There used to be a time when the American dream was to own a car. Elon Musk’s goal was not only to have a car, but to build one – and then send it into space. And guess what? He did it. In the middle of a dark period in American history rife with political polarization, one man with a vision reminds us what America is all about: aiming high, and sometimes, succeeding spectacularly.
And what an amazing display of technological innovation and competence it was! After successfully launching into space, two of the three thrusters landed safely in almost perfect synchrony. It was not only a cool demonstration, but also a real test of a space technology that far exceeds anything that NASA or any other government agency has yet achieved.
According to SpaceX, its technology lowers the cost of launching to orbit by 80%, opening the doors to the full-scale commercialization of space.
Political Dimensions
However, as always, there is a political dimension to the story. Elon Musk is a first-generation immigrant, and you can be sure that if all immigrants were of his caliber, there would be no immigration debate in America. No-one would be talking about closing the borders.
It is also equally true that if Musk had stayed in his native South-Africa, there would have been no Tesla or SpaceX. Despite all its flaws and a century of slow descent towards socialism, the U.S. is still the land of opportunity.
Many liberals and leftists are fascinated by the SpaceX success story, and now is an excellent time to remind them that it was a private entrepreneur who did this, with his own money, which he earned honestly in the free market. He and the outstanding team he put together have made stunning leaps of innovation that no government agency could ever have achieved.
Free Enterprise
Elon Musk has not only conquered space; he has demonstrated to the whole world the innovative power of free enterprise, unhindered by red tape and grey bureaucrats. So much so that not even the most rabid leftist can find a negative spin on it. That is worth telling the world.
And even more importantly: think about all the areas that are currently being monopolized by government. Imagine what all the geniuses out there could do with education or health care if they were just allowed.
Health care is not rocket science, and if politicians and their henchmen got out of the way, maybe we could see massively lower costs there too.
That may sound preposterous, but if someone had told you that there would be a Tesla on its way to Mars in 2018, would you have believed them? Maybe the time has come for those in love with the government to recognize the evidence and accept that there may be a better way. Maybe it’s time to set creativity free.
