Romney Campaign Press Release - Newt Promised Floridians the Moon - Will He Promise Stardust for Nevadans?

"Newt Gingrich has made expensive promises in every early-voting state. This shouldn't come as a surprise — it is exactly what he did as Speaker, handing out earmarks as political favors. It's just more politics as usual and fiscal recklessness from a Washington insider. Expensive and empty promises won't help Nevadans who are suffering under dire economic conditions." —Ryan Williams, Romney Campaign Spokesman

Candidate Gingrich Promised Florida the Moon:

In Florida, Speaker Gingrich Promised To Establish A Permanent Colony On The Moon — Playing To The State's Space Coast. "Newt Gingrich told a cheering crowd along Florida's Space Coast late Wednesday that he would establish a permanent colony on the moon, and develop a spacecraft that can get to Mars, by the end of his second term as president. Gingrich, who has long held a fascination with space exploration and has talked extensively about further missions to the moon, Mars and beyond, committed for the first time to pushing aggressively for such programs if he wins the White House." (Amy Gardner, "Gingrich Pledges Moon Colony During Presidency," The Washington Post, 1/25/12)

Gingrich's Plan For A Moon Colony Could Ultimately Cost Half A Trillion Dollars. "In 2004, when President George W. Bush introduced a space exploration initiative that aimed to establish a base on the moon costs were projected to be about $100 billion through 2020. President Obama, however, canceled the mission in 2010, because it was running behind schedule and was costing too much money. ... John Logsdon, professor emeritus at George Washington University and founder of the school's Space Policy Institute ... says a similar mission today could cost somewhere between $250 billion to $500 billion." (Blake Ellis, "Newt's Moon Colony: What Would It Cost?" CNN, 1/30/12)

National Journal: "A Gingrich Administration Could Be Expensive." "Newt Gingrich has branded himself a visionary politician since his days in Congress and prides himself on his grand — some would say even grandiose — ideas for transforming the nation. That propensity to think big extends to all parts of his presidential platform, from tax reform to the space race, and occasionally puts him at odds with his party's resolve to slash government spending. ... Gingrich has said he would only use 10 percent of NASA's total budget to create prizes and other incentives to spur private-sector space innovation. That would amount to about $1.8 billion a year of taxpayer dollars if the NASA budget remained at its current levels." (Naureen Khan and Julia Edwards, "A Gingrich Administration Could Be Expensive," National Journal, 1/31/12)

Suffering From Dire Economic Conditions, Nevadans Need Real Solutions — Not Moon-Shot Promises:

Nevada's Unemployment Rate Is 12.6%, Highest Among The States. Nevada's unemployment rate in December 2011 stood at 12.6%, highest among the 50 states and far above the national rate of 8.5%. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, 1/31/12)

Almost 60% Of Nevada's Mortgaged Homes Are Underwater. "Nevada has the highest negative equity percentage with 58 percent of all of its mortgaged properties underwater, followed by Arizona (47 percent), Florida (44 percent), Michigan (35 percent) and Georgia (30 percent)." ("Q3 2011 Negative Equity By State," CoreLogic, 11/29/11)