Comments on: NASA'S Luxury, At Your Expense
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- $4 million is actually a low number. And a four-star hotel is hardly "posh" (think your average Marriott or Hyatt). I used to do event planning for a major Fortune 100 company to have its global team of 150 auditors meet in the same city for meetings quarterly. These events easily ran $400-500K a piece to fly people to the same city, book them in a 4 or 5 star hotel, pay for their meals and transportation, pay the event speakers, etc.
The Vista Launch party Microsoft threw last year with celebrities performing for its team of software developers exceeded $2 million -- that was for one party.
NASA''s event planning needs are probably not unlike those of big corporations. CBS should not be throwing large numbers around and making generalizations like "posh" just because it gets public information. $4 million is less than 1% of NASA''s annual budget. This is not real journalism -- just cheap non-news clearly stilted against the subject of the news story.
Basically, if you want scientific development, you have to pay for the shuttle launch party -- otherwise these scientists will go work for big corporations who do not have to disclose their event-planning statistics. - Reply to this comment
- $4 million is actually a low number. And a four-star hotel is hardly "posh" (think your average Marriott or Hyatt). I used to do event planning for a major Fortune 100 company to have its global team of 150 auditors meet in the same city for meetings quarterly. These events easily ran $400-500K a piece to fly people to the same city, book them in a 4 or 5 star hotel, pay for their meals and transportation, pay the event speakers, etc.
The Vista Launch party Microsoft threw last year with celebrities performing for its team of software developers exceeded $2 million -- that was for one party.
NASA''s event planning needs are probably not unlike those of big corporations. CBS should not be throwing large numbers around and making generalizations like "posh" just because it gets public information. $4 million is less than 1% of NASA''s annual budget. This is not real journalism -- just cheap non-news clearly stilted against the subject of the news story.
Basically, if you want scientific development, you have to pay for the shuttle launch party -- otherwise these scientists will go work for big corporations who do not have to disclose their event-planning statistics. - Reply to this comment
- If only the private sector had such scrutiny and accountability applied to it, maybe we''d become a stronger country instead of a rotting one.
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- alphaa10 clearly hates NASA and the party of the President (Kennedy) who brought NASA to prominence (GOP???), not to mention the democratic process which approved the NASA expenditures mentioned in this article. Why else would he answer the question
"Is it science?" with the proclamation
"(2) It should be news when NASA wastes our money. Even you would stoop to pick up $500,000 from the sidewalk"
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By the way, Octavianus ("eighth son") was a common given name throughout the history of the Roman monarchy, republic, and empire. Does alphaa10 really mean to suggest that all of these people "furthered the collapse of the Roman republic?" Did alphaa10 further the collapse of the Roman republic? - Reply to this comment
- The media find out about everything sooner or later. You can''t keep anything hidden.
Got to take care of the precious contractors. Must kiss their butt. Pamper them. Keep ''em happy.
ngc799701:
"Have you ever had a job where you couldn%u2019t wait to get out of bed for work? That''''s how I felt EVERY DAY @ NASA. There%u2019s a reason it was repeatedly voted #1 by bestplacestowork.gov."
Very few people in the USA or the world would be able to say "yes" to that question. - Reply to this comment
- octavianfdir said, "It''''s called a salary for some, wages for others. But is it news? Is it science?"
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These are not difficult questions to answer. (1) A party is not a wage or salary, which is why NASA did not request the estimated $500,000 as a wage or salary. (2) It should be news when NASA wastes our money. Even you would stoop to pick up $500,000 from the sidewalk. (3) The hyper-expensive NASA party is no science, but might be studied by political scientists and historians as evidence of the contempt Bush and his political appointees have for democratic government-- not to mention for the trust placed in them (mistakenly) by the American people.
As for better ratings, CBS certainly deserves them for stories like this one. Expose'' and investigation is what the press traditionally has done with Washington corruption, and fear of exposure among politicians has done immense good for taxpayers.
As a study in contradiction, you GOP bozos cheered when the press reported about the Rep. Jefferson scandal. And you cannot get enough "exposure" of wrongdoing on Faux News.
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Octavian is an interesting choice for your name-- Octavian furthered the collapse of the Roman republic. - Reply to this comment
- Dovestar said, "Before you vent at NASA, check out other venues of self congratulation: The Academy Awards, The Emmies, etc..."
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We should vent! This is taxpayer money, which NASA requested for the purpose budgeted. If parties are so important, why did NASA not feel obliged to mention this budget item for $500,000? Your rationale doesn''t even taxi, much less fly...
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vbnvbn said, "Hey CBS, how much did you spend on your Christmas party last year? Or parties for your national accounts? I''''''''m sure your shareholders would like to know how much..."
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Another poster who thinks, like Bush, that taxpayer dollars are there to be wasted. Or obligated as his Everest-sized contribution to the national debt.
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Congratulations to CBS for some excellent work! - Reply to this comment
- This extravagance is just the tip of the iceberg. NASA is not just paying for these people to have a dinner or five at an awards ceremony. NASA is paying for this small group and an even larger group of fellow employees to eat SEVEN DAYS A WEEK ALL YEAR LONG, to FEED THEIR CHILDREN, and even to BUY CARS AND HOUSES. It''s called a salary for some, wages for others. But is it news? Is it science?
Or is the big news that CBS payed a reporter for writing this nasty little editorial posing as a news article? - Reply to this comment
- Have you ever had a job where you couldn%u2019t wait to get out of bed for work? That''s how I felt EVERY DAY @ NASA. There%u2019s a reason it was repeatedly voted #1 by bestplacestowork.gov. I only stopped working there to get another degree before I return.
Most people @ NASA want to work there since childhood, & frankly, I don''t want to be part of any org. lacking that passion. Private sector pays more, but I choose NASA because it%u2019s OUR space program-yours & mine. If you''re upset about the spending, don''t sit there & complain, thinking your voice doesn''t matter. Call your congresspeople. That''s why they''re there.
NASA''s not perfect, but are you? Democracy is people, after all. WE ARE PRIVILEGED to live in a country that even HAS a space program. Even kids in my Peace Corps village knew of NASA & were excited about it. How many agencies can you say that about?
If you think NASA isn''t improving YOUR life, how do you think your post got here? Also: pacemakers, 3D mammographies & ultrasound-all NASA advancements that impact YOU/someone you know. Astronaut bone & muscle wasting research-for those bedridden or paralyzed, or you when you get old. Kidney stones-more painful than childbirth; NASA researches them, too.
Bickering about money is insignificant compared to questioning if we''re alone in the universe & how we got here. NASA is working on that-more than can be said for other agencies. - Reply to this comment
- Methinks I smell a double standard here. Why on earth do we pay astronomical prices to take the family to a ball game? Where do you suppose the teams get all that money to pay these guys? From the ticket buyers? Nah!
And why on earth does it cost an average of $200 for a family of four to attend a ballgame? That''s with tickets, and something to eat and drink.
And who pays to maintain those hall of fame buildings and the maintenance and construction of these fancy trophies these performers lavish on themselves?
Before you vent at NASA, check out other venues of self congratulation: The Academy Awards, The Emmies, etc.
Don''t break your arm patting yourself on the back. - Reply to this comment
