Posted 1/27/2011 05:31:00 PM by Douglas

Barry's State of the Union address. Obviously, there's one part that really rubs me the wrong way.

Half a century ago, when the Soviets beat us into space with the launch of a satellite called Sputnik, we had no idea how we would beat them to the moon. The science wasn't even there yet. NASA didn't exist. But after investing in better research and education, we didn't just surpass the Soviets; we unleashed a wave of innovation that created new industries and millions of new jobs.

This is our generation's Sputnik moment. Two years ago, I said that we needed to reach a level of research and development we haven't seen since the height of the Space Race.

Catch that? The Apollo program may be the greatest feat of the 20th century, and something ALL Americans, regardless of how they feel about the space program, can usually agree on as being a good, "holy shit" moment in American history. Now, after effectively cuckolding the manned spaceflight program last summer, Barry draws on the vast accomplishments that NASA achieved, with 5% of the federal budget, 50 years ago. So now, at the stroke of his pen, this genius example of human accomplishment is just that. An example. There's no interest or drive to inspire Americans to the heavens, but let's use the example of when we did to inspire people to buy electric cars and get on trains:

To attract new businesses to our shores, we need the fastest, most reliable ways to move people, goods, and information -- from high-speed rail to high-speed Internet.

Welcome to the 19th century. The 19th century where you can get wifi on your freakin' train. Is this what "winning the future" means? I'd hate to see the losers.