Great, let's just leave it all up to Elon. What could possibly go wrong?
The only thing worse than 2 billionaires leading an unregulated government entity is a single billionaire leading it. Giving Elon completely unchecked power.
Watched from my kitchen window as my dad and my dog were chased by a skunk. It was exactly like a comedy sketch. First it was dog barking at skunk with dad yelling from the side door. Then it was skunk chasing dog, dog chasing skunk with dad chasing dog. Then the tables were turned, and my dad was being chased by the skunk.
It was glorious. I remember it taking ages before they could get safely inside. My dad was pissed at the time. They both were partially sprayed, but I don't remember it being that bad of an aftermath. We laugh about it now.
But, in the off chance that some dickhead defunds the FDA, what do we do?
I already try to grow what I can...but I'm not some trad wife who makes lots of money on instagram showing off how everything I ingest comes from my own land. Don't have that kind of money or time on my hands. Aside from cooking things to recommended temps and washing/refrigerating things as needed, is there more that can be done on a household level?
Contact lenses. I know I could use my glasses, but I put them down and can't find them half the time. I am blind enough to be absolutely useless in most situations without corrective lenses.
I'm a structural engineer, so I felt the extra classes kind of colored in the blank spaces in my civil engineering education.
As for other space companies not run by sociopaths... the joke about civils and mechenicals applies here. Mechanical engineers make bombs and civils make targets. I can't speak to the ethics of the individual companies or their leaders. But I believe some of them are just focused on space exploration and not dominating in the name of whatever nation/egomaniac they are contracted to work for.
I'm obviously not super well versed in the space industry, but the friends I know have pivoted away from the big names (SpaceX, Boeing, Blue Origin etc) and toward smaller companies that specialize in an aspect of space flight. They tend to work on single one off projects that are subbed out by the big guys. From what I have heard, there is good money in these specialties and some great engineers work there. I know of Orbit Fab, Ursa Major, Vast, and Anduril.
I agree with the general sentiment that STEM scares a lot of Americans.
When I would tell other young women I was an engineering major, I would often hear a similar refrain - "Oh, I could never do that!" And it drove me insane! I am not magically gifted at mental math, I can't do differential equations in my head. And most engineers I know, whether American or foreign, can't do those things either.
A lot of engineering isn't about being freakishly gifted like Elon Musk pretends. It takes gradual development of skills toward an end goal. First, you have to nail down the tools for the work (math, physics, chemistry), then you get to apply those tools to real-world problems. Engineering is problem solving, making mistakes, and being curious enough to keep going.
In short, engineering is about the long game. And didn't become rewarding until around year 3 for me. I took some other classes in subjects to entertain myself and fill my schedule. In the disciplines of archeology, art history, and archetecture. And I called them my sanity classes. They were immediately satisfying, and made me feel like I was learning and not struggling or making those mistakes I made in engineering classes. I think most students enjoy the satisfaction of classes like that. The learning seems more instantaneous and less like a step on a ladder.
Sorry for the diatribe. In short, if you happen to read this as a young person and have the opportunity to study engineering - do it. Try not to go into debt for it, but don't feel excluded because you aren't the best at long division.
As for Musk, I've spoken with a few engineers who worked at his various companies. Everyone has left for other companies because he is a nightmare to work for. Yes, there are gifted engineers from other countries, but Musk wants employees that are tied to him and will work the slavish hours to earn a better life for the next generation of their families. A lot of American engineers are not willing to ignore their families like Musk himself clearly does. There are plenty of other space companies that pay well and aren't run by sociopaths.
So glad we are all unwilling participants in this great experiment. Pedestrians will be blamed for being in the wrong place at the wrong time when Tesla cans kill them.
I wish that would affect them. Even just to pause and reflect. They won't. It hasn't been about the teachings of Christ for a long time.