## CBEST ESSAY - funding space programs

  
  
Hi, I took this topic from the IELTS preparation material as I was unable to find any cbest expository essay topics. I am unsure if this type of question would be asked in CBEST, but I still tried to write an essay. Do let me know if such a question would be asked or not.  
  
**Governments spend millions of dollars each year on their space programs. Most recently, Mars is the focus of scientists' attention. Some people think this money would be better spent on dealing with problems closer to home. Do you agree or disagree?**  
  
Every year a percentage of kids die due to starvation or are malnutritioned. Many old homeless people do not have any roof over their heads. There are uneducated children who are refrained from attending school because their parents can not afford the fees and many patients who-who are left to die on the bed because they are unable to pay for their treatment. These are a handful of concerns of every country that I have listed but the actual list is endless. I assume, the amount the government is spending on the space programs could help shorten the list of problems a country faces. Therefore, I advocate that money should be spent on dealing with problems closer to home before spending on other programs dealing with a massive budget.  
  
In today's times, people are killing each other in order to fill their stomachs. The rise in robberies and killings have increased because of the rising food prices and population. The farmers are committing suicide because their crops are destroyed due to natural calamities and their inability to repay the loans which in turn has resulted in the scarcity of food and rise in the prices. Causes of malnutrition and starvation is a big issue that the government should look into. The government should spend some of the money from their treasury to make sure that all families should be able to afford the basic bread and butter for their survival. The government should also offer subsidies and offer loans with low interests.  
  
We the citizens of the country are paying taxes for the betterment of the nation. We want and demand better roads and transportation facilities, best medical facilities and social security. The government should invest in taking care of the basic needs of the people and then spend the remaining budget on the space program or any other research. The government should take up initiatives and give insurance to the medical department of the country to serve the hundreds of people who are unable to pay for their treatment. Free education should be granted and qualified teachers should be enrolled in government schools to teach the students who would grow up to be successful and independent pupils. The government should invest in the research and inventions for the eradication of pollution and other deadly diseases that are the greatest concerns of the people.  
  
I believe that instead of spending on the space programme, which would not benefit any one of us at present, the government should spend on the problems and issues that the people are dealing with now. Spending on the space program is a risk because it takes years to research and it consumes a lot of money with no guaranteed results. I was taught back in school that the best government is the government for the people, by the people and of the people. The government who thinks about the people of the nation rather than the nation first is considered to be a successful government.