(Courtesy of Lucasfilm) more >While conceding its potential contributions to job creation and defense against intergalactic threats, the Obama administration officially announced this week that a U.S. Death Star “is not on the horizon.”
Paul Shawcross, chief of the science branch of the White House Office of Management and Budget, broke the bad news late Friday in the administration’s response to an online petition that garnered over 34,000 petitions when it was posted on the White House’s “We the People” website. Administration officials have pledged to provide an official response to any petition that attracts at least 25,000 e-signatures.
Mr. Shawcross cited several reasons for the administration’s decision to reject the Death Star proposal, including the administration’s longstanding policy that it “does not support blowing up planets.”
He also cited the daunting $850 quadrillion price tag, as estimated by business students at Lehigh University.
“We’re working hard to reduce the deficit, not expand it,” he noted.
And Mr. Shawcross said that research conducted in Hollywood revealed unexpected defensive vulnerabilities with Death Star technology, which might not make its construction cost-effective.
“Why should we spend countless taxpayer dollars on a Death Star with a fundamental flaw that can be exploited by a one-man starship?” he asked.
Mr. Shawcross used his response to tout the country’s other advances in space, from the International Space Station and recent private missions into the heavens to President Obama’s reported proficiency with a light saber.
The original petition called on the government to secure the funding to start construction on an American Death Star by 2016.
“By focusing our defense resources into a space-superiority platform and weapon system such as a Death Star, the government can spur job creation in the fields of construction, engineering, space exploration, and more, and strengthen our national defense,” the petition read in part.
© Copyright 2013 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.
Raised in Northern Virginia, David R. Sands received an undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and a master’s degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He worked as a reporter for several Washington-area business publications before joining The Washington Times.
At The Times, Mr. Sands has covered numerous beats, including international trade, banking, politics ...
By Andrew P. Napolitano
The president's men trash the Constitution to pursue antagonists
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
Covering the world of soccer, including the World Cup, Major League Soccer, D.C. United and the English Premier League and other interesting sporting events.
Happiness is attainable. Morning to night. I love to teach, deal with folks that have an issue and really wish to tackle it and write.
Benghazi: The anatomy of a scandal
13 Photos
Vietnam Memorial adds four names
18 Photos
Cinco de Mayo on the Mall
11 Photos
NRA kicks off annual convention
8 Photos
