Taking Star Wars Defense To New Heights

by Stuart Shapiro

In this era of partisan wrangling, a petitioner to the White House has come up with an idea that may have bipartisan support.  Democrats will like the fact that it will create jobs (although it may not be shovel ready) and Republicans will love the military strength it will show the rest of the world.  Jeremy Herb has the details.

Those who sign here petition the United States government to secure funding and resources, and begin construction on a Death Star by 2016,” the petition reads.

“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.”

While funding for a Death Star is no doubt jeopardized by the threat of sequestration, the petition could attract an official White House response if it gets 25,000 signatures by mid-December.

Fortunately we all know that the petition process is only for serious ideas (like this one).

By: Stuart Shapiro

Stuart is a professor and the Director of the Public Policy
program at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers
University. He teaches economics and cost-benefit analysis and studies
regulation in the United States at both the federal and state levels.
Prior to coming to Rutgers, Stuart worked for five years at the Office
of Management and Budget in Washington under Presidents Clinton and
George W. Bush.