[DragonFreak]

We learned moon physics from doing experiments too.

 

[Dr. Javelin]

Because moon physics benefit us here on Earth... how exactly?

 

[Magikrazy]

Moon Shoes!

 

[DragonFreak]

Moon Shoes!

Related:

Because moon physics benefit us here on Earth... how exactly?

Uhhhhhhhh.........I guess no way, except when we want to colonize on the moon. Which prolly will never happen

 

[Ray Trace]

Learning about the universe isn't substantial?

It's like saying all those missions to extract materials from asteroids or sending Voyager out of the Solar System or sending spacecraft to study other planets are insubstantial.

 

[Dr. Javelin]

Considering extracting mateials from asteroids and learning about the solar system has not improved the quality of human life, I'd say it's insubstantial.

When science brings us new possibilities and riches from other planets (not to mention colonization), then it will be substantial. Until then it's just talk.

 

[Ray Trace]

Some of our everyday appliances would not be there if we didn't develop technologies for the moon. Velcro is one example. Besides, asteroids have the potential to have materials in them that are rare in Earth and can be used for everyday applications, if not, better.

Knowledge is power. Learning about history doesn't necessarily immediately improve the quality of human life, nor reading literature or learning about other people's cultures, but having an understanding of how things work is and why they work is, I strongly think, important.

 

[Dr. Javelin]

Applied knowledge is power, but knowledge you can't apply to anything is useless power. I might know the names of every single Pokemon but that knowledge isn't going to help me with much, is it?

As for "well we invented stuff to go to space" I really don't think that those things would never have been created if we hadn't gone to space. If someone wanted something like Velcro, they would have invented it or just made do with previous inventions.

 

[Shyghoul]

teddy bear roosevelt

 

[Anton]

This whole "I don't care about space facts and how we benefit from it" thing is not only off-topic but also something that I can't even fathom someone saying unless they're Rick Perry. Pokemon facts are hardly in line with learning that there's exoplanets out there that can be home to alien life and potentially us, and striving to figure out how to get there if it's possible and pretty much everything that falls under that umbrella. The inevitability of household appliances is not a factor when it comes to being aware of our planetary neighbors so we can predict and prepare for when one of them begins barreling into our planet's path.

As for "well we invented stuff to go to space" I really don't think that those things would never have been created if we hadn't gone to space. If someone wanted something like Velcro, they would have invented it or just made do with previous inventions.

As for this, most of these technologies were not invented for the direct purpose of space travel, but rather a product of research and studies conducted for various space, aeronautic, and exploratory technologies. Your logic is akin to "If we give 1000 monkeys a typewriter they'll eventually write Shakespeare, so we just shouldn't even bother teaching people how to write." And as for applied knowledge, just because something doesn't have an immediate application does not mean it's wholly useless. I don't feel like writing out a bunch of shit myself so here's some copy/pasted stuff instead

Extraplanetary colonies? You’ll need renewable sources of energy, efficient and dynamic fabrication technologies, high-density energy storage, and advanced food production methods. Asteroid mining, advanced space suits, narrow AI; all these technologies and more would need to be developed in aid of human space exploration, but their applications are hardly limited to that field.

http://elm.washcoll.edu/index.php/2012/09/why-do-nasa-projects-space-exploration-still-matter/

just read these, plus whatever else you can take 15 seconds to google, because this isn't the topic to talk about your narrow-minded view of a vast science. Turning down any chance at knowledge that does not result in instantaneous gratification is pretty selfish and short-sighted and kinda flies in the face of science, curiosity, and pretty much any kind of education.

http://www.debate.org/opinions/should-america-continue-spending-money-on-nasa
http://www.nasa.gov/missions/solarsystem/Why_We_01pt1.html

 

[Baby Mario Bloops]

It's tough, mostly because you only know the stuff you learn at school or when you are going to vote, and since I have yet to vote, I really don't know the latest ones other than what the Republicans think about this president and what the Democrats think about that president etc etc.

I did a report on FDR and so I know a lot about him, plus learned even more about him during American History when talking about the Great Depression (he is the president that was in office the most). Then of course we did a lot of research on JFK for AP Government for him and his assassination, but not really his Presidency. My high school is named after Theodore Roosevelt, and he did seem like a cool president, but don't really know a lot about him. And of course Lincoln and Washington and a few other notable Presidents like that.

Honestly, besides the ones we had to learn in school - and even then - I really don't know a lot about the Presidents, so I guess I don't really have a favorite.

 

[Dr. Javelin]

This whole "I don't care about space facts and how we benefit from it" thing is not only off-topic but also something that I can't even fathom someone saying unless they're Rick Perry. Pokemon facts are hardly in line with learning that there's exoplanets out there that can be home to alien life and potentially us, and striving to figure out how to get there if it's possible and pretty much everything that falls under that umbrella. The inevitability of household appliances is not a factor when it comes to being aware of our planetary neighbors so we can predict and prepare for when one of them begins barreling into our planet's path.

As for "well we invented stuff to go to space" I really don't think that those things would never have been created if we hadn't gone to space. If someone wanted something like Velcro, they would have invented it or just made do with previous inventions.

As for this, most of these technologies were not invented for the direct purpose of space travel, but rather a product of research and studies conducted for various space, aeronautic, and exploratory technologies. Your logic is akin to "If we give 1000 monkeys a typewriter they'll eventually write Shakespeare, so we just shouldn't even bother teaching people how to write." And as for applied knowledge, just because something doesn't have an immediate application does not mean it's wholly useless. I don't feel like writing out a bunch of shit myself so here's some copy/pasted stuff instead

Extraplanetary colonies? You’ll need renewable sources of energy, efficient and dynamic fabrication technologies, high-density energy storage, and advanced food production methods. Asteroid mining, advanced space suits, narrow AI; all these technologies and more would need to be developed in aid of human space exploration, but their applications are hardly limited to that field.

http://elm.washcoll.edu/index.php/2012/09/why-do-nasa-projects-space-exploration-still-matter/

just read these, plus whatever else you can take 15 seconds to google, because this isn't the topic to talk about your narrow-minded view of a vast science. Turning down any chance at knowledge that does not result in instantaneous gratification is pretty selfish and short-sighted and kinda flies in the face of science, curiosity, and pretty much any kind of education.

http://www.debate.org/opinions/should-america-continue-spending-money-on-nasa
http://www.nasa.gov/missions/solarsystem/Why_We_01pt1.html

Weeeeeelll you're kinda exaggerating my position and maybe I came across a little stronger than I meant too but okay sure whatever.

All I'm saying is that it's a little silly for us to be spending lots of money on frivolous things like driving on the moon's surface when we could be investing that money directly into developing alternate energy and stuff like that. I realize that good technologies do come from space research, but it's always indirect. What if we took the same money we put towards space and spent it on cancer research? Would we be looking at a cancer-free society today?

I just don't feel that humanity is really at the point where we can benefit from knowledge about outer space. I'm not saying the knowledge is worthless, just that we have plenty of problems currently in our way that we should be working on solving first.

 

[Daniel Dyce]

Then of course we did a lot of research on JFK for AP Government for him and his assassination, but not really his Presidency.

That's because JFK didn't do shit besides avoid a nuclear war (like everyone else) start the moon landing project, and escalate Vietnam. Everything else is just fancy speeches with no substance

 

[Dr. Javelin]

Then of course we did a lot of research on JFK for AP Government for him and his assassination, but not really his Presidency.

That's because JFK didn't do shit besides avoid a nuclear war (like everyone else) start the moon landing project, and escalate Vietnam. Everything else is just fancy speeches with no substance

I remember voicing this opinion, and a bunch of Tumblr liberals in the room got mad.

So then I asked them what he did other than Cuban Missile Crisis and space race and they couldn't come up with an answer.

 

[Anton]

Weeeeeelll you're kinda exaggerating my position and maybe I came across a little stronger than I meant too but okay sure whatever.

All I'm saying is that it's a little silly for us to be spending lots of money on frivolous things like driving on the moon's surface when we could be investing that money directly into developing alternate energy and stuff like that. I realize that good technologies do come from space research, but it's always indirect. What if we took the same money we put towards space and spent it on cancer research? Would we be looking at a cancer-free society today?

I just don't feel that humanity is really at the point where we can benefit from knowledge about outer space. I'm not saying the knowledge is worthless, just that we have plenty of problems currently in our way that we should be working on solving first.

If you've paid attention to any news about the budget within the last like 4 years you'll know that NASA already is having all of its money siphoned away, causing things like the Space Shuttle Program to be forced to end. Additionally, cancer will never be cured because there's nothing to cure. It's not an infectious disease or anything and it does not have one cause or one mode of attack or anything; it's an umbrella term for cells in your body that recklessly and endlessly multiply until bad shit happens so divesting all of NASA's money to "cure cancer" will doubly be a waste. As for the opinion that we should be directly investing money into alternative energies, rather than me picking at how that's not how budgeting and investing and money works, just read this.

And even more additionally I figured my point in my previous post was that we don't have to be at a point to directly benefit so just reread that.

If you want to talk about fixing problems we currently have and wondering where to get the money from, look at our war expenses before you even think about touching any part of our educational infrastructure. You can't fix this country by simultaneously cannibalizing it.

 

[Specific Neptune]

where the fuck is morgan freeman

 

[Dr. Javelin]

If you've paid attention to any news about the budget within the last like 4 years you'll know that NASA already is having all of its money siphoned away, causing things like the Space Shuttle Program to be forced to end. Additionally, cancer will never be cured because there's nothing to cure. It's not an infectious disease or anything and it does not have one cause or one mode of attack or anything; it's an umbrella term for cells in your body that recklessly and endlessly multiply until bad shit happens so divesting all of NASA's money to "cure cancer" will doubly be a waste.

I'm aware of how cancer works and that what we know about cancer is that it can't be cured. It's possible that there is a cure, however unlikely.

We don't know everything.

As for the opinion that we should be directly investing money into alternative energies, rather than me picking at how that's not how budgeting and investing and money works, just read this.

I was more talking about subsidizing them and making them cheap so that the public actually wants to buy them.

If you want to talk about fixing problems we currently have and wondering where to get the money from, look at our war expenses before you even think about touching any part of our educational infrastructure.

Oh, absolutely. There is no reason for our military spending to be at its current level other than for Americans to feel happy knowing that they have military outposts in every single part of the world and can continue spreading our influence everywhere because we're 'MURICANS

 

[New Super Mario]

FDR was pretty cool.

 

[Specific Neptune]

i still want to know why morgan freeman's not up there

 

[banjonator1]

Also Andrew Jackson/Johnson? No...

Screw you and screw you

Johnson was fantastic

 

[banjonator1]

Also

*banjo mentions Jefferson Davis