I know there are a lot of BBSers out there who are interested in space exploration. We want NASA to launch more research missions, to see private enterprise in space, to go where no man has gone before... What can we do to see to it that the politicians who run this country have the same vision? How can we persuade them to stop cutting NASA's budget, and increase it instead? How can we get politicians to give incentives to private companies who help to develop space? These questions were going through my mind and I thought "Voting picks a politician, not an issue. We have to make the politicians KNOW how we feel. We have to MAKE SPACE DEVELOPMENT AND RESEARCH AN ISSUE. Make it as big an issue as Reagan's War on Drugs." To do this, we have to ACT, and the ACTION is a simple one. Simply download this message as an ASCII file. SEND IT TO AS MANY BBSES AS YOU CAN. Then put it in your wordprocessor, chop everything above and below the dotted line, select one or both of the candidates you want to write to, and mail out the letter. You can alter the letter to fit your own style and tastes, the important thing is to ACT! Mail the letter as soon as possible. The sooner the politicians KNOW how we FEEL, the sooner they can ACT. More [Y/n/=]?                    ------------------------------------------------------------------------ President George Bush 1 Pennsylvania Ave. Washington, D.C. 20003 Dear Mr. Bush: I heard a lot of campaign promises during the last election, but I didn't hear one word about space exploration or NASA. NASA's budget has been cut and cut again ever since men walked on the moon. This country built up an incredible space exploration system during the 1960's. By the early 70's we had the hardware to get us to any planet in the solar system, and then we threw it all away for no good reason. People used to say that space exploration was too expensive. That we spent all of that money to get "a few moon rocks." Now they realize that all of the money we've spent on space development has been repaid many, many times. Weather satellites alone have saved enough lives and averted enough property damage to pay for the entire space program. Microelec- tronics, which were developed primarily for the space program, have given us the entire modern computer and software industry. Satellites allow us to find scarce resources on our planet. Speaking of resources, this planet's resources are divided among five billion people. Some of these people are very rich, some poor. But even the richest person on the planet only owns a portion of it. Now look up. There are an infinite number of planets up there. Enough raw materials and natural resources to make every person on this planet a billionaire. And it's all just sitting there for the taking. This isn't a dream, we can grab this wealth with today's technology, just ask your science advisors if you don't believe me. But we must act now, before someone else beats us to it. Please think about what I've said. The 1990's could be remembered as the decade that America recaptured space. Sincerely, ------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you're feeling especially productive, you can also send this letter to your state and federal politicians. If you don't know their addresses, call your local Voter Registration number. It's in the white pages under County Government Offices. If you want more ideas on how you can help to promote space development send a long, self-addressed stamped envelope to: Jeff Hunter & the Temple of the Screaming Electron P.O. Box 5378 Walnut Creek, CA 94596 BBS: 415/935-5845