Should Houston area leaders seek Government spending (ie military, NASA, research) to help diversify our local economy ? (Galveston: universities, compensation)

[Jack Lance]

Should Houston area leaders seek Government spending (ie military, NASA, research) to help diversify our local economy ?

[kjones200]

I think a good Navel presents (if not already) would be awesome here, i.e. ship assembly, avionic equipment, engines, aquatic robotics , etc.

Government presents would create a whole new battle field of the sectors private vs public. To some people, maybe most, compensation is the most important factor in their career and we all know O&G demolishes the public sector in compensation . Some strategic thinking would be need to help the public sector penetrate the O&G lock down here.

[Dopo]

Now that Rick Perry is gone, there's a chance that it could happen

[Augiec]

I can understand the motivation to do so, but I'm genuinely worried about our National Debt growing to such a large # that it becomes a burden. More government spending on military bases certainly isn't the answer. Our military is bloated with spending our own generals don't even ask for! I could see a use for expanding NASA, but it would have to be funded responsibly.

[DSL_PWR]

Originally Posted by Augiec

I can understand the motivation to do so, but I'm genuinely worried about our National Debt growing to such a large # that it becomes a burden. More government spending on military bases certainly isn't the answer. Our military is bloated with spending our own generals don't even ask for! I could see a use for expanding NASA, but it would have to be funded responsibly.

That already happened.

[DanielWayne]

The city is exploring turning Ellington field into a spaceport. That would capitalize on the aerospace infrastructure already in place. Commercial spaceflight could be the next big industry for the city.

[nana053]

Originally Posted by Augiec

I can understand the motivation to do so, but I'm genuinely worried about our National Debt growing to such a large # that it becomes a burden. More government spending on military bases certainly isn't the answer. Our military is bloated with spending our own generals don't even ask for! I could see a use for expanding NASA, but it would have to be funded responsibly.

The Deficit has been falling for some time now.

Why don't Americans realize the deficit is falling?

The deficit (or, if the number is positive, the surplus) is the amount of change in the national debt in one year caused by the difference between spending and tax receipts. The national debt itself is the total stock of debt owed by the federal government. Even though the deficit has decreased dramatically, the national debt itself is still increasing in absolute terms, and has only just begun to fall as a percentage of the economy.

Furthermore, the main economic drawback of a growing debt — interest payments eating up a greater share of tax revenue — is not a great concern right now, as interest rates remain so low and borrowing remains cheap.

[Augiec]

I know the deficit is falling, but the debt won't fall until the deficit becomes a negative #.

[diverge]

U.S. National Debt Clock : Real Time

[Jack Lance]

Originally Posted by kjones200

I think a good Navel presents (if not already) would be awesome here, i.e. ship assembly, avionic equipment, engines, aquatic robotics , etc.

Government presents would create a whole new battle field of the sectors private vs public. To some people, maybe most, compensation is the most important factor in their career and we all know O&G demolishes the public sector in compensation . Some strategic thinking would be need to help the public sector penetrate the O&G lock down here.

A Naval Base on the East end of Galveston would be an enormous benefit to the Island, lending a lot of stability to the local economy.

The military presence in and around Houston has actually diminished over time. Ellington is no longer an active AFB and there used to be a 4,700 acre Army depot that actually was the reason that Houston was initially included on the list of the possible locations for the Manned Spaceflight Center.

Houston was initially included because of the proximity to the US Army's 4,700-acre (19 km[SIZE=2]2[/SIZE]) San Jacinto Ordnance Depot located on the Houston Ship Channel, and two nearby universities: the University of Houston and Rice University.[SIZE=2][[/SIZE][SIZE=2]5[/SIZE][SIZE=2]][/SIZE] The land for the new facility was donated by Rice University and was situated in an undeveloped area 25 miles (40 km) southeast of Houston near Galveston Bay.[SIZE=2][[/SIZE][SIZE=2]7[/SIZE][SIZE=2]][/SIZE][SIZE=2][[/SIZE][SIZE=2]8[/SIZE]

Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Of course that San Jacinto Ordnance Depot is history as well. So Houston has had a much larger military presence than it does today. Maybe we need to get back to where we once were..

Originally Posted by Dopo

Now that Rick Perry is gone, there's a chance that it could happen

Please explain why and how Rick Perry was obstructing the building of a Naval base in the Houston area?

Originally Posted by Augiec

I can understand the motivation to do so, but I'm genuinely worried about our National Debt growing to such a large # that it becomes a burden. More government spending on military bases certainly isn't the answer. Our military is bloated with spending our own generals don't even ask for! I could see a use for expanding NASA, but it would have to be funded responsibly.

We are spending close to $ 600 Billion a year on defense why shouldn't Houston get in on that?

Originally Posted by DanielWayne

The city is exploring turning Ellington field into a spaceport. That would capitalize on the aerospace infrastructure already in place. Commercial spaceflight could be the next big industry for the city.

Are we talking about space tourism here, because I am really skeptical of space tourism especially after some of the recent set backs..