Picking a Candidate

© Laurence B. Winn

Jan 1, 2000, Updated June 28, 2008

Despite all the official infighting and unofficial second-guessing about its ultimate utility, the International Space Station under construction in low Earth orbit does have an unambiguous purpose. It is for learning how to build human habitats in space and do work there. As it reaches the status of an earth-orbiting construction shack, the space station will make possible larger and more independently sustainable outposts on the high frontier of space. And as any historian worth his salt will tell you, it is the frontier that is the laboratory of democracy. Or did you think the United States was an accident? (The question of whether the United States is still a democracy is a separate issue, also related to the existence or nonexistence of frontiers.)

It is an article of faith in the U.S. that the purpose of government is to do for the people only those things which the people cannot do for themselves. The most critically needed service in any village, city, county state, or nation is planning for the next fifty years. Government leaders must be prepared to answer questions like these: What will the financial base of our community be like in the future? How do we position ourselves to take advantage of emerging trends? How do we attract and keep good jobs and skilled employees. How do we keep our children interested in education? How do we achieve affordable health care? How do we secure our community against crime? How do we maintain our infrastructure - roads, water and sewer systems, communications and power grids?

Human activities in space hold the keys to answering those questions.

To suggest a few specific angles, beginning with education because it is most important, consider that space exploration, especially human space exploration, has an astonishing effect on the learning ability of kids. When asked to work out problems expressed in terms of extraterrestrial high adventure, the average become superior, the superior brilliant. If your school is not following the progress of the international space station and drawing lessons from it, why not?

Among the thousands of common items that will be used on the international space station, some probably could be made in your town. Why don't you have that business?

Does your city or state invest a portion of its pension funds in aerospace startups? If not, why not? Even with multiple failures, a single success can more than make up the difference.

What kinds of infrastructure could your community develop to bring in companies that might be involved in space. With the advent of offsite work facilities at many technology companies, might having a fiber optic system rather than a telephone grid based on copper wires put your community first in line for a computing or engineering facility?

Technology called "teleoperation" being developed for emergency medical procedures and space station assembly is identical to that required for the inspection and maintenance of city water and sewer systems. Might use of teleoperators keep small problems from becoming large ones, plus help insure that repairs only have to made once, and at minimum cost?

Even if you can see no direct link between what happens in space and your biggest concern, which could be the stop sign at Magnolia and Grand, the question "what after the space station?" can tell you plenty about how your candidate will handle the problem.

A few answers candidates might offer, and how the answers reflect attitude:

I beg your pardon, what has that got to do with local politics/the topic of this meeting/whatever? Aggressive answer. This candidate is focused, has an agenda, will not tell you what it is, and is inclined to lean heavily on the techniques of demagoguery, in this case ridicule.

I'm sorry, I didn't come prepared to answer that question. Why do you ask? Better, but still evasive. You might let the candidate know that you think the answer would reflect the candidate's views on technology and education. On one hand, the candidate might respond by affirming his or her ignorance of the subject, in which case you know that the candidate hardly reads the papers, won't be bringing anything new to the position, and probably does not understand that your community is part of a larger world. On the other hand, you might get a tirade about education or technology or both. Touchy.

It's a wonderful exercise in international relations. Yes. But that’s not all. The candidate may know that, and fear to discuss it. Worse, her response trivializes the issue in a manner that suggests a brushoff.

I think the entire thing is a waste of taxpayer money at a time when more help is needed for the poor and hungry of this world. The candidate sincerely believes that forced redistribution of wealth is an act consistent with democratic principles. There may be overwhelming religious influences at play. Mostly, the candidate does not make the connection between economic opportunity and the pioneering of frontiers, which means that he or she is missing an essential piece of the decision-making tool kit.

We need to devote more resources to saving the Earth. Cool. Save the Earth then, by getting off it. It’s not just population, but affluence that harms the planet. Affluence for everyone without using the resources of space consumes energy, mainly, at an unsustainable rate. Candidates know that. They also know that the action needed to distribute wealth fairly without a frontier requires lots of regulation, which they will provide to their benefit and at your expense. In a nutshell, space IS Earth’s fix.

I think that it's important for the United States to stay ahead in technology while exercising fiscal restraint in order to keep the national debt in check. A politician's answer. It parrots popular sentiments, has no meaning, offers no information, and it sounds final, discouraging a smart response. If I wished to conceal a hatred of democracy, it's the answer I would give.

Perhaps none of this matters. Maybe the world really ended at midnight on 12/31/99, and we just don't know it yet. Maybe the vote is rigged, the candidates pre-chosen by international conspirators, and a trip to the polls is pointless. Still, politics is largely about entertainment, and the variety of responses one might get to the question "what after the space station" makes it a great question to ask, just for fun, when picking a candidate.