A Conversation overheard at a gym between two guys on treadmills. One guy was dressed in a yellow shirt called Lance, and the other, rather pudgy, is called Mr. Bean.

Mr. Bean - "Did you see the space-shuttle launch today?"

Lance - "No, I never watch it, I actually think people, in space, is a big waste of money."

Mr. Bean - "Wow, don't you think thinking like that is un-American?"

Lance - "No, I just think it's a big waste of money."

Mr. Bean - "Our country has learned so much science and technology from the space program, don't you think so?"

Lance - "Well, that may have been true when we went to the moon over 40 YEARS AGO, but now… are you kidding?"

Mr. Bean - "Yeah, but it motivates young people to want to learn science and technology."

Lance - "You got me there, Mr. Bean, I mean, our high school kids are number one in science and technology amongst the industrial countries, aren't they?"

Mr. Bean - "Well, actually, we are pretty close to dead freaking last."

Lance - "Wow, you really think the best way to spend 10 to 15 billion dollars every year of our precious R and D money is on some BIG government program that just does the same thing, over and over and over again? Holy Cow, I remember we had a space-shuttle landing dorm-party back in 1984!"

Mr. Bean -   "God, you must be old Lance, but it makes me feel so proud to be an American when I see a space-shuttle launch."

Lance - "Do you remember that we already went to Mars with a robot, took pictures, and found out it's barren dust and rock."

Mr. Bean - "Wouldn't it be cool to go there again and have an American jump off the mother ship and plant the USA flag there."

Lance - "How much is that gonna cost?"

Mr. Bean - "Who cares?"

Lance - "Don't you think it's more important to put all that money into giving small and medium size technology companies investment tax credits that make microprocessors, memory chips, personal computers, mp3 and DVD players, HDTV's, biotech, nano-technology and other consumer goods that people buy?"

Mr. Bean - "No way, I just buy that stuff from Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese and Chinese companies."

Lance - "Hey, did you ever make that model of the lunar landing module when you were a kid?"

Mr. Bean - "Yeah, the one advertised in TV Guide for a dime? That was REAL COOOOL, the hardest part was to get that crinkly "gold" foil on."

Lance - "Gee wiz, you must be as old as me! 

Mr. Bean – "I'll bet you the models are made here in the good ole USA!"

Lance – "You got me there."

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Oh, by the way, Mr. Bean is a self-described libertarian who votes Republican, drones on incessantly about tax cuts and says he HATES the government.

And Lance believes that the space-shuttle, the International Space Station, a future moon base and going back to Mars is a big waste of taxpayer's dollars and is a self-described secular-progressive.  

Go Figure!!