THE MARTIAN PLAN“Against stupidity, the Gods themselves contend in vain.”…..Schiller, 1759-1805Designer Diseases brought almost the entire globe down into barbarism. Past outbreaks of plague prove that is not an impossible scenario. The Martian Plan attempts to bring the resources of space to bear to rebuild civilization. Speculative fiction pits what is against what might be, and a permanent presence in space is essential, because virtually every earthly challenge can be overcome with the unlimited resources of our solar system. Although the cost of opening orbital space represents a small fraction of what is spent on ‘Entitlements’, myopic political ambition deprives us of that fundamental survival strategy. The resources of space would inevitably change the age-old paradigm of a world of scarcity to one of unlimited pollution free plenty. Political opportunists refuse to provide the necessary funding because they see no voters in space for their immediate ambitions.This story will be controversial. Unconventional thinking always is. Humanity is always at risk, ask the dinosaurs, and another Extinction Level Event is inevitable, only a matter of time. Worldwide competition for scarce resources always leads to warfare and ecological pollution that ravage earth. Our solar system represents salvation for the human race, and we can solve every problem we face without further damage our home planet. In late 1945 under Omar Bradley, my father helped conquer Germany, and assisted in writing and administering the occupation plan. As a military dependent I lived in Frankfurt under The Marshall Plan that rebuilt a devastated Europe only to face the massive ongoing costs of Cold War. The Martian Plan proposes to save the starving survivors of earth, and rebuild civilization by changing the fundamental paradigm of scarcity that has always failed humanity in the past.Einstein defined insanity as repeating failed methods expecting different results. Perhaps we might consider something new in the political line in the real world. I make no apology for any controversy, and I hope you enjoy the story.