No more American manned spaceflights

[Webstral]

Originally Posted by Matt Wiser

An armed presence in space is inevitable.

Space already has been militarized, though I can't comment on the degree to which it has been weaponized. I'm not debating whether there will be an armed presence in space, Matt. You know I'm no peacenik or flower child. But degree matters.

Originally Posted by Matt Wiser

Sad to say, but it's more likely going to be on the national level instead of the UN's. And no country is going to want the UN to have any kind of taxation authority, ever. Want an example of that? Back in the early '90s, the UN was thinking about some kind of tax on international airline tickets to fund its operations. Not a single country supported it, and the idea died a quick death. Same thing will apply here.

The context is different. A tax on international airline flights is a tax on existing operations that are being taxed by national governments already. No one likes new taxes. This is why it's so important to get the legal framework in place before resource exploitation begins. A treaty signed by the various member states is a must. I won't pretend it will be easy--just vital.

Originally Posted by Matt Wiser

And no country is going to want the UN to have any kind of taxation authority, ever.

Goodness knows these sorts of extreme statements are fun to write. However, past performance is no guarantee of future returns. To say that getting international cooperation on such a matter will be a gargantuan task would be reasonable. National soverignty is, after all, the reason Americans tend to give for hating the UN. To say it can never happen is an example of cocksuredness which is rather unlike you, Matt.