Here's a letter that I sent today to the Washington Post:
While I share Charles
Krauthammer's admiration for the scientific brilliance that put men on
the moon and returned them safely to the earth, I disagree that "the
wonder and glory" of manned lunar exploration is a sufficient reason
for Uncle Sam to again undertake such missions ("The Moon We Left
Behind," July 17).Such "wonder and glory" is funded with money
forcibly taken from taxpayers. This process inspires no awe and is
decidedly inglorious. Moreover, achievements even more wondrous and
glorious than moon shots surround us daily - for example, New York City
is fed day in, day out, without fail. Millions of people from around
the world work to grow, process, warehouse, deliver, cook, and serve
food so that eight million New Yorkers eat well each day. No one plans
this wondrous achievement, and no one is forced to contribute toward
its realization. It's the happy result of hundreds of millions of
persons peacefully pursuing their own self-interests within markets.Is a
moon shot really as wondrous as the intricate coordination of the plans
and actions of these countless suppliers and consumers? Is putting a
human being on the moon really as glorious as the fact that hunger has
been all but eliminated everywhere that markets operate?Sincerely,Donald J. Boudreaux 
