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jpink2: 9 months ago via iPhone

What would you financially support if you had a million dollars, poverty stricken families or NASA's current work on Mars exploration?

Imagine if you could personally witness families in need and see what your money could do to improve lives. And in the same way imagine being involved in a meaningful contribution to space exploration. which one would you choose ?(and you cannot say both!) I'm curious what others would say, having a debate with the family....

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Answer 1

Jessy_1924: 9 months ago via iPhone

Poverty stricken families. There are many people out there that hardly survive everyday with low money and no food or a home. I would make sure that I could donate to as many homeless people as I possibly could. Many lives would be saved if more rich people donated to a good cause

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advancement123: 9 months ago via iPhone

Amen

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jpink2: 9 months ago via iPhone

I agree with you!

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GrandeChivo: 9 months ago

The American people already donate. Hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars go to poverty each year.
Rich people always give to charity, perhaps not the ones you are referring to.
BTW Mitt Romney gave an estimated 19% of his income to charity in 2011, Obama gave 1% and compassionate Joe Biden gave $100 or .003%. Real charitable crew, those two.

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Answer 2

mitchellpei: 9 months ago

Well considering that the mars mission costs billions of dollars won't help much so I would go towards the poverty since it would help more

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jpink2: 9 months ago via iPhone

You are right! Originally we were debating the govt. funding but that got complicated so I suggested the million :)

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Answer 3

Lowheadroom: 9 months ago | Last edited at 5:40PM on 8/10/2012

I love outer space and everything to do with it, but NASA has enough money. I'd rather take care of people in need.

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advancement123: 9 months ago via iPhone

Amen

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jpink2: 9 months ago via iPhone

I would too!

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Answer 4

14Sweetie: 9 months ago via Android

I would help the poverty stricken families. I wouldn't think twice. I know what it's like to go without and taking care of families is more meaningful to me than space

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advancement123: 9 months ago via iPhone

Amen

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jpink2: 9 months ago via iPhone

People are definitely more meaningful to me as well. I think if a person was to personally witness Poverty they may feel differently.

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Answer 5

DDXProject: 9 months ago via iPhone

I'd support NASA of course. Advancing the human race is a whole lot more important than wasting time with people who couldn't make the cut. Besides, you can't help poverty stricken people with money hand-outs. Heck they could win the lottery and still end up in the same place a few years down the road. This has been proven.

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jpink2: 9 months ago via iPhone

Yes, but how exactly are we advancing the human race? Do you honestly think we will be a better society if we discover water on a planet? I guess I don't understand the whole distribution of funds... I think if you were among a group of starving children how could you not want to help? What if that money could help them sustain themselves by providing water to grow food?

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DDXProject: 9 months ago via iPhone

What you mention involves foreign aid. Something we don't really need to be doing right now. Not to mention how our aid is actually ruining the economy of some third world countries. Local farmers can't sell their goods for instance. Inner city homeless people can eat like kings if they wanted to. From soup kitchen to soup kitchen where local restaurants donate their leftovers. I had a homeless man laugh at the peanut butter jelly sandwich I made him for Christmas back in high school. I only help people who help themselves.

Advancements in science is always a good thing. When we stop learning, we stop living. Asking why we explore mars is like asking Christopher Columbus why he set sail. The only difference is that Columbus was searching for wealth which he didn't find any. But here, we're searching for knowledge.

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jpink2: 9 months ago via iPhone

DDX, you have a point and I can see you've thought of more than one angle on this one. Come on though, just tell me if you saw a hungry little baby and his mom you would invite then over for dinner :)

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Answer 6

advancement123: 9 months ago via iPhone

I would MUCH rather help the poor who are trying to help themselves and just need an extra boost. I am not for helping people who make welfare a way of life. NASA- personally I could not care less about space exploration

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jpink2: 9 months ago via iPhone

Thanks for your feedback! I vote with ya :)

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shinypate1: 9 months ago via iPhone

Advancement, I think space is the place for private companies. Time for them to do what pioneers have always done: let people expand to risky areas apart from the government dime. Same with the poor: helping the poor is a charitable good, so I prefer to use the million to fund tax breaks for people to give to charities (leverages the money better, as $1m will produce $14m in gifts).

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Answer 7

bigguy41: 9 months ago via Android

I would start a business with the money to give people jobs so they could help themselves .

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jpink2: 9 months ago via iPhone

That would be a good idea....

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shinypate1: 9 months ago via iPhone

This is the theory behind micro loans being given in some countries. They loan 1500 to people to do a small business and about 92% of the money is repaid in 5 years from proceeds. Results speak for themselves: 4-5 people employed, a family making a living wage in their country and at least one other doing the same. One loan, 10 helped.

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Answer 8

shinypate1: 9 months ago via iPhone

Space exploitation/exploration is properly a private enterprise. Manned exploration is risky business, and presidents should not be tied to results, as they will not do anything inherently risky. Best plan is to license corporations to develop their discoveries for a set period, as we do for pharmaceuticals.

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jpink2: 9 months ago via iPhone

Yes... Really that is what it boils down to. If something is government funded it becomes an issue of how to best distribute money. We have programs to help those in poverty, but the world is a complex system! Much to debate there, that is why I worded the question as you and I having the million :)

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jpink2: 9 months ago via iPhone

You are pretty smart shiny, have you ever thought of running for office (smile)

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shinypate1: 9 months ago via iPhone

Lol nobody votes for smart men, they vote for people who are popular and nice. But I appreciate the sentiment.

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Answer 9

yirmeyahu: 9 months ago via iPhone

A million dollars is really not that much money, especially when it comes to large scale projects like Mars or World Hunger. I would find something to invest it in so that I could make more money to help out smaller projects close to home, which would in turn help with world hunger.

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jpink2: 9 months ago via iPhone

Yes, that is thinking practical.... :) a few of us at home were having a debate about the recent Mars expedition and while it is amazing I had to wonder if that money would be better used to actually help those in need. I cannot talk politics very well with the husband because I am a big humanitarian and he is pretty conservative... But this was kind of one of those trickle down questions. He also said there will always be the poor and poverty stricken, I agree but I had to ask, if you had the money in your hands and you looked that person in the eye, wouldn't you support a person before space exploration? It was a good question for my teen I thought too, one of those moral dilemmas.

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yirmeyahu: 9 months ago via iPhone

Curiosity's Mars exploration is only $2.5B. That pales in comparison to, for example, the Olympics. Learning about Mars will help us learn more about Earth that will in turn help us to find and use resources more effectively. The trickle down effect will be helping others, in contrast to, for example, executing Olympians for failure to earn a gold medal by some nation's eschewed sense of national pride.

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Answer 10

Whoomy49: 9 months ago via iPhone

To me, there's really no choice here: the poverty stricken families, of course. Bottom line is that we're all part of one big family. Do your homework before going out to play.

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Answer 11