When Ronald Reagan first proposed the International Space Station, it was supposed to cost $8 billion.

The total cost of the International Space Station, now nearly complete, is estimated to approach $100 billion.

We got decades of research, employment, frontier innovation and inspiration for generations of young people all over the world for that money.

Compare that to $185 billion Bush spent last fall, without much fanfare and questions, on AIG, and AIG is nowhere near assured survival.

Where did we get more bang for the buck?