Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis announced a grant of $15 million to assist approximately 3,200 workers who will be impacted by the upcoming retirement of the space shuttle fleet.
The grant, announced today at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, will help workers from major aerospace contractors include ASRC Aerospace Corp., Boeing and United Space Alliance.
"During nearly three decades of continuous space shuttle flights, these dedicated and talented workers have helped move our nation and the world as a whole forward in a broad range of disciplines," Solis said.
The grant is being awarded to Brevard Workforce Development. The funds will help individuals ranging from entry-level workers to highly skilled professionals with services including career guidance assistance, job search training, resume review, skills assessment and labor market information.
It also will provide additional types of training and continuing education opportunities.
The shuttle fleet is scheduled to retire after two more missions, although a third is under consideration. With its retirement, an estimated 8,000 KSC workers could lose their jobs.
Solis said this grant is just the first step in ongoing efforts to help the workers make the transition.
Rep. Suzanne Kosmas, D-New Smyrna Beach, said, "We have to come together. We have an obligation to attract new businesses, to diversify the economy."
"We need to make sure that we are utilizing to the fullest extent the resources that we have here," she said.
Read more in Thursday's FLORIDA TODAY.
Space news and analysis from Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral 
84 comments:
Retrain to do what exactly? Even if you waste this money to retrain them, there aren't enough jobs here to place them all.
Some people haven't had a big enough dose of reality to see the gravity of the situation.
Wow - talk about a detailed plan....
I thought that Florida politicians are demanding that we separate ourselves from the government bosom. It's on the front page of this newspaper today. How can you stand there with your hands out while at the same time demanding that the state of Florida separate from the government bosom. Someone must gather the courage to confront these right wing psycho talkers and shut them up. They are not speaking for or in the interest of Floridians.
Manna from heaven.
well this admin is all about transparency and this move is pretty transparent in trying to secure FL votes while screwing over TX and other centers. Like those who operate the vehicle are any less important than the great folks who process them. both have the crew's lives in their hands.
Will it be very much like the "retraining " of the 90s when everyone was going to train on computers for the new "work" of the future?
We didnt know it meant the workers of calcutta.
What a joke, the only winner here is Brevard Workforce
Hate to be a doomsdayer, negativity purveyor, but this day and age, $15 million isn't much. Especially not for 8,000 workers who would like to be trained to make a paycheck the size of what they were used to. And after the training, will the jobs be there? Not enough info, as usual FT!
Retrain them to do what, stand in an unemployment line? There are no jobs here.
Having said that, I was fortunate to be the recipient of just such a grant after being laid off from the Cape back in 1998. I was retrained as a Network Engineer and got a job shortly afterward. However, the late '90s were a boom time for the IT industry. Not so now.
Retrained to work WHERE?
> I thought that Florida politicians are demanding that we separate ourselves from the government bosom.
Republicans want to suckle for TARP funds, oil cleanup, jobs and everything else, then turn around and complain that the fed SPENDS TOO MUCH.
You'd have to be out of your mind to deny the fossil record, so I guess this is all sort of *logic* right in sync with their mentality.
Retrain to DO what exactly? It's not like there are jobs a plently...so even if you waste this money to "retrain" them, where are they going to work?
Selective approval of posts today Mara? Censorship. Posted a comment twice and neither have been approved...and they weren't offensive posts either.
Retrain them to DO what exactly? It's not like there are jobs a plently...so even if you waste this money to "retrain" them, where are they going to work?
So they are going to "train" all of these people for what JOBS? You can go to school all day and if no one is hiring for your trade what is the point?
Surely those staunch conservative, tea party lovin', anti Kosmas & Obama, soon to be displaced, space workers won't participate in a socialist program like this...will they? And when they get laid off they won't accept money from that socialist unemployment program will they?
Why weren't they re-training themselves in the 5 years time since they knew the shuttle program was ending?
What about the rest of us poor slobs that are or will get hammered?
No Crumblettes from the Plate Of "O" ?
'Course not.
here we have a disaster in our gulf, NASA who are supported by tax dollors for many years most likely has the solution to fix the oil spill and maybe save our ocean and treasures, there are also those in private industry who have some solutions for the emergency, we look like a bunch of empty headed brainless americians to the world, use nasa technology to solve alot of problems, make those who damage our enviroment hire workers from nasa for the next 3 to 5 years to maybe save a pristine ocean called the gulf, things present themselfs as they do but it would be a win win for everyone if words were replaced with action.
Wonder what "new jobs" they are talking about. Brevard Workforce will be the only ones retaining their jobs! How nice for them!
What an absolute waste!!!!!!!! Brevard Workforce is useless. Space Florida is useless. They provide absolutely NOTHING of value to the workforce. Just another government waste of money disguised by the "we are here to help you" banner.
"Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis announced a grant of $15 million to assist approximately 3,200 workers who will be impacted by the upcoming retirement of the space shuttle fleet."
There is larger question here.... Is this fuzzy math? 3200 Workers? What about the other 4-5 thousand workers? I guess they get no help...
While I am glad to see help for all in Brevard, It seem a shame that there is NO mention of any help for displaced workers from other centers. As one that will be out of a job when the shuttle is retired, I see NO help for anyone other than in Florida. I guess that when I get my pink slip, I could move to Florida, so that I can get re-trained, and that way take advantage of some of this federal money.
Best of luck to all of you.
$15,000,000 divided by 3,200 = $46,875 per person.And we wonder why the national debt is out of control!As unfortunate as thest events are,it is a reality of life that we cycle thru the good times as well as the harder times.It is unsustainable to assist each person who is facing their time of difficulty.This is socialism at work,and it has failed miserably wherever it has been tried!!
Your only hope is tonight's Powerball at $260 Million (better odds of winning that then getting anything real from D.C.)
Too little-too late
Comes to about $1500 for each worker out of a job.
(using only 8000 workers)
You space workers better get on the ball and start training....NOW. Your high paid free ride is over, now you get too see what your surrounding community has to deal with, on a daily basis. And please stop complaining, no one wants to hear your cries. You have this grant, extended unemployment benefits, your 401K or what left it, and your last compensation package for the your years of service. WHAT TO THE JUNGLE LADIES AND GENTS. ENJOY THE RIDE!!!!!
We have severance pay coming, BUT you cannot take a job within a 50 mile radius of the Kennedy Space Center. At first this seemed like it would be a problem but since there are no jobs, even if we are retrained, guess we can use the money to buy a truck and MOVE out of Florida!
How about actually giving THE people the money these govt bureaucracies are going to waste...at least then it would do some good for somebody other than the govt.
Let's see....3200 workers ...(not to mention the other 5000-6000)...why not just divide the $15 million by 3200 and give each one the money directly? Then, they can afford to re-locate to a place where they are appreciated...or at least where jobs are actually available in their fields.
NASA = GLORIFIED SOCIAL WELFARE PROGRAM
I told you this has been a Social Welfare Program all along, the only difference is that Defense Contractors get filthy rich off of it thanks to the politicians they support.
This 15 Million is coming out of the Tax Payers Pockets many of whom never were given the opportunity to Nepotize so this Grant is also discriminatory.
Kosmas is just trying to save her backside. The KSC workforce knows she sold them out and our Human Space Flight Program for a ride on Air Force One and a photo op with Obama. She's going to be "laid off" come November.
See http://www.rv-103.com/?p=457
Ok lets do some rational thinking here. You are going to spend 15 million dollars to show someone how to write a resume, look for a job, and give them guidance. Correct me if i'm wrong but these are college educated people that are also internet savy why do we need to pay someone else to show them all of this when they can look on the internet for free. Also what are you going to train them for? Is there an abundance of jobs out there that we don't know about because if there is I know a lot of people that are still out of work. Why don't you take the money and split it up to all of brevard county residents that are out of work and give them a decent montly wage that will pay the bills, keep a roof over thier head, and food on the table until the job market actually exist again.
They have had more than enough notice that this was going to happen. When my company let 30% of the workforce go last year, employees were only given enough time to make it from the HR conference room to the front door. Where was the money to help them become employed/trained in other fields? And where are these jobs that they may apply for?
Just like a Detroit's United AutoWorker, Shuttle Workers won't find a comparable position that pays anywhere near what they are used to getting paid- especially not in Brevard County!
And NASA continues as the great Federal Legalized Welfare System for the Highly Trained. Will we pay them twice if they have to be retrained again as we do when we rolled out the shuttle over and over in bad weather. How about paying them overtime for "studying" at home too. This is the most disgisting and fraudulent use of taxpayer dollars since the last NASA contract!
Anonymous 10:33 AM - Best post today!!!
You can bet this diehard Republican/Tea Party county will suck that government funded party down in a second and call them it 'their just dues' while forgetting that the cash adds more debt.
Amazing how one persons pork is another's 'needed program'!
CONSERVATIVES won't take the Grant Money.
A True Conservative would never accept a GOVT HANDOUT.
Gord lord y'all are some serious goobers. Quit bashing the people who make good money (I'm not one of them), they pay the money that keeps your boss in business. Quit complaining about them getting some kind of help from the govt. You can't go from working on the space shuttle to a similar job. There are none. Yes, they may have known the Constellation program was ending, but NO ONE knew when and everyone had prepared for the ARES program to be here to take it's place. You just expect these people to leave everything they own and move on... where to? And have you thought about what it does to our local economy when they do? It's bad enough now with 3000 engineers who have money to spend, just imagine what it'll be like when they don't anymore.
Brevard WorkForce has been doing this for a year already. What jobs are they training for? There aren't any becuase Obama is closing down the manned space programs and depending on Russia. What a waste of tax money. Between this layoff and the oil spill we are screwed!
$15 million to retrain the space center workers? It can't possibly cost that much to train those "highly skilled" workers to run the drive thru.
Under the Space Act of 1958, NASA has had a mandate to share all the information it has gained with the public. Here are a few of the practical applications that have resulted from technologies and information learned by space scientists:
• CAT scans
• MRIs
• Kidney dialysis machines
• Heart defibrillator technology
• Remote robotic surgery
• Artificial heart pump technology
• Physical therapy machines
• Positron emission tomography
• Microwave receivers used in scans for breast cancer
• Cardiac angiography
• Monitoring neutron activity in the brain
• Cleaning techniques for hospital operating rooms
• Portable x-ray technology for neonatal offices and 3rd world countries
• Freeze-dried food
• Water purification filters
• ATM technology
• Pay at the Pump satellite technology
• Athletic shoe manufacturing technique
• Insulation barriers for autos
• Image-processing software for crash-testing automobiles
• Holographic testing of communications antennas
• Low-noise receivers
• Cordless tools
• A computer language used by businesses such as car repair shops, Kodak, hand-held computers, express mail
• Aerial reconnaissance and Earth resources mapping
• Airport baggage scanners
• Distinction between natural space objects and satellites/warheads/rockets for defense
• Satellite monitors for nuclear detonations
• Hazardous gas sensors
• Precision navigation
• Clock synchronization
• Ballistic missile guidance
• Secure communications
• Study of ozone depletion
• Climate change studies
• Monitoring of Earth-based storms such as hurricanes
• Solar collectors
• Fusion reactors
• Space-age fabrics for divers, swimmers, hazardous material workers, and others
• Teflon-coated fiberglass for roofing material
• Lightweight breathing system used by firefighters
• Atomic oxygen facility for removing unwanted material from 19th century paintings
• FDA-adopted food safety program that has reduced salmonella cases by a factor of 2
• Multispectral imaging methods used to read ancient Roman manuscripts buried by Mt. Vesuvius
Most people do not give NASA or space research high priority when they consider what the government needs to fund. However, as seen here, NASA has provided much more than just information about the universe at large, but practical applications that have saved lives, improved the quality of life, and provided high-paying jobs in the private sector. The spinoffs listed here are just a part of what NASA and others have accomplished by sharing information and technology.
Under the Space Act of 1958, NASA has had a mandate to share all the information it has gained with the public. Here are a few of the practical applications that have resulted from technologies and information learned by space scientists:
• CAT scans
• MRIs
• Kidney dialysis machines
• Heart defibrillator technology
• Remote robotic surgery
• Artificial heart pump technology
• Physical therapy machines
• Positron emission tomography
• Microwave receivers used in scans for breast cancer
• Cardiac angiography
• Monitoring neutron activity in the brain
• Cleaning techniques for hospital operating rooms
• Portable x-ray technology for neonatal offices and 3rd world countries
• Freeze-dried food
• Water purification filters
• ATM technology
• Pay at the Pump satellite technology
• Athletic shoe manufacturing technique
• Insulation barriers for autos
• Image-processing software for crash-testing automobiles
• Holographic testing of communications antennas
• Low-noise receivers
• Cordless tools
• A computer language used by businesses such as car repair shops, Kodak, hand-held computers, express mail
• Aerial reconnaissance and Earth resources mapping
• Airport baggage scanners
• Distinction between natural space objects and satellites/warheads/rockets for defense
• Satellite monitors for nuclear detonations
• Hazardous gas sensors
• Precision navigation
• Clock synchronization
• Ballistic missile guidance
• Secure communications
• Study of ozone depletion
• Climate change studies
• Monitoring of Earth-based storms such as hurricanes
• Solar collectors
• Fusion reactors
• Space-age fabrics for divers, swimmers, hazardous material workers, and others
• Teflon-coated fiberglass for roofing material
• Lightweight breathing system used by firefighters
• Atomic oxygen facility for removing unwanted material from 19th century paintings
• FDA-adopted food safety program that has reduced salmonella cases by a factor of 2
• Multispectral imaging methods used to read ancient Roman manuscripts buried by Mt. Vesuvius
Most people do not give NASA or space research high priority when they consider what the government needs to fund. However, as seen here, NASA has provided much more than just information about the universe at large, but practical applications that have saved lives, improved the quality of life, and provided high-paying jobs in the private sector. The spinoffs listed here are just a part of what NASA and others have accomplished by sharing information and technology.
Hey what about the 32000 that are out of work now that need to find a job or need to retrain to find a job. Why do they give this group of people this kind of assistance and leave the rest of us out to dry.
Brevard Workforce is a joke. They have seminars for 20 people at time and then don't offer them again for months. BWF has teamed with "Monster.com" which is free to the whole world to teach KSC workers how to look for a job. There will be no jobs to retrain for. Let's just divide the money between the effected employees. That will allow them to still shop at Winn Dixie and put gas in their cars while driving to the unemployment office to collect their checks.
This is Obama's agenda straight from the heart. "destroy america, and put every one on welfare, or some form of government aid". SOCIALISM AT IT'S BEST!!! Good luck space workers, hope you saved your money. Your going to need it!!!!
I've been unemployed for 19 months with three-year-old twins. Can I tap into this?
My calculator shows $15,000,000 divided by 3200 is only $4687 per worker. Hmmm ....
They tried this with steelworkers back in the late 80s, early 90s. Didn't work for them, either.
They set up the same program in Calif. People went to school but when they graduated there was no jobs to get. The company and management is the only one that benifits. They act like they really care but that is crap.The real workers on the floor will suffer more. They are the last on the food chain and most are retiring age.No medical no job.Been there done that.
Yes, the President really cares about Central Florida. After Katrina Bush pledged $200,000,000,000 to a largely Democratic area. We get 15,000,000. For those that don't count you will notice Obama's number is a lot smaller. Guess we know what we're worth to him.
What a F'ing joke this administration is... they think throwing money at this makes up for live devoted to this program, they think money buys everything... we need jobs to go to idiots... there is nothing anywhere in the country.. the entire economy is about to collapse under its own weight..
I love NASA and the shuttle program and highly respect all these workers, but this just burns my butt. Like I said, I have been unemployed for 19 months, and I've done everything I can do to find a job. There are programs in my crap-stinking home state of Connecticut to help me, but I have to be delinquent on my mortage for 60 days to qualify. So in essence, I am being punished for being responsible in keeping up with my bills in any way I can find, and only way to get help is to ruin my credit. And then I hear about something like this.
It just burns my arse.
What about all the other people in brevard that don't get free training.... typical government waste. KSC is the country's largest adult daycare. Grow up and get jobs like the rest of us. People hurting all over this county and they don't get squat!
Waste of money for the KSC cry babies once again. What about the rest of the people who are out of work. They don't get free training. Stop crying and get in line with the rest of the normal workforce... your free ride is over!
Let the space workers hang.......they are not special. Job losses are a part of life in this day and age.
When will it ever stop. These Shuttle workers have known for months that they need to sharpen up their resumes. I lost my job last year and it took me 8 months to find a new one but I did. (Yes, Brevard Work Force played a part in it and thanks to them) throwing money at these people is not going to do anything for them. They knew what was coming and if they thought sitting around crying the blues and poor ol me is any excuse they deserve to be unemployed. Suck it up and reinvent yourself. I did and so can they.
My calculator also comes up w/$4,687.50 per person! I have to agree w/the earlier post and its conclusion that this federal taxpapyer handout represents socialism and indeed is troubling!! It clearly is NOT sustainable!!Anytime we accept this kind of forced giveaway of others' earned income makes the person on the receiving end a part of the overall problem.If we conclude that it's O.K. if I benefit this time around,then I have helped establish the precedent that each of 200+ million Americans have the same "entitlement" now and in the future(this equation makes even "$46,875" pale in comparison).If we want change for the better,it has to start w/ME,and not the 'other' person.I find socialism far more troubling than the cancellation of any program of any description.
You want the rest of us out of work people to pay to retrain people from KSC. How does anyone think this is fair?
Hope and Change . Yobama has to give all the Guvment cheese to Acorn . What Space program ? Suckers
So the engineers and technicians are going to want to stay here and retrain into the health field? I doubt it.
What about the rest of the space coast that is just as affected by this? Any help there? Guess not.
Kosmas is a TOTAL sell-out !
Why couldn't she be more like Posey and NOT be present for this pony show and stand up AGAINST it.
Stand up for Constellation, don't be Obama's "yes man"
That is all Kosmas is...
When she and Nelson got off Air Force one together I knew he had swayed them both. They both have no backbone in standing up against his plan to nowhere.
15 million to help us find jobs where???????
They say the private local industry. GUESS WHAT, when the space shuttle workers lose their jobs so do people in the private local economy..... DUH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Those people will need economic help too and need jobs. They won't be hiring, don't these people know this???
This is a JOKE.
Why so much hate?
Just gonna piss everyone else off at the NASA people because they are getting special attention and everyone else is left to fend for themselves with unemployment. They are already getting 1/2 a years salary and $50,000 what next are we going to pay for their houses and cars? I understand it is going to hurt our economy when NASA closes but do you think using our resources to retrain highly intellegent people who have outstanding resume's is a good use of our money? Just give them to money and move on, don't insult them with acting like they need some lady with a high school education to help them write thier resume.
The TV report said Brevard Workforce will get half the money now. It is only used to pay the employer to pay the employee during the first two weeks a KSC retread is on the job getting 'trained'.
If it is a job that only takes two weeks to get trained, it isn't going to be a good replacement for a KSC job.
Hey, maybe it is to hire more people for Workforce Brevard to keep track of all the employers training, training employees, and all those bank accounts.
I wonder who Ms. Kosmas told them to hire for Workforce?
Copy/Pasted this from wftv.com article
The grant is in addition to $40 million in aid to retrain workers that President Barack Obama promised when he visited Kennedy Space Center in April.
So it's a total of $55 million!!!!! Why so much love for KSC workers but all other's given the cold shoulder. They're union so they should have been saving up a large nest egg with their inflated salaries for times like these!
Not hate - just a ridiculous notion that these 8000 people can be retrained so they can stay in this area to take over the jobs the rest of space coast will lose because of the space program retirement.
Kosmos in 2010 and Nelson in 2012, you're fired !!! Better get some training yourselves, but don't rely on the joke of Brevard Workforce.
I think its ridiculous that NASA workers are getting this money, why can't they just be laid off and fend for themselves like everyone else? Why do they get special treatment just because they work for the government? Any worker who takes this money and complains about socialism is a total hypocrite in my book.
Come on...Really?!?!? $15 million to help them write a resume or get job training? Didn't they have a resume already together when they got a job there? Also, I think it is safe to assume a good portion of the people loosing their jobs are engineers and rocket scientist's....what kind of training are we going to give them? They should start learning Chinese.
People will never be happy. If we didnt get the money they would complain. It not going here its not going here. Brevard Workforce centers work very on a daily basis to help all industries. It kills me to know that no matter what we do noone will ever be content. Not enough money, too much. Of course we would want money to help the ALL otherindustries. we do the work and are stuck in the middle of the political bs. We dont get raises for the work we do, we have to help and train people that knew this program would eventually end. To include the fact the KSC screws up calucation of average wages in Brevard County. Lets put that money into creation of jobs, teach people to plan better for their lives and fricking stop complaining. You want to remove gov't but will be more than happy to receive that money.....whatever. How about a thank you to the front line staff who bust their behinds everyday. We are not perfect but we are dealing with the effects of the lack of jobs and enconomy.
President Obama, current Democrats/Republicans will need to be retrained!
It is a great shame how the federal government treats a successful Space Shuttle program and skilled employees.
Vote out all politicians who will not extend the Space Shuttle program to 2016 and not continue the Ares Program.
Eliminate the incompetent politicians!
I wish yall had the balls God gave you, represent yourself. All of this "Anonymous said" crap...I for one have been a lucky recipient some of this money, and you damn well better believe that I DO NOT SUPPORT the current President of the United States of America, but if he wants to give out free money ( and yes it is free ), I will take it with a smile on my face, and use it to do some good in OUR community. Should the be giving us the money, ?? MAybe, maybe not. nevertheless, it is there and being handed out. So : )~~~~
Okay, how much is Brevard Workforce going to skim off the top to add a new level of mangement and support staff, to purchase mahogany desks and conference tables, to hang more framed inspirational posters on the walls? I have first hand knowledge of the waste of taxpayer dollars by this privatized agency.They fudge their job placement numbers by claimg credit for the new hires report mandated from employers by unemployment compensation law. When a person files an unemployment claim they are automatically registered with a job-link office as I job seeker. Then by using social security numbers if an employer reports them as hired, they take credit for the job placement. The majority of these people have never entered a "job link" office and have never received any service from its staff of many employees. Wow Brevard Workforce had no idea Nasa's funding was going to be cut? How many "team meetings" (their buzzword) did they hold? OMG I just remembered when they sent each and every employee to BCC in Melbourne to do trust building exercises like falling backwords and hoping your team mates caught you. How about buying Joblink polo shirts for each and every employee to wear to those touchy feely excursions. The employees had to be reimbursed for their gas mileage costs. Okay, I'm sorry I got started. I could go on, but I'll stop. I agree way too late and certainy not the right privatized agency to be guarding the hen house. You may now return to your regularly schedulded program.
Brevard workforce stinks it's the worst. Their all talk and no action. Go ahead KSC workers get retrained, but when it comes to finding a job, don't count on Brevard workforce to help you out. Look at company websites or through careerbuilder, or even monster.com. But Brevard workforce really STINKS, they promise everything and deliver nothing. PAY ATTENTION IT'S THE TRUTH!!!! And I just gave it to you for free.
Will there be a bail out for the massive amount of teachers laid off next year, after stimulus money dies out???
What about the rest of us? I'd love some quality job training for free. And if the 'high paid professionals' at the space center need job training and resume writing help, then I must be missing something.
Unfortunately, many of the $80,000 per year secretaries will be unlikely to find $80,000 per year employment off KSC. Same for the $70,000 per year forklift operators and $60,000 per year janitors. Actually, the janitors probably stand the best chance!
The available retraining money can be used for college course (including graduate courses), and professional certification training programs (one example: search the Internet for CISSP). Those who think the funds are only used for helping people develop resumes or similar basic activities are uninformed and have not reviewed the details of the aerospace worker transition program.
Contrary to the postings from those who seem to like to generate spam without performing any factual research, jobs do exist locally, although they might not be in plentiful supply.
Information Security is one field with a shortage of skilled professionals. Many KSC workers can be retrained to work in this field, and quite a few already have directly transferrable experience. Harris, Raytheon, DynCorp, and other companies with operations in Brevard have had some IT Security openings in recent months. These companies also have similar openings around the nation. There are a number of companies in the UCF Research Park area with openings for professionals capable of supporting Simulation and Training programs, and Information Security related efforts. This information is well publicized and widely available to anyone capable of performing even the most basic of searches on the Internet.
Instead of dumping some of our nation’s most highly skilled people on the street, we should be proactively finding more ways to recapture their skills – not just at KSC, but around the country. Some who have posted some of the negative, and apparently uninformed junk showing up on this forum today might want to read stories like the following:
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0903/02chinastation/
While some people sit around and debate the value of retraining highly skilled and well educated people in our own nation, some other countries are forging ahead in many areas.
For those who post nonsense on this forum, I urge you to spend your time and energy “beating” on the doors of our elected officials in D.C. The squeaky wheel gets the grease is more than a saying. It gets results, whether you want to believe it, or not. Relentlessly call, write, fax, and email all elected officials, not just the ones from your own district. Spamming this forum with uninformed negativity is a waste of time, and counterproductive to changing anything.
HOW MANY YEARS HAVE THE SPACE WORKERS KNOWN THAT THE SPACE SHUTTLE PROGRAM WAS GOING TO END????!!!!!!!!! Give me a break! At least they knew that their jobs were going to be ending. It must be nice to have a warning that your job is going to end in a "few years." Unlike teachers that get laid off left and right, at the end of the year, with NO notice. Do they get $15 million to help them get new degrees, resume perk ups, new ideas for career moves??? NO, just a notice that there is no money in the budget to keep you anymore and "have a fun summer looking for another job to support your family." Where have our priorities gone??
In response to this comment:
"Under the Space Act of 1958, NASA has had a mandate to share all the information it has gained with the public. Here are a few of the practical applications that have resulted from technologies and information learned by space scientists....and then a list of of the practical applications...."
AND WHO TAUGHT THESE SPACE SCIENTISTS???? teachers...let's not forget. Let's keep investing in EDUCATION to continue these wonderful practical applications.
Sounds like a $15 million dollar grant to BCC to come up with a "retraining" program. Been there done that When McDonnell Douglas closed the Titusville plant. 3200 former KSC employees retrained as AC mechanics
Well teachers, do not keep this space coast alive.. a lot of you see this as them retraining them and u are boo-hooing because u dont get anything, BUT THIS IS NOT TRUE.. if ppl have a job there, and there is something to see, and do. We will have visitors.. Nasa is our bloodline to this whole crappy area.. and i dont know how ppl say it took a year to find a job, i know there are jobs i do not want to do but would if i was lacking a job. mcdonalds is always hiring.
NOTHING LIKE APPLYING A BAND AID WHEN A TOURNIQUET IS NEEDED.
Am I missing something. The article says the money will be given to Brevard Workforce to help people find jobs. NOT given to government employees. By the way, MOST of these people loosing their jobs are NOT government employees. They work for a private company just like you and me! I would think anything that supports unemployment in Brevard County would be welcome. I would think anything that helps keep money in Brevard County would be welcome. Remember, all these people loosing jobs will have an affect on area business as well as area tourism. All costing Brevard County! It's NOT about government employees getting some benefit that seems unfair....it's about our economy suffering further.
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