Endi 2011 / Daniel/Jason/Kevin/Marc/MiHe/Parth/Simrun


U – US-Canadian Relations High Now



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U – US-Canadian Relations High Now


US-Canada Relations are high/good now.

Ek & Fergusson 2010 – (Carl Ek - Specialist in International Relations, Ian F. Fergusson - Specialist in International Trade and Finance, “Canada-U.S. Relations,” September 3, 2010, http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/96-397.pdf, pg.2 & pg.7, K.C.)

Relations between the United States and Canada, though generally close, have undergone changes in tenor over the past three decades. During the 1980s, the two countries generally enjoyed very good relations. The early 1990s brought new governments to Ottawa and Washington, and although Canada’s Liberal Party emphasized its determination to act independently of the United States when necessary, relations continued to be cordial. In early 2006, a minority Conservative government assumed power in Ottawa. It was regarded as being more philosophically in tune with the George W. Bush Administration than the Liberals were; some observers believe that this compatibility helped facilitate bilateral cooperation. The election of President Obama November 2008 signaled a new chapter in U.S.-Canada relations; unlike President Bush, Obama is quite popular in Canada. The two North American countries continue to cooperate widely in international security and political issues, both bilaterally and through numerous international organizations. Canada’s foreign and defense policies are usually in harmony with those of the United States. Areas of contention have been relatively few, but sometimes sharp, as was the case in policy toward Iraq. Since September 11, the United States and Canada have cooperated extensively on efforts to strengthen border security and to combat terrorism, particularly in Afghanistan. The United States and Canada maintain the world’s largest bilateral trading relationship, one that has been strengthened over the past two decades by the approval of two bilateral free trade agreements. Although commercial disputes may not be quite as prominent now as they have been in the past, the two countries in recent years have engaged in difficult negotiations over items in several trade sectors, including natural resources, agricultural commodities, and the cultural/entertainment industry. The most recent dispute has centered around the Buy America provision of the 2009 economic stimulus law. However, these disputes affect but a small percentage of the total goods and services exchanged. In recent years, energy has increasingly emerged as a key component of the trade relationship. In addition, the United States and Canada work together closely on environmental matters, including monitoring air quality and solid waste transfers, and protecting and maintaining the quality of border waterways. Many Members of Congress follow U.S.-Canada environmental, trade, and transborder issues that affect their states and districts. In addition, because the countries are similar in many ways, lawmakers in both countries study solutions proposed across the border to such issues as federal fiscal policy and federal-provincial power sharing. The election of Barack Obama in November 2008 signaled a new chapter in U.S.-Canada relations. Unlike President Bush, Obama has been quite popular in Canada—a January 2009 public opinion poll put the new American president’s approval rating in Canada at 86%. Some believe that this favorable view may be facilitating the Harper government’s cooperative efforts with the United States. In addition, although Harper has a somewhat more conservative orientation than Obama, both leaders are pragmatic in their approach to solving public policy problems, and observers believe the bilateral relationship will continue to be collaborative and productive. On February 19, 2009, renewing a tradition broken in 2001 by President Bush, Obama made Canada his first official foreign visit. He and Harper focused on trade, climate change, and Afghanistan, among other issues; in September 2009, Harper met with Obama at the White House. Polls conducted in September 2009 and January 2010 showed that Obama enjoyed continued popularity among Canadians.

IL – Tradeoff


Webb Telescope under pressure – new spending trades off

Space Ref 7/12 – (Space Ref, “Statement by The Planetary Society before the committee of science, space, and technology hearing: A Review of the NASA’s Space Launch System, July 12, 2011, http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=37689) mihe

The Planetary Society, founded in 1980 by Carl Sagan, Bruce Murray, and Louis Friedman, inspires and involves the world's public in space exploration through advocacy, projects, and education. Today, the Planetary Society is headed by science educator Bill Nye and is the largest and most influential public space organization on Earth with 40,000 current members and a worldwide community of over 100,000. Dedicated to exploring the Solar System, understanding other worlds, and seeking life beyond Earth, the Planetary Society is non-governmental and nonprofit and is funded by the support of its members. We are pleased to submit this statement for consideration by your committee. The Planetary Society believes that a strong and vibrant space exploration program is critically important to the nation, and to all humankind. Space exploration makes fundamental contributions to science, to our understanding of the cosmos, and helps answer deep questions about how our world came to be, whether life exists elsewhere, and what our destiny may be. Space exploration is also a potent symbol of optimism, achievement, and inspiration that lifts the human spirit and challenges us all to do better. The Planetary Society, however, is deeply troubled with the direction the agency is headed in and the wrong-headed decisions that are driving the human spaceflight program into the ground. The Planetary Society members are irate at the current state of the space program and believe a course correction is needed now. Several thousand Planetary Society members--and more to come--are taking a stand and objecting to the current direction by sending petitions to Washington to call on Congress to restore the future of the space program and to put it on a sustainable track to advance science, technology, and space exploration. We are particularly upset with the recent cuts to NASA funding proposed by the House Appropriations Committee. While we all recognize the fiscal and economic challenges the nation faces, we believe the proposed cuts reflect perverse priorities and too far reaching, in particular the proposed termination of the James Webb Space Telescope and cuts to EarthScience. Most disturbing is that cuts to world-class science are being used to pay for increases to develop a new rocket--the Space Launch System (SLS)-- that has no mission goals, that NASA cannot afford to build, cannot sustain, and will not advance exploration. With the intense fiscal pressure facing all agencies, NASA should focus on making the most efficient use of the money allocated to it. This means setting priorities and making decisions based on merit and readiness. It will be painful, but it is necessary. Most importantly, it is time to put wasteful programs aside, such as the SLS. We can no longer afford it, and it's an abuse of the agency's mission. The Space Launch System will fail without clear mission goals - wasting Billions



The Appropriations Committee approves the fiscal year 2012 commerce, justice, and science appropriations bill and NASA budget is cut.

Space-travel.com 7/15 – (Staff writers, “Appropriations Committee Approves the Fiscal Year 2012 Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Bill,” July 15, 2011, http://www.space-travel.com/reports/Appropriations_Committee_Approves_the_Fiscal_Year_2012_Commerce_Justice_Science_Appropriations_Bill_999.html, K.C)

The House Appropriations Committee today approved the fiscal year 2012 Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) Appropriations bill, which provides annual funding for the Departments of Commerce and Justice, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and other related agencies. In total, the legislation contains $50.2 billion in funding. This is a reduction of $3.1 billion or 6% below last year's level, and $7.4 billion or 13% below the President's request for these programs. This amount is also 3% below the pre-stimulus, pre-bailout level of 2008. "This important bill funds a wide range of programs that deal with everything from trade to law enforcement to scientific research. But faced with record-high deficits, we have to rein in spending and prioritize what is most important - what would have the greatest benefits for American taxpayers and businesses to promote economic growth and job creation. Most of these cuts were not easy - but they were certainly not made carelessly," House Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers said. "This bill represents our best take on matching needs with scarce resources. It achieves our spending reduction goals while at the same time investing in core priorities like national security and American competitiveness, and contains critical investments in export promotion, manufacturing and a number of new job creation initiatives," CJS Subcommittee Chairman Frank Wolf said.


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