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High joblessness in the home of U.S. space flight

April 1, 2012 4:00 PM

With the end of the space shuttle program, Brevard County, Fla., lost its largest employer, and Kennedy Space Center workers lost good jobs that made them proud. Scott Pelley reports.

High joblessness in the home of U.S. space flight

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by quirk123 March 26, 2013 12:55 PM EDT
While you opening statement is accurate it is very misleading IMO. You make it sound like Obama was responsible for the canceling of the Shuttle program. That occurred under the previous administration in 2005. Obama canceled Ares because the vehicle was not ever going to fly. He conducted a study that determined this approach was not going to work. The did replace the program with a new one but it will take a few more years before NASA has a new launch vehicle. In the mean time Astronauts go up on the Russian rocket and cargo is carried by commercial companies like Space X. People had 5 or 6 years to find alternate employment after the Bush administration canceled shuttle.
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by alaskamyheart May 9, 2012 12:39 AM EDT
And some of you seriously need to learn how to spell. Just saying'
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by alaskamyheart May 9, 2012 12:37 AM EDT
Feed your kids....or buy a Cadillac? Pay the doctor or buy a yacht? Catch my meaning? I've been laid off so many times. Did I sit around and cry? Maybe for a day. Dusted off my resume, figured out a way to feed my daughter. Retrain. Rebuild. Be proud. Stop crying. Did you put money away for a rainy day? No? Then shut up. That's the American way. Fall down 7 times. Get up 8. Signed, A veteran who watched over while you slept in your comfiest, little bed.
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by bob-atkins April 17, 2012 8:53 PM EDT
The loss of our manned space program = one (more) giant step backwards. We are witnessing the accelerating decline of the US in favor of a profit motivated corporate fascist system that only sees the people as ignorant consumers (aka wage slaves) whose job it is to spend themselves into a lifetime of debt while they are kept distracted by the next shiny new tech toy. NASA's ENTIRE budget for the last 50 years was LESS THAN the cost of the war in Iraq! And what did we get for the money we poured down the Iraqi hole - $100+/bbl oil and $4/gal gas! NASA and the space program may have been risky and inefficient but it gave us the majority of the technology that we have today and much more in they way of derivative benefits to our standard of living not to mention national pride and the envy of the world. There are thousands of college educated and experienced people that are now unemployed or severely under-employed and at the same time we are being told that you need a college degree to get a decent job - which is just a ploy so that you can saddle yourself with $50K in student loans to enrich the banks and the universities from the moment you turn 18. Sadly, we are experiencing the results of the government that we voted for the last 30+ years.
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by Dracpipe13 April 11, 2012 1:34 PM EDT
To the pinhead who thinks the Space Program went 30 years too long: Please don't procreate. If you think NASA has nothing to do with cancer research, you're ignorant (http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/question.php?number=553).
"Suck it up and deal with it?" How very fascist of you. I did not vote for Obama. But being one of the residents of Titusville, I'd be more than happy to tell you where to go with that unAmerican crap. We all have to live with bad decisions, and some jacktard will always be screaming about whose fault it is. Why not concentrate on what it will take to pull our wounded workforce off the injured reserve list, and stop pontificating. Case in point, Maxine (of Stonefire Art Studio, in Titusville - right across the river from the launch pad). She, and all the artists and contributors involved there are putting a fresher, more positive face on what is happening, not to mention what can happen when a community pulls together, and tries to help pull community morale out of the toilet. The energy is palpable there...so much positivity! I would love to see 60 minutes pay some attention to that group, as well. It was heartbreaking to watch the article on Brevard County, recognizing EVERY abandoned business they featured. But that isn't the end of the story. There is still life in Titusville...we'll be proud to show you...
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by LisaHookey April 10, 2012 1:57 PM EDT
I was fortunate to witness a space shuttle taking off a few summers ago. It was the most amazing thing you would ever witness. The feeling in the air of hearing the countdown, they steam from the shuttle and the blast of the take off was truly amazing to me and my family. I am so glad we decided to go see this and take my son who was 14 at the time. He may never see it again and lots of people his age can't say they will ever see it. It literally shook my entire body when it took off and there is nothing with more "pride" and "feeling" of the U.S. as being witness to a shuttle taking off. You have to be there to experience this feeling!
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by TheEnergyDoctor April 9, 2012 10:33 AM EDT
I've loved 60 minutes over the years. However, it is becoming more and more apparent of the propaganda clothed as 'information' and 'entertainment' that
is being pushed. There is a very revealing globalists agenda behind all their programming. They unashamedly use their respectability and viewership to further a sinister, hidden agenda. The TRUTH is now subjective to the producers.
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by Khannea April 8, 2012 2:25 PM EDT
The U.S. should stop whimpering so annoyingly and realize they overextended, and ruined their chance at global leadership. You fended yourself in in a mountain of obesity and now you are in irreversible decline.

And surprisingly few people world wide will miss you.
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by walkerrowe April 5, 2012 9:16 PM EDT
This is too depressing. These people act like the space program was supposed to employee them for life. NASA is not supposed to be a jobs program. It was correct to turn space launch over to private enterprise. I have been layed off several times. Each time I found another even if it required going out of town. So roll up your sleeves and dive back into the game.
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by kimbo1122 April 4, 2012 10:12 PM EDT
Well,I guess NASA employees have to adjust to the economic realities that the rest of the nation has had to endure for the last 20 years, or so. I left the A&D industry long ago and have had to endure the ups and downs of the commercial economy. I cherish my memories in this industry, but times change, unfortunately.
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