President Trump is pushing his goal of establishing a sixth branch of the armed services, a new Space Force that would bring dominance to the U.S. presumably for the entire universe.
Trump has a lot of grandiose ideas, many that seem designed to simply bolster his ego and his legacy. But this one is probably the most ridiculous of all.
I'm having a hard time understanding how the U.S., whose deficit has already skyrocketed due to the new Trump/GOP tax law, can afford the billions of dollars it would take to create such a Space Force when we can't afford to feed poor people, properly fund our schools, provide health care for our citizens, care for our veterans and keep immigrant families together on our southern border.
It makes no sense. It just shows the mentality and priorities of this president. Here's how Trump explained it the other day:
"My administration is reclaiming America's heritage as the world's greatest space-faring nation. The essence of the American character is to explore new horizons and to tame new frontiers. But our destiny, beyond the Earth, is not only a matter of national identity, but a matter of national security."
When it comes to defending America, Trump said, "it is not enough to merely have an American presence in space. We must have American dominance in space."
"Very importantly, I'm hereby directing the Department of Defense and pentagon to immediately begin the process necessary to establish a space force as the sixth branch of the armed forces. ... We are going to have the Air Force, and we are going to have the Space Force, separate but equal."
Does Trump envision himself in a fancy Space Force uniform sitting behind the controls of some kind of space rocket that will soar into the heavens?
If that ever happens, I hope somebody hits the ignition switch.