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brauti t1_ivrsj75 wrote

While I am excited for Uganda to join in space projects I can't help but feel there is major infrastructure that the 2.2 million USD could have gone towards. The capital Kampala recently had a cholera outbreak no more than 3 years ago and the country is receiving heavy international aid for water and sanitation projects. The World Bank alone provided 135 million to the Uganda Water Management and Development Project, along with other donors. Seven of the 47 million citizens still lack access to safe water and 28 million do not have access to improved sanitation facilities. While the 2.2mil is insignificant in the 12.7 billion dollar federal budget (48.1 trillion Ushs= 12.7 billion USD), and their economy is having a promising trend, I'm having trouble feeling like this is an expenditure they can afford

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JettisonGamer t1_ivs6cin wrote

Investing in biotech leads to innovations which can be used and sold off. It’s a simple solution to complicated problems. Starvation on a national level has no easy fix of ‘just throw money at it’. And I am all for making sure the most needy get a healthy chance at life. But fiscally, I rather that large money come from selling creations and discoveries made by the home nation than by stripping other public help of their already meager coffers.

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SmokierTrout t1_ivsm8ip wrote

You said it yourself. This 2.2 million is a tiny part of the Ugandan budget. And that the Ugandan economy is growing quickly. I think they can afford to spend a small amount on science and technology. Especially as it will help to drive education and economic growth, which leads to more tax receipts, which in turn can lead to more spending on key infrastructure (like sanitation).

Developed countries have their own problems with health, education and poverty. It'd be hypocritical not to suggest that they could ill afford to spend money on science and technology too.

One in six people in the US received food assistance from the charitable food sector in 2021. Maybe the USA can't afford to spend $25 billion on NASA?

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