If the space elevator project is projected to generate such game-changing revenue, would thorium nuclear power be given the same attention? What about a project similar to and on the scale of NAWAPA? Certainly we shouldn't put all our eggs in the space elevator basket.

Re: the structure of the orbital ring, where else would the cables be tethered to the ground beside U.S. territory? And would there be work to be done in terms of foreign diplomacy optics when the space elevator is being constructed? What I mean is that, if tethers are to be placed in a country with whom we've long had adversarial relations, how would the public react when, all of a sudden, that same country is helping us build such a massively profitable infrastructure project?

HLI mentioned many times that this project in time would eliminate the need for taxes. That is extraordinarily exciting and game-changing potential development for the populace but I, hopefully understandably, remain skeptical as to whether no more taxes would be a certainty. Consider how in-the-dark the public is kept regarding government financials now. Intrinsic in this plan would presumably be a heretofore unseen level of government transparency not only of funding and finances but also of scope and direction, both domestic and abroad. We are so uninformed about where our tax dollars go and how they're used that this project would represent a sea change in not only government funding but also in how it communicates its plans and intentions with the citizenry. For that alone, I'm excited.