Jim Foster 'WITHOUT VISION PROGRAMS PERISH'

The President has shown an amazing insensitivity towards those who allowed the United States to be the only nation to reach to the Moon and beyond. It is an outrage that he would announce budget cuts to NASA on the seventh anniversary of the Columbia shuttle disaster in which seven brave astronauts were killed. The President's new NASA budget puts questionable global warming research above the need to keep a manned presence in space. His freshman attempt at putting together a budget depends on RUSSIA to take our astronauts to the International Space Station.

This policy is dangerous, short sighted, and shows his total lack of understanding of world affairs. We will count on Russia to help us get to the ISS when we couldn't count on them LAST YEAR to help us keep Nuclear Weapons from IRAN? Nonsense!!!

What we are witnessing is the direct result of not having a clear VISION for NASA! Rather than seeing the National Security role of NASA, the Missile Defense role of NASA, the Covert Spy Capability of NASA, the Commercial and Military Satellite Operational role of NASA, the Science Exploration role of NASA, the Innovations and Invention Producing role of NASA, our government has allowed NASA to become nothing more in the eyes of many people than a high priced attempt to find little green men on other planets.

Instead of looking for life on other planets, we should be focused on using NASA to improve life here on earth!!! We are seeing the incremental dismantling of NASA because the American people have not been told just how much NASA benefits their daily lives.


Here is my FOSTER CARE PLAN for a NEGLECTED NASA!!

1. Congress must REJECT the President's budget.
2. The Defense Dept., National Science Foundation, N.O.A.A., the CIA, the National Air and Space Museum, and other agencies who benefit from manned space flight should be strongly urged to make up some of the slack in NASA funding caused by the Presidents budget.
3. I urge NASA to begin a Public Relations campaign aimed at laying out a NEW and realistic vision for the next generation of manned space flight.
4. NASA should immediately expand their research into the oceans of the world. The same technology that is used to build space vehicles can be used to build underwater vessels.
5. I challenge inventors, scientists, and even back yard tinkers to think big and find new uses for the products NASA creates to equip their vehicles.
6. NASA should produce a prime time network television program that would follow the daily work and mission of our brave astronauts. This would build interest in NASA and help people understand their role.
7. We must expand diplomatic talks with other countries who share our vision for manned space flight. We need to co-ordinate our efforts and work together to fund and carry out the mission of NASA.

I do not have all of the answers for NASA. What I do have is what the USA once had, the ability to dream big, think outside of the box, to go where no one has dared go before. NASA has NOT failed us - we have failed NASA.

TEXT and PHOTO CREDIT: Jim Foster for Congress

Republican U.S. Congressional Candidate FL24 Jim Foster Says It Is Time For Florida Republicans To Start Acting Like Republicans

It's Our Money...not theirs. We need to spend less. Uploaded on January 22, 2010 by Jim Foster for Congress © All rights reserved.

Independent Republican U.S. Congressional Candidate FL24, Jim Foster calls the Republican support of proposed RAIL SYSTEMS an outrage. OVIEDO - ''The financially beleaguered people of Florida deserve answers from so-called conservative Republicans would use taxpayer money to build a boondoggle rail system,'' said Foster, an Independent Republican candidate for Congress in FL24.

''The truth needs to be told and people need answers,'' Foster said in a prepared statement to local media on the same day that President Obama handed over Federal stimulus money for a bullet train project. Foster wants the people of Florida to know that be it SUNRAIL or bullet train, true Republican conservatives should say no to federal tax dollars being spent to bring rail to people who've said that they do not want it.

He wants our elected officials to explain the difference between both projects because he is certain that voters have been confused by all of the RAIL TALK and that they don't know what their elected leaders have in mind regarding rail transportation.

'The rail proposals in this state are linked to each other,' Foster said.

To prove his point Foster pointed to an Orlando Sentinel article by Mike Thomas (January 28, 2010 page B11) that said 'to get one rail system we needed the other rail system'. 'As is always the case, when government gets involved the price goes up, the take over of private industry begins, and career politicians pile on to take the credit. Republicans should know better than to govern like this,' Foster said.

Here is the list of questions regarding both projects that Foster is sending to Senator George LeMieux, Governor Charlie Crist, the leaders of the Florida Senate and House, Mayor Buddy Dyer, as well as State Rep.

Sandy Adams, one of his opponents who supports and defends the SUNRAIL project.

1. Why feign outrage against 'forced national health care' and then force a rail system on the people of Florida after they said they didn't want it?

3. Why do you decry the national debt and then add to it by using Federal stimulus money to pay for your 'boondoggle' rail systems?

4. Why did Mark Levin and Michael Medved, two of the most respected conservative national talk show hosts in America call Florida's light rail

(SUNRAIL) project a ''big government, total waste of taxpayer money'' and a ''system that failed every place it was tried''?

5. Why did conservative Florida State Senator Carey Baker (a candidate for Agriculture Commissioner) say that Sunrail ''used to be Little Red Riding Hood but now it is the BIG BAD WOLF''?

6. What will the ACTUAL cost of the ENTIRE RAIL project be over the life of the system ? How much profit will the SUNRAIL system MAKE over the next ten years?

7. You gave CSX limited liability for the new rail system. The people of Florida are now responsible to cover the cost of anything that goes wrong with the system. How will you cover the cost of our liability?

8. Liberal Democratic Senator Bill Nelson, says that the bullet train project will bring '23,000 jobs to Florida'. How many of those jobs are temporary? How many jobs are NOT related to the short term construction of the project, how many jobs will be long term? Where is the study that clearly shows exactly what jobs will be created?

10. Light rail systems in the USA loose money. Where is your proof that Sunrail will not fall into the same money hole as the other rail systems?

11. What is your plan to pay for the yearly expense of SUNRAIL apart from raising taxes to support it ?

12. Will you pledge to NEVER raise taxes in order to pay for the upkeep of SUNRAIL?

13. AMTRAK ( the FEDERAL government run rail system) looses money EVERY YEAR. It already runs daily trains between Tampa and Orlando. Where is your business model showing how HIGH SPEED RAIL will make enough money to be self-reliant running this same failed route?

14. We’re told that with HIGH SPEED RAIL 'people living in Tampa will be able to work in Orlando'. You may not have noticed but the people of Florida are out of work!!! We have over a million people out of work. Your own demographic forecasts show that more people are leaving Florida than are coming into Florida. Who are these commuters you are talking about?

Where will they work in Orlando? Where do they work now in Tampa? How will they afford a train ticket when their houses are facing foreclosure, and they can't pay their taxes or mortgage?

15. You have said that ''if we don't take the Federal money some other state will.'' Will you be conservative enough to SAY NO to Federal money for earmark projects like this in the future? Someone has to stop the out of control spending by saying NO.

16. Can you name three government projects that came in at budget, made money, and provided the service it promised when it was approved by the legislature?

17. Since the people didn't want SUNRAIL what makes you think they will ride SUNRAIL?

18. Will you pledge to return campaign donations you may receive from those connected in ANY WAY to the SUNRAIL program?

19. Will you host a televised town hall to explain the MASTER RAIL SYSTEM in Florida and explain how it will be paid for? Do we have a MASTER PLAN FOR RAIL?

TEXT CREDIT: Jim Foster for Congress