Deception Point Page 38

tench stood suddenly, her lanky frame dominating the cramped space. With the cigarette dangling from her lips, she walked oer to a w all told safe, removed a thick manilla paper envelope, returned to the desk, and sat endorse down.Gabrielle eyed the burgeoning envelope.Tench smiled, cradling the envelope in her lap handle a poker player holding a royal flush. Her yellowed finger breaking winds flicked at the corner, making an nettle some repetitive scratch, as if savoring the anticipation.Gabrielle knew it was just her own guilty con perception, but her first fears were that the envelope contained some kind of proof of her sexual indiscretion with the senator. Ridiculous, she thought. The encounter had occurred after hours in sacristans locked senatorial despatchice. Not to mention, if the clean House actually had any evidence, they would leave gone public with it already.They may be suspicious, Gabrielle thought, but they dont have proof.Tench crushed out her cigarette. Ms. Ashe, whether or non you are aware, you are caught in the middle of a battle that has been raging behind the scenes in Washington since 1996.This opening gambit was non at all what Gabrielle expected. I beg your pardon?Tench lit another cigarette. Her spindly lips curled around it, and the tip glowed red. What do you know most a shoot down called the Space Commercialization Promotions Act?Gabrielle had never hear of it. She shrugged, lost.Really? Tench said. That surprises me. Considering your campaigners platform. The Space Commercialization Promotions Act was proposed back in 1996 by Senator Walker. The bill, in essence, cites the harm of NASA to do anything worthwhile since putting a man on the moon. It calls for the privatization of NASA by immediately selling off NASA assets to private aerospace companies and allowing the free-market system to explore space more efficiently, thus relieving the burden NASA now places on taxpayers.Gabrielle had comprehend NASA critics sugge st privatization as a solution to NASAs woes, but she was not aware the idea had actually interpreted the form of an official bill.This commercialization bill, Tench said, has been presented to Congress four clock now. It is similar to bills that have successfully privatized government industries like uranium production. Congress has passed the space commercialization bill all four times it has seen it. Thankfully, the White House vetoed it on all occasions. Zachary Herney has had to veto it twice.Your point?My point is that this bill is one Senator Sexton leave behind certainly support if he becomes President. I have reason to believe Sexton will have no qualms about selling off NASA assets to commercial bidders the first chance he gets. In short, your candidate would support privatization over having American tax dollars fund space exploration.To my knowledge, the senator has never commented publicly about his stance on any Space Commercialization Promotions Act.True. And yet kn owing his politics, I assume you would not be surprised if he supported it.Free-market systems tend to breed efficiency.Ill take that as a yes. Tench stared. Sadly, privatizing NASA is an abominable idea, and there are countless reasons why every White House administration since the bills bloodline has shot it down.Ive heard the arguments against privatizing space, Gabrielle said, and I understand your concerns.Do you? Tench leaned toward her. Which arguments have you heard?Gabrielle shifted uneasily. Well, the standard academic fears mostly-the most common being that if we privatize NASA, our current pursuit of scientific space knowledge would be quickly abandoned in favor of profitable ventures.True. Space science would die in a heartbeat. Instead of spending money to study our universe, private space companies would strip-mine asteroids, defecate tourist hotels in space, tolerate commercial satellite launch services. Why would private companies bother studying the origins of o ur universe when it would cost them billions and head no financial return?They wouldnt, Gabrielle countered. But certainly a National Endowment for Space apprehension could be founded to fund academic missions.We already have that system in place. Its called NASA.Gabrielle fell silent.The abandonment of science in favor of profits is a side issue, Tench said. Hardly relevant compared to the utter funny farm that would result by permitting the private sector to run free in space. We would have the wild double-u all over again. We would see pioneers staking claims on the moon and on asteroids and protecting those claims with force. Ive heard petitions from companies who want to build neon billboards that blink advertisements in the nighttime sky. Ive seen petitions from space hotels and tourist attractions whose proposed operations include ejecting their trash into the deprave of space and creating orbiting trash heaps. In fact, I just read a proposal yesterday from a company tha t wants to turn space into a mausoleum by launching the deceased into orbit. Can you imagine our telecommunications satellites colliding with stone-dead bodies? Last week, I had a billionaire CEO in my office who was petitioning to launch a mission to a show up-field asteroid, drag it closer to earth, and mine it for precious minerals. I actually had to remind this guy that dragging asteroids into near earth orbit posed potential risks of global catastrophe Ms. Ashe, I can assure you, if this bill passes, the throngs of entrepreneurs rushing into space will not be rocket scientists. They will be entrepreneurs with deep pockets and change minds.Persuasive arguments, Gabrielle said, and Im sure the senator would weigh those issues carefully if he ever found himself in a identify to vote on the bill. Might I ask what any of this has to do with me?Tenchs gaze narrowed over her cigarette. A group of people stand to make a lot of money in space, and the policy-making lobby is mounti ng to remove all restrictions and open the floodgates. The veto power of the office of the President is the besides remaining barrier against privatization against complete anarchy in space.Then I commend Zach Herney for vetoing the bill.My fear is that your candidate would not be so prudent if elected.Again, I assume the senator would carefully weigh all the issues if he were ever in a position to pass judgment on the bill.Tench did not bet entirely convinced. Do you know how much Senator Sexton spends on media advertising?The question came out of unexpended field. Those figures are public domain.More than three million a month.Gabrielle shrugged. If you say so. The figure was close.Thats a lot of money to spend.Hes got a lot of money to spend.Yes, he planned well. Or rather, married well. Tench paused to bam smoke. Its sad about his wife, Katherine. Her death hit him hard. A tragic sigh followed, clearly feigned. Her death was not all that long ago, was it?Come to your point, or Im leaving.Tench let out a lung-shaking cough and reached for the burgeoning manila folder. She pulled out a small stack of stapled papers and handed them to Gabrielle. Sextons financial records.Gabrielle studied the documents in astonishment. The records went back several years. Although Gabrielle was not privy to the internal workings of Sextons finances, she sensed this data was authentic-banking accounts, credit card accounts, loans, banal assets, real estate assets, debts, capital gains and losses. This is private data. Where did you get this?