Ok... so a former NASA Chief (Mike Griffin) says:
"If we in the United States make the decision to step away from space exploration then in the long run the solar system will belong to others and we will be watching from the sidelines."
I've got a couple of problems with that.
1. Space/the Solar System doesn't belong to anyone - neither does the moon - even if we got there first and blew a big hole in it.
2. Should we continue to spend BILLIONS of dollars for space exploration when our country is TRILLIONS in debt? When we have SO many other problems/things we could be spending money on?
Hm... #2 is more of a question for myself, but #1 is a very strong belief.
All those years of being a Sci Fi fan has brainwashed me to point #2... will have to think about that.