Canadian Space Agency A Waste of Money?

In recent days two Canadians were in the news because space shuttle Columbia had one of its last flights. On board was Canadian Julie Payette, and on the International Space Station was Bob Thirsk. Now the rant I am about to throw is aimed at neither Mrs Payette nor Mr Thirsk, nor at any other Canadian Astronaut there has ever been, except Marc Garneau who is in Ottawa perpetuating the myth that Canada can be a leader in the "space adventure" I call a big waste. No my rant is at the Canadian Government and the CSA, no not the Canadian Soccer Association but the Canadian Space Agency, who's biggest achievement thus far since 1990 is to design the Canadarm a piece of equipment that is so out of date it's going to be retired when the International Space Station is retired in 2016.

Untill then the Government of Canada is going to be dolling out 110 million dollars a year on this worthless agency that doesn't have its astronauts take off from Canada, no they take off on American ships and on American territory. Imagine that 110 million dollars of Canadians tax money(according to government of Canada 2009 budget figures) going out to an agency who's purpose is what exactly? can someone please explain what is the purpose of the CSA? what possible benefit do the Canadian people have in dolling out 110 million dollars of their hard earned tax money for this worthless crap? could it be because we are looking for life outside of earth? Well according to many Western governments there has never been any indication of any non plant activity on planets we can get to and those are few in number.

Even if we could get to those planets we probably wouldn't find anything remote to what as children we thought was possible. I don't know about you but when I was young going to the Ontario Science Centre and speaking to astronauts live from space was a cool thing because we as kids dreamed of one day going to other planets and not only living there but also meeting other life forms. Instead as I got older and my brain developed to that of an adult I began to wonder what is the use.

What is the use of paying for outdated equipment being fixed, missions paid for by tax payers while the common man and woman during this reccession tortured themselves to put food on their table not for themselves but for their children at least, only to see their money pissed away because of some archaic ideal. During the Cold War this was a way to fight with innovation instead of weapons, the US against the USSR in a perverbial Space dual. Well my friends time has passed into the 21st century and today we have the climate war we must fight and we also have the Green movement and the innovation should flow through that not this outdated dinosaur.

My proposal is simple, end the CSA's existence or privitize it. If you get rid of it then re-train the workers to work on new Green technologies so that our world will be better through innovation just like the original intent of the Space war ideal was. If you privatize it Canadian tax payers must never again be forced to pay for such a useless venture ever again.