Brownsville Mayor Tony Martinez asked Elon Musk – the billionaire owner of SpaceX – what he saw when he looked out at the water off Boca Chica Beach.
"The future," Martinez said that Musk had answered.
But Martinez didn't hear the rest of what Musk said that day.
"The future...$35 million in public subsidies," Musk finished.
By Juan Montoya
Well, the future – according to Musk and Martinez – is here.
The billionaire whiz-kid who appropriated Pay Pal and hawks Tesla electric cars as the mode of transportation of the future is now getting the first down payment of the loot promised by the state.
News reports indicate that SpaceX will receive a $2.6 million grant from the Cameron County Spaceport Development Corporation after the board received its first disbursement from the Office of the Governor last week.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
The funds come from the State Spaceport Trust Fund Account and are the first installment of a $13 million allocation (see graphic at right). Nearly everyone and their uncle has jumped aboard the SpaceX bandwagon to throw millions at the billionaire.
Clik here to view.
The funds come from the State Spaceport Trust Fund Account and are the first installment of a $13 million allocation (see graphic at right). Nearly everyone and their uncle has jumped aboard the SpaceX bandwagon to throw millions at the billionaire.Everyone – from Cameron County Parks to the University of Texas System, and even the Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation – has pitched in to help the valiant efforts of Musk to push back the frontiers of ignorance and economic injustice.
The Brownsville-South Padre Island International Airport is pegging the lengthening of the city airport runways to accommodate the envisioned coming of large freight and aircraft to service the SpaceX facility. Cameron County is spending millions to construct an amphitheater at Isla Blanca Park so the millions of tourists can see the satellite launches. UTRGV-TSC has already tailored its courses to begin training aerospace engineers and and the Brownsville Independent School District has fashioned a space-based curriculum to start educating the future astronauts who will take off from Boca Chica Beach for Mars and beyond as the huckster billionaire has promised.
Perhaps this is what poor cash-strapped Musk was waiting for before he started construction of what has been hailed as the first commercial vertical launch facility in the United States.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.So far, only a mound of dirt rumored to have been the base of an ancient Olmec pyramid is visible at the Boca Chica site. That was later proven to be a hoax propagated by a certain Dr. G.F. McHale-Scully. But it all may be wishing upon a star. Remember when Martinez, Rene Oliveira and Eddie Lucio Jr. jumped aboard the Musk-SpaceX bandwagon and heralded its coming as the next best thing to rapture? The Brownsville Economic Development Council fell over itself telling us about the 600 well-paying jobs it would bring to Brownsville. Even McAllen and Harlingen chipped in to get a piece of the on the rocket man's dream.
Clik here to view.
So far, only a mound of dirt rumored to have been the base of an ancient Olmec pyramid is visible at the Boca Chica site. That was later proven to be a hoax propagated by a certain Dr. G.F. McHale-Scully. But it all may be wishing upon a star. Remember when Martinez, Rene Oliveira and Eddie Lucio Jr. jumped aboard the Musk-SpaceX bandwagon and heralded its coming as the next best thing to rapture? The Brownsville Economic Development Council fell over itself telling us about the 600 well-paying jobs it would bring to Brownsville. Even McAllen and Harlingen chipped in to get a piece of the on the rocket man's dream.And what have we gotten after all that? This is the timetable that Musk promised when he brought his show to town. Not 600, not 500, not even 400 jobs, but 250 (part time) jobs after the shooting got going. This is what he told the U.S. government he was going to bring.
Table 2.1-2. Personnel for Proposed SpaceX Texas Launch Site Operations
Year Full-time SpaceX Full-time SpaceX Employees/Contractors Employees/Contractors plus
Working On-Site Additional Local/Transient Workers
during Launch Campaigns
Year Full time Local/Transient
2013 30 130
2014 75 175
2015 100 200
2016 100 200
2017 110 210
2018 130 230
2019 150 250
2020 150 250
2021 150 250
2022 150 250
Well, it's 2017 and five years into the "plan" already and the only thing out at Boca Chica are mounds of dirt. There are no jobs. There are no rocket launches. Maybe if we give it a couple more years something will happen.
Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño, who came late into the give-the-billionaire-what-he-wants game made up for it when he told the Brownsville Herald:
“I have been working diligently since taking office last November to get these funds distributed to the Spaceport Board and to SpaceX. I am thankful for the coordination at the state level and for the Spaceport Corporation receiving and disbursing the funds,” Treviño said.