Last year Dona Ana County in New Mexico voted for an increased tax to help build a new spaceport in the middle of nowhere, New Mexico. Now it's time for Sierra County, including the town of Truth or Consequences, to take a vote. The county will vote on a 0.25% sales tax to help fund the construction of the spaceport. If the tax passes in Sierra County, then the government can legally begin collecting the spaceport tax. Apparently New Mexico tax districts are multi-county groupings. The new tax proposal has generated some news coverage by promoting contention between people who want the spaceport and people who don't want to pay the tax. A pretty common protagonist-antagonist match-up in the papers.

Here's my twenty-five cents on the subject. According to the article, the spaceport will be built, operated, and maintained by 'government entities'. The article does not say who will own the spaceport, which is a big deal in my opinion. Once the spaceport is built, it will *could* become the home of Virgin Galatic's fleet of sub-orbital vehicles. Although Virgin Galactic was looking at other locations closer to Europe last fall. The spaceport could also operate for other space faring ventures such as UP Aerospace's 'commercial payloads'. I assume that commercial payloads means satellites.

With a few caveats it seems that Spaceport America will be a financial boon to the area of south central New Mexico. Given the spaceport's location near America's west coast and near Los Alamos and Colorado Springs plus the likely venture with Virgin Galactic this should be a successful venture. As a successful venture it is likely to bring a number high paying jobs to the area of south central New Mexico, plus associated real estate sales and increases in price ... real estate price increases which are not always good for all people. But in general it will help the area be more economically sound than it is currently. New Mexico is one of America's poorest states. This particular area of New Mexico is a bunch of nothing. It's dry dirt and cattle ranches. They have nothing economically to lose, although a spaceport in the region will create a spectacular divide between the space economy and the local economy.

But who is going to own it? Do the people who invested their money own it? Or will the people's money be shuffled into private pockets? Is this tax money going to be spent on infrastructure or the building itself? The article doesn't say. The idea of having public money gathered for the wealth of corporations disturbs me. The usual line by the bureaucrats who propose idea like this is that the people of the area will benefit from better jobs and services. But the fact is that governments are collecting investment money for a large corporation and not retaining any ownership for the people who are putting up this investment money. Corporations should look for traditional, private, investment capital in ventures such as these. If the 'government entities', and thereby the people of New Mexico will retain ownership of the spaceport then this point is completely, totally mute.

If it was me living in Truth or Consequences I would vote for the 0.25% sales tax. But, I am a computer programmer and space fan who would likely benefit more or less directly from a high tech facility in my backyard. Also 0.25% is not going to amount to much money from my pockets... given that I don't buy many goods. But I would really want to know where my money was going, too. If I was a rancher...or a ranch hand... well I might not think this is such a great shake.

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