Subtitled: A NATURAL LAW PERSPECTIVE, 365 essays, each 365 words, on Uncle Sam´s birthright, genealogy, and orientation, OR the Constitution´s philosophical and historical presuppositions and implications, OR Philosophy for Dummies. Many modern historians and thinkers describe western history as a progressive movement toward freedom--freedom from religious and rational morality.  For them Uncle Sam rides the current crest of this wave.  The American government is said to be agnostic about religion and indifferent about philosophy.  There is no universal anthropology behind political judgements, no rational psychology behind political institutions, no history behind arguments, no epistemology behind communications, no metaphysics behind American independence, no ethics behind our Constitution, no moral authority behind our laws, and no logic behind their interpretation.  In fact, there are no bonds to anything past, especially since there are no foundations either temporal or ontological for any convictions whatsoever.

This view grossly distorts Uncle Sam´s basic orientation, and the distortion is really an attempted abortion, because many moderns have a phobia about that orientation, which is Natural Law.

Subtitled: A NATURAL LAW PERSPECTIVE, 365 essays, each 365 words, on Uncle Sam´s birthright, genealogy, and orientation, OR the Constitution´s philosophical and historical presuppositions and implications, OR Philosophy for Dummies. Many modern historians and thinkers describe western history as a progressive movement toward freedom--freedom from religious and rational morality.  For them Uncle Sam rides the current crest of this wave.  The American government is said to be agnostic about religion and indifferent about philosophy.  There is no universal anthropology behind political judgements, no rational psychology behind political institutions, no history behind arguments, no epistemology behind communications, no metaphysics behind American independence, no ethics behind our Constitution, no moral authority behind our laws, and no logic behind their interpretation.  In fact, there are no bonds to anything past, especially since there are no foundations either temporal or ontological for any convictions whatsoever.

This view grossly distorts Uncle Sam´s basic orientation, and the distortion is really an attempted abortion, because many moderns have a phobia about that orientation, which is Natural Law.

Space technology has an important role to play in shaping a sustainable future, employing both human and robotic spaceflight capabilities. But the U.S. civil space program focuses the majority of its resources on the traditional paradigm of sending humans to increasingly distant targets (the Moon, Mars, and beyond). Rather than picking the destinations first and figuring out the goals later, the book suggests that NASA’s spaceflight programs should primarily target the creation of advanced capabilities, especially space infrastructure in the Earth-Moon system, and facilitate a greater role for the commercial sector in this endeavor. This will bring direct benefits to Earth more quickly and at the same time enable steady progress in the exploration and development of the solar system. The narrative begins by examining space in the context of today’s globalized world. Globalization has been a good news/bad news story, and space technology has been an important factor in this process. New wealth and international collaboration have been generated, but so have new problems and old problems have accelerated and spread. If we make the right choices, space development can do more to provide solutions in the decades ahead. The work of noted space futurists of the Cold War era is reviewed, with particular attention to the question: Why have things turned out differently from what most experts predicted and most advocates expected? The NASA exploration program finds itself locked into the “Von Braun paradigm” of the 1950s, which focuses on human spaceflight to the Moon and Mars without adequately explaining the reasons for doing it. This situation is not well suited to the political, economic, and societal environment of the 21st century. At a time when long-term strategic thinking is needed to address enduring global issues, many forces drive us to short-term thinking. The most significant of these forces for the nation’s top decision-makers come from the election cycle, the budget cycle, and the news cycle. Their effects on the presidency, the Congress, and the bureaucracy are examined using examples from recent history and current practices. The emphasis is on the need to change the incentive structure to promote long-term thinking since big technology projects have multi-decade life cycles and are aimed at problems that are national and global in scope. This shift in thinking leads to a revised rationale for spaceflight for the coming decades that is more directly tied to societal needs and ambitions. Space development will require more resources than NASA—or even all of the world’s civilian space agencies combined—can devote to the effort. Partnership with the commercial sector will be essential. Will space commerce be the stimulus for moving out into the solar system? If so, will it contribute to improvement of life back on Earth at the same time? Space commerce is growing fast, but is still small compared to other major global industries. Possibilities and pitfalls are discussed, along with examples of the checkered history of public and private sector attempts to promote space commerce. Making wise choices that have implications lasting decades is a daunting challenge, even when there’s broad agreement on a course of action. The book includes a chapter that warns: be careful what you wish for. Real-world examples (including the space shuttle and space station) demonstrate the difficulties of long-term strategic planning, and two futuristic thought experiments provide further illustration. The chapter concludes by demonstrating the long-term repercussions of poor choices, citing a current problem that has proven hard to fix despite widespread recognition that it needs fixing: export control for space technologies. If 21st century reality is driving us toward a course of action different from that of the Apollo/Cold War era, what should it look like, and what rationale should drive it? Voices of authority and advocacy for space exploration and development have done a poor job so far in attempts to answer the questions “Why?” and “Why now?” Common rationales for spaceflight are analyzed, and a new approach is suggested that gives priority to revised versions of the economics and survival rationales. A mid-century scenario is outlined in which space efforts are designed to have direct, positive impacts on global environmental and societal problems. In the process of bringing new and better direct benefits to Earth, advanced exploration by both humans and robots would be enabled through technical breakthroughs and in-space experience that could change the course of the future. Space capabilities touch all of us every day, whether we realize it or not. To fully realize the potential of space in the future, the key themes of this book will be critical: long-term thinking, capabilities-driven planning, the shaping of space exploration and development strategies around national needs and aspirations, and the potential for space efforts to contribute to global solutions.

Space technology has an important role to play in shaping a sustainable future, employing both human and robotic spaceflight capabilities. But the U.S. civil space program focuses the majority of its resources on the traditional paradigm of sending humans to increasingly distant targets (the Moon, Mars, and beyond). Rather than picking the destinations first and figuring out the goals later, the book suggests that NASA’s spaceflight programs should primarily target the creation of advanced capabilities, especially space infrastructure in the Earth-Moon system, and facilitate a greater role for the commercial sector in this endeavor. This will bring direct benefits to Earth more quickly and at the same time enable steady progress in the exploration and development of the solar system. The narrative begins by examining space in the context of today’s globalized world. Globalization has been a good news/bad news story, and space technology has been an important factor in this process. New wealth and international collaboration have been generated, but so have new problems and old problems have accelerated and spread. If we make the right choices, space development can do more to provide solutions in the decades ahead. The work of noted space futurists of the Cold War era is reviewed, with particular attention to the question: Why have things turned out differently from what most experts predicted and most advocates expected? The NASA exploration program finds itself locked into the “Von Braun paradigm” of the 1950s, which focuses on human spaceflight to the Moon and Mars without adequately explaining the reasons for doing it. This situation is not well suited to the political, economic, and societal environment of the 21st century. At a time when long-term strategic thinking is needed to address enduring global issues, many forces drive us to short-term thinking. The most significant of these forces for the nation’s top decision-makers come from the election cycle, the budget cycle, and the news cycle. Their effects on the presidency, the Congress, and the bureaucracy are examined using examples from recent history and current practices. The emphasis is on the need to change the incentive structure to promote long-term thinking since big technology projects have multi-decade life cycles and are aimed at problems that are national and global in scope. This shift in thinking leads to a revised rationale for spaceflight for the coming decades that is more directly tied to societal needs and ambitions. Space development will require more resources than NASA—or even all of the world’s civilian space agencies combined—can devote to the effort. Partnership with the commercial sector will be essential. Will space commerce be the stimulus for moving out into the solar system? If so, will it contribute to improvement of life back on Earth at the same time? Space commerce is growing fast, but is still small compared to other major global industries. Possibilities and pitfalls are discussed, along with examples of the checkered history of public and private sector attempts to promote space commerce. Making wise choices that have implications lasting decades is a daunting challenge, even when there’s broad agreement on a course of action. The book includes a chapter that warns: be careful what you wish for. Real-world examples (including the space shuttle and space station) demonstrate the difficulties of long-term strategic planning, and two futuristic thought experiments provide further illustration. The chapter concludes by demonstrating the long-term repercussions of poor choices, citing a current problem that has proven hard to fix despite widespread recognition that it needs fixing: export control for space technologies. If 21st century reality is driving us toward a course of action different from that of the Apollo/Cold War era, what should it look like, and what rationale should drive it? Voices of authority and advocacy for space exploration and development have done a poor job so far in attempts to answer the questions “Why?” and “Why now?” Common rationales for spaceflight are analyzed, and a new approach is suggested that gives priority to revised versions of the economics and survival rationales. A mid-century scenario is outlined in which space efforts are designed to have direct, positive impacts on global environmental and societal problems. In the process of bringing new and better direct benefits to Earth, advanced exploration by both humans and robots would be enabled through technical breakthroughs and in-space experience that could change the course of the future. Space capabilities touch all of us every day, whether we realize it or not. To fully realize the potential of space in the future, the key themes of this book will be critical: long-term thinking, capabilities-driven planning, the shaping of space exploration and development strategies around national needs and aspirations, and the potential for space efforts to contribute to global solutions.

Space technology has an important role to play in shaping a sustainable future, employing both human and robotic spaceflight capabilities. But the U.S. civil space program focuses the majority of its resources on the traditional paradigm of sending humans to increasingly distant targets (the Moon, Mars, and beyond). Rather than picking the destinations first and figuring out the goals later, the book suggests that NASA’s spaceflight programs should primarily target the creation of advanced capabilities, especially space infrastructure in the Earth-Moon system, and facilitate a greater role for the commercial sector in this endeavor. This will bring direct benefits to Earth more quickly and at the same time enable steady progress in the exploration and development of the solar system. The narrative begins by examining space in the context of today’s globalized world. Globalization has been a good news/bad news story, and space technology has been an important factor in this process. New wealth and international collaboration have been generated, but so have new problems and old problems have accelerated and spread. If we make the right choices, space development can do more to provide solutions in the decades ahead. The work of noted space futurists of the Cold War era is reviewed, with particular attention to the question: Why have things turned out differently from what most experts predicted and most advocates expected? The NASA exploration program finds itself locked into the “Von Braun paradigm” of the 1950s, which focuses on human spaceflight to the Moon and Mars without adequately explaining the reasons for doing it. This situation is not well suited to the political, economic, and societal environment of the 21st century. At a time when long-term strategic thinking is needed to address enduring global issues, many forces drive us to short-term thinking. The most significant of these forces for the nation’s top decision-makers come from the election cycle, the budget cycle, and the news cycle. Their effects on the presidency, the Congress, and the bureaucracy are examined using examples from recent history and current practices. The emphasis is on the need to change the incentive structure to promote long-term thinking since big technology projects have multi-decade life cycles and are aimed at problems that are national and global in scope. This shift in thinking leads to a revised rationale for spaceflight for the coming decades that is more directly tied to societal needs and ambitions. Space development will require more resources than NASA—or even all of the world’s civilian space agencies combined—can devote to the effort. Partnership with the commercial sector will be essential. Will space commerce be the stimulus for moving out into the solar system? If so, will it contribute to improvement of life back on Earth at the same time? Space commerce is growing fast, but is still small compared to other major global industries. Possibilities and pitfalls are discussed, along with examples of the checkered history of public and private sector attempts to promote space commerce. Making wise choices that have implications lasting decades is a daunting challenge, even when there’s broad agreement on a course of action. The book includes a chapter that warns: be careful what you wish for. Real-world examples (including the space shuttle and space station) demonstrate the difficulties of long-term strategic planning, and two futuristic thought experiments provide further illustration. The chapter concludes by demonstrating the long-term repercussions of poor choices, citing a current problem that has proven hard to fix despite widespread recognition that it needs fixing: export control for space technologies. If 21st century reality is driving us toward a course of action different from that of the Apollo/Cold War era, what should it look like, and what rationale should drive it? Voices of authority and advocacy for space exploration and development have done a poor job so far in attempts to answer the questions “Why?” and “Why now?” Common rationales for spaceflight are analyzed, and a new approach is suggested that gives priority to revised versions of the economics and survival rationales. A mid-century scenario is outlined in which space efforts are designed to have direct, positive impacts on global environmental and societal problems. In the process of bringing new and better direct benefits to Earth, advanced exploration by both humans and robots would be enabled through technical breakthroughs and in-space experience that could change the course of the future. Space capabilities touch all of us every day, whether we realize it or not. To fully realize the potential of space in the future, the key themes of this book will be critical: long-term thinking, capabilities-driven planning, the shaping of space exploration and development strategies around national needs and aspirations, and the potential for space efforts to contribute to global solutions.

The past fifty years have witnessed the increasing size and inefficiency of many aspects of the United States government. They also give testimony to the accelerating involvement of the government in many aspects of American life, particularly in economic and business activity. Since the beginning of the deregulating Reagan Administration in 1980, government spending, ownership, and intervention have been seriously questioned, sparking the dawn of the public vs. private debate. At the heart of the debate is privatization, or the transfer of goods and service delivery from the government to the private sector. It means relying more on private institutions and less on government to satisfy societal needs. With privatization, the government can cease the challenge and complexity of providing goods and services to the public, and begin the more manageable task of simply ensuring that they are provided. Privatization helps guide the ship of government to a more efficient and effective management strategy of steering rather than rowing. This book takes you into the government of the fifth largest city in the United States, Philadelphia, and reveals: (a) the concept of privatization, how it originated and how government and others perceive it; (b) the advantages and disadvantages of privatization; (c) what environments and initiatives allow privatization to work most effectively and those that inhibit it – when it is most appropriate and likely to succeed; (d) Philadelphia’s stance and approach to privatization and how the government there implemented privatization initiatives, how they turned out and what lessons were learned; (e) based on the above theoretical and empirical analysis, the DOs and DON’Ts for state and local governments to consider in the future when experimenting or executing privatization initiatives.

The past fifty years have witnessed the increasing size and inefficiency of many aspects of the United States government. They also give testimony to the accelerating involvement of the government in many aspects of American life, particularly in economic and business activity. Since the beginning of the deregulating Reagan Administration in 1980, government spending, ownership, and intervention have been seriously questioned, sparking the dawn of the public vs. private debate. At the heart of the debate is privatization, or the transfer of goods and service delivery from the government to the private sector. It means relying more on private institutions and less on government to satisfy societal needs. With privatization, the government can cease the challenge and complexity of providing goods and services to the public, and begin the more manageable task of simply ensuring that they are provided. Privatization helps guide the ship of government to a more efficient and effective management strategy of steering rather than rowing. This book takes you into the government of the fifth largest city in the United States, Philadelphia, and reveals: (a) the concept of privatization, how it originated and how government and others perceive it; (b) the advantages and disadvantages of privatization; (c) what environments and initiatives allow privatization to work most effectively and those that inhibit it – when it is most appropriate and likely to succeed; (d) Philadelphia’s stance and approach to privatization and how the government there implemented privatization initiatives, how they turned out and what lessons were learned; (e) based on the above theoretical and empirical analysis, the DOs and DON’Ts for state and local governments to consider in the future when experimenting or executing privatization initiatives.

Retired Green Beret Steve Monsees stood before the Governing Board. He represented neighbors and neighborhoods that believed their lakes were diminished or destroyed because cheap water was needed to fuel growth. He was nervous. They had all the power. He was angry. They refused to use their power to protect the environment. When he spoke, his voice cracked, his hands shook, but he was determined that they would hear him, really hear him, and that things would change.

Water wars are being fought in communities around the United States and world. Driven by drought, economics, and the ongoing pressure of growth, the battle for control and protection of water resources will be with us forever.

This is the story of a dispute over public water supply development and use in west central Florida. It’s about politics and policy development, but it’s also about people. After years of bitter dispute, the local governments and the regional regulator sought a means to move beyond conflict to collaboration.

The story describes what people said and did, how policy was made, and what happens to the people who are trying to make it work.

Retired Green Beret Steve Monsees stood before the Governing Board. He represented neighbors and neighborhoods that believed their lakes were diminished or destroyed because cheap water was needed to fuel growth. He was nervous. They had all the power. He was angry. They refused to use their power to protect the environment. When he spoke, his voice cracked, his hands shook, but he was determined that they would hear him, really hear him, and that things would change.

Water wars are being fought in communities around the United States and world. Driven by drought, economics, and the ongoing pressure of growth, the battle for control and protection of water resources will be with us forever.

This is the story of a dispute over public water supply development and use in west central Florida. It’s about politics and policy development, but it’s also about people. After years of bitter dispute, the local governments and the regional regulator sought a means to move beyond conflict to collaboration.

The story describes what people said and did, how policy was made, and what happens to the people who are trying to make it work.

This is a story I wanted my children and grandchildren to hear. I grewup during the depression of the 1930’s. I remember when a pennyto spend was a rarity. I remember when the dust storms roared inand turned the days into night. Because we were close to the landI remember the change of seasons, the habits of the farm animals,and how very dependent we were on weather. We suffered fromwinds, snowstorms, droughts, and insects, but we rejoiced in goodyears, enjoyed our neighbors, and trusted in God to care for us.No TV, no cell phones, no video games, but life was good.

This is a story I wanted my children and grandchildren to hear. I grewup during the depression of the 1930’s. I remember when a pennyto spend was a rarity. I remember when the dust storms roared inand turned the days into night. Because we were close to the landI remember the change of seasons, the habits of the farm animals,and how very dependent we were on weather. We suffered fromwinds, snowstorms, droughts, and insects, but we rejoiced in goodyears, enjoyed our neighbors, and trusted in God to care for us.No TV, no cell phones, no video games, but life was good.

This is a story I wanted my children and grandchildren to hear. I grewup during the depression of the 1930’s. I remember when a pennyto spend was a rarity. I remember when the dust storms roared inand turned the days into night. Because we were close to the landI remember the change of seasons, the habits of the farm animals,and how very dependent we were on weather. We suffered fromwinds, snowstorms, droughts, and insects, but we rejoiced in goodyears, enjoyed our neighbors, and trusted in God to care for us.No TV, no cell phones, no video games, but life was good.

This book examines the process for legislating and regulating energy policies in American government. The author emphasizes the ongoing energy policy debate over how government should proceed with programs of conservation and climate control; and research and development programs for renewable energy sources. Readers gain insight into the role of politics in energy policy development. The overarching objective is to stimulate interest in this subject among students of public policy and the lay audience.

Throughout the history of United States, society has generally consisted of two types of organizations: public and private. The public sector has encompassed governments, courts, libraries, public schools, and national parks. The private sector included businesses, churches, foundations, and private schools. The public and private sectors have coexisted for centuries with few conflicts. Recently, however, religious/political conservatives have demonstrated a surprisingly bitter animosity toward the public sector as a whole. Public schools, public libraries, public television and more are subjects of their vitriol.

Through privatization of the public sector, and deregulation of the private sector, religious/political conservatives would create a private ruling class that is not accountable to the general public through the traditional democratic process. The goal is privatization of government itself, isolating government from public scrutiny.A facade of religious moral values surrounding the religious/political conservatives tends to disarm suspicions and discredit alarmists. But sound the alarm!Many are deceived by the religious cloak of a radical political movement. A political coup is taking shape, a literal revolution, and many people aren’t even aware of it. Worse yet, some believe that what is happening is for the common good!