The California Coastal Commission on Thursday rejected an Air Force plan to give SpaceX permission to launch up to 50 rockets a year from Vandenberg Air Force Base in Santa Barbara County.
“Elon Musk flies around the country spewing and tweeting political falsehoods and attacking FEMA while offering free access to Starlink to hurricane victims,” Secretary Gretchen Newsom said at a meeting in San Diego. “We’re saying we want to provide it,” he said.
The agency’s commissioners, appointed by the governor and legislative leaders, want all SpaceX launches to be considered military activities and not require independent permits, even if the military payload is a spacecraft. The Air Force’s plan was rejected 6-4, citing concerns that it would It’s not being carried.
A message from Alex Nieves. ”California officials cite Elon Musk’s politics in denying SpaceX launch,” politikoOctober 10, 2024.
I think the public choice model of government employee behavior provides insight. One insight is that officials pursue their own interests, which are often independent of the more general interests of the public. Politicians often try to embellish their actions in the language of the public good or the common good, anticipating this criticism primarily from ordinary citizens rather than from economists.
But sometimes the mask slips off. Gretchen Newsom just took off her mask. Take note of her statement. This is a list of her grievances against Elon Musk. Ask yourself if there’s any connection between these three complaints, and if it’s a good idea to have Musk fire rockets from Vandenberg.
