Why does John McCain hate planetariums?
[Note: this is a shortened version of what I wrote on my own blog. Feel free to drop by there for a longer rant.]
As an astronomer and educator, I had a slap-in-the-face moment last month when I read that John McCain called funding planetariums (in the biz we call them planetaria) "foolishness."
I wrote about it on my blog, and tried to give him the benefit of the doubt. I wasn't really able to.
And then, in the second Presidential debate, he brought the issue up again, not once, but twice. He accused Obama of voting to give $3 million in earmarks for an "overhead projector" at a planetarium. Obama didn't retort. So I will.
What McCain said is plainly not true. Actually, there are two "untruths" in there. The first is that it's an "overhead projector". In fact, it's Adler Planetarium's venerable Zeiss Mark VI star projector, a beautiful machine that projects the stars and constellation on the dome, showing children what's in the night sky. The Zeiss is 40 years old, is showing its age, and cannot be fixed. They need a new system, and that's pricey.
The second untruth is about Obama voting to fund it: he didn't. Adler looked to politicians to help them raise money needed to replace the Zeiss. Obama put it in a budget proposal, but it never got funded, nor did Obama even get a chance to vote on it (it died in committee).
McCain must have known that what he was saying wasn't even close to being true. Yet he said it anyway, twice.
Planetaria do something noble and honorable: they teach kids. They teach kids science, which is something these children desperately need -- unless we want the next generation of Americans to believe humans walked alongside dinosaurs.
Funding planetaria is important, and something the government should be helping with if it's needed. Planetaria show us the beauty and grandeur of the Universe, and shouldn't be cynically relegated to being a political bludgeon used to score cheap points.
Zeiss Mark Vi image from Wikimedia, under the Creative Commons license. Photographer: Fritz Geller-Grimm
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All of these earmarks have value, some have great value. I would rather kill off the Iraq war and have more earmarks, but that would be too simple.
It's more of the Republican anti-intel
What *I* was shouting at the screen when he pulled this "pork barrel" bologna was for Obama to drop the USS Midway on McCain's head. Even before he became a senator, he was pushing through massive amounts of pork.
I believe planetariums are awesome and a necessity. It is about science, educating our children about the universe. Such things are needed to promote a childs interest of science and astronomy.
Finally somebody addressed this. When he said "overhead projector" during the debate I yelled at the TV. Is he this dumb and uninformed about science? Heaven help our education system if he gets elected!!
Earmark is not a dirty word.
I am a republican and live in AZ, I will not be voting for McCain. Just think McCain has spent 26 years in Washington, what is his call to fame? In 26 years he had done nothing for the people of Arizona. In 26 he has seen no needs nothing, nada needed in his home state. So what is his plan to help this nation, the same plan he has had for 26 years for the people of Arizona, nothing, zero, and NADA. Just think, McCain/Palin economic Plan - Trust Wall St With Social Security. John McCain’s long touted plan for social security is to privatize it. Using the same Wall Street companies that are going under. Do you trust your future to Wall Street! Do you trust your future to John McCain and the lobbyists that are advising him and running his campaign? Here is a list of all of his major campaign workers and the special interests they represent.
http://mcc
McCain is afraid that if we look out in space long enough, we might attract the attention of little green men who would put an extra-terrestrial spin on the concept of "illegal alien". Having to debate with their superior intellect would distract from earthbound race-baiting.
Good morning everybody. At issue here is not the value of a planetarium, they are not only informative but have the ability to excite young minds. Win-win. The issue is running to Washington for money. It's a habit that has been created over time. This is a 40 year old machine that has been showing it's age for some years. Why now, after it's failing, does the thought of replacing fall immediately to "Fed Funding". That's the issue. If rich people in Chicago can spend twice that on a politician then they would probably not think twice about supporting such a nobel cause. Instead of the Washington politicians dipping into the federal money? pot it would make more since for the politician to coordinate the meeting of local money sources and worthy local causes. Now we have a win-win-win.
That's what the federal government is for, providing funds for the public interest. And dissing it as a 3 million dollar overhead projector is just shear ignorance.
The government under Republicans "wastes" a hell of a lot more money in other ways.
Thanks for bringing that up! I'd forgotten about this debate moment. When McCain trashed funding a planetarium "projector", my husband and I just looked at each other in disgust. Some of the most magical moments of my childhood were spend at my local planetarium. Although I didn't become a scientist, I remain in awe of the wonder of our universe. That was a hideous choice of "pork barrel" spending on his part.
mcCain hates planetariums because they teach that the Sun is the centre of the Solar System and he believes the Universe revolves around his ambition to be President
McCain doesn't give a damn about education. Not real sure what McCain cares about.
McCain's overhead projector comments demonstrate his ignorance. An overhead projector is what I use in my 3rd grade classroom. This invention was invented during World War II as an aide in planning tactics and strategy. While it's still quite useful, it's hardly cutting edge technology. My son and I sanded the ends of the fan blades last weekend to get rid of the distracting clattering noise. Whenever I turn it on I remind myself that first world technology is only for countries that truly value education.
The projector that McCain criticizes would be a great boon to the Adler Planetarium, which educates children and the general public. Science education has taken a hit for the last eight years.
It's time to fund this tourist attraction. That's the last industry we have left..
I thought the problem with earmarks was not politicians trying to get funding for worthwhile projects. I thought the problem was that the process in Congress had so broken down that, fueled by expensive lobbyists and their donations, earmarks of questionable social value were hidden in committee reports instead of being clearly laid out in the bill itself where the public and the Congress could review them easily before voting.
How sad. Although I didn't understand McCain's bizarre comment at first, I now find it totally reprehensible. Planetariums are science, period.
I can't believe he used an educational tool to smear Obama, it's disgusting. Obama's people need to bring this to light.
Don't know about Adler, but don't most planetariums have free admission? To me, they are like museums and would rely on government funding from the local and federal levels, as well as private contributions.
The problem with McCain on this is his use of "overhead projector". That term to most of us would conjure up images of transparencies for presentations. Before powerpoint and laptops became the tools of choice.
Some of my happiest hours have been spent contemplating the night sky and the Griffith Park Observatory was a regular haunt when I was a child.
Iike DavidFarmer, I dismissed the assertion of a 3 million dollar overhead projector, assuming that the 3 mil request *included* some sort of projector among other needs, and McCain had simply chosen to use a tiny kernal of truth around which to construct a lie.
And, like DavidFarmer, I am now LIVID at McCain's boundless duplicity and his apparent love of ignorance.
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