S.19.2-7: Construction of the world’s largest ground-based Telescope (Passed)

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

This thing we have on the floor does not actually suggest wasteful spending since presumably any funding to make a new telescope would come from private sources.
It's not even a bill. It's simply a resolution.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

That being said I have to agree the best sites for new telescopes aren't in the South, they are in Fremont.

[Southern Delegate matthew27]

That being said I have to agree the best sites for new telescopes aren't in the South, they are in Fremont.

But the south rules in other areas of space(launch faculties, industry, etcc.) and many citizens ask me about why fremont gets all the ground base telescopes. Just looking out for my voters.

[AustralianSwingVoter]

That being said I have to agree the best sites for new telescopes aren't in the South, they are in Fremont.

But the south rules in other areas of space(launch faculties, industry, etcc.) and many citizens ask me about why fremont gets all the ground base telescopes. Just looking out for my voters.

Fremont gets the all telescopes because only Fremont has the right terrain and climate.

[Deep Dixieland Senator, Muad'dib (OSR MSR)]

This thing we have on the floor does not actually suggest wasteful spending since presumably any funding to make a new telescope would come from private sources.
It's not even a bill. It's simply a resolution.

3 ELTs are already being built around the world. 1 funded by Europe in Chile, 2 funded by the US, one in Chile and one in Hawaii. Regardless of anything else there is no real justification for spending another 2 billion dollars on an ELT when 3 are already being built.
An additional ELT in West Texas would provide no benefit to the scientific community whatsoever. The images would be of far inferior quality to those from Hawaii and Chile, and would be totally redundant.

As nice as having the world's biggest telescope sounds. I think most jurisdictions would be "happy" to host it. It seems to have no competitive advantage over the other projects in the works. Perhaps radio telescopes might be more fitting?

I'm sure there are a few Bond villains willing to build some

[Southern Delegate matthew27]

This thing we have on the floor does not actually suggest wasteful spending since presumably any funding to make a new telescope would come from private sources.
It's not even a bill. It's simply a resolution.

3 ELTs are already being built around the world. 1 funded by Europe in Chile, 2 funded by the US, one in Chile and one in Hawaii. Regardless of anything else there is no real justification for spending another 2 billion dollars on an ELT when 3 are already being built.
An additional ELT in West Texas would provide no benefit to the scientific community whatsoever. The images would be of far inferior quality to those from Hawaii and Chile, and would be totally redundant.

As nice as having the world's biggest telescope sounds. I think most jurisdictions would be "happy" to host it. It seems to have no competitive advantage over the other projects in the works. Perhaps radio telescopes might be more fitting?

I'm sure there are a few Bond villains willing to build some

Thanks to AustralianSwingVoter giving us in the delegates a well needed science lesson I believe the idea of a radio telescope maybe of better use. Would that work?

I believe Atlasia needs a new generation radio telescope to compete with the new one in china.

[Southern Delegate matthew27]

Amended

Section 1: Title: Resolution encouraging the construction of the world’s largest ground-based radioTelescope.

1.   The government of the south believes that our region is an optimal region for the construction of an giant radio telescope competing with the thirty-meter telescope or the ELT.
1.2   The south is home of nasa and and most of our nations space infrastructure. The benefits of building the next super radio telescope here are large and taxes are very low adding an angle of economic benefits over regions like Fremont or Chile.
1.3    Not only are economic benefit an advantage for owners of the future telescope, but also to local economies throughout our great land with thousands of high paying construction and scientific jobs fueling economic growth.
1.4   The government of the south would like to extend an warm welcome to you and ask that you consider us.

Sponsor: Matthew27

[AustralianSwingVoter]

A new larger radio telescope could certainly be built alongside the current Green Bank Telescope. In addition that puts it within the National Radio Quiet Zone, which gets rid of a great deal of the interference problem, though it would certainly have to be expanded and tightened for the telescope to be effective.

[Leinad]

I'd encourage the Chamber to vote down this as I generally despise virtue-signaling resolutions. Also this would be costly if actually built.

"Virtue signal" is obviously a painfully overused word, but I kinda agree with Wulfric here, actually, in that I don't see the need to make a bill saying this. Not necessarily a bad thing, and it's not even necessarily a bad idea with the amendment. That being said it does seem a bit useless and as much as I like large telescopes there's probably a bunch of better things we can "encourage rich people to do" if that's even a thing we should be doing (why not leave them alone or just tax them more and buy the stuff ourselves?).

[Southern Delegate matthew27]

I'd encourage the Chamber to vote down this as I generally despise virtue-signaling resolutions. Also this would be costly if actually built.

"Virtue signal" is obviously a painfully overused word, but I kinda agree with Wulfric here, actually, in that I don't see the need to make a bill saying this. Not necessarily a bad thing, and it's not even necessarily a bad idea with the amendment. That being said it does seem a bit useless and as much as I like large telescopes there's probably a bunch of better things we can "encourage rich people to do" if that's even a thing we should be doing (why not leave them alone or just tax them more and buy the stuff ourselves?).

If someone else would like to put teeth in this bill with real tax payer money and governmental action I'd fully support it, but after I attempted such in Fremont I won't make that move again myself.

[Deep Dixieland Senator, Muad'dib (OSR MSR)]

Here is something that has some teeth but requires NASA, or private industry to do something.

Section 1: Title: Resolution encouraging the construction of the world’s largest radio Telescope.

1.   The government of the south believes that our region is an optimal region for the construction of an giant radio telescope.
1.2   The south is home of NASA and and most of our nations space infrastructure. The benefits of building the next super radio telescope here are large and taxes are very low adding an angle of economic benefits.
1.3    Not only are economic benefit an advantage for owners of the future telescope, but also to local economies throughout our great land with thousands of high paying construction and scientific jobs fueling economic growth.
1.4   The government of the south would extent $500 Million or 20% of the cost which ever is the lesser.
1.5   The Telescope should be known as the "Fred Wallace Haise Jr. Radio Telescope"

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

That's an agreeable amendment.

[Southern Delegate matthew27]

I believe it is time to vote on this bill and give our south a great radio telescope.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

No objection to a final vote.

[Deep Dixieland Senator, Muad'dib (OSR MSR)]

There being no objections, S.19.2-7 shall be put to a vote.
Sound the bells (delegates will be DM'd).

The text of the bill in question reads as follows:

Section 1: Title: Resolution encouraging the construction of the world’s largest radio Telescope.

1.   The government of the south believes that our region is an optimal region for the construction of an giant radio telescope.
1.2   The south is home of NASA and and most of our nations space infrastructure. The benefits of building the next super radio telescope here are large and taxes are very low adding an angle of economic benefits.
1.3    Not only are economic benefit an advantage for owners of the future telescope, but also to local economies throughout our great land with thousands of high paying construction and scientific jobs fueling economic growth.
1.4   The government of the south would extent $500 Million or 20% of the cost which ever is the lesser.
1.5   The Telescope should be known as the "Fred Wallace Haise Jr. Radio Telescope"

Voting options are:
[   ] Aye
[   ] Nay
[   ] Abstain

[Southern Delegate matthew27]

Aye

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

Aye

[PragmaticPopulist]

Aye

[reagente]

aye

[UlmerFudd]

aye

[Deep Dixieland Senator, Muad'dib (OSR MSR)]

Aye

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

by an unanimous vote of 6 ayes, this bill passes.