Dear Philosophers I recently posted the following on a forum for a course in Global Health that I took: “India going to Mars while 48.9% of its population can’t go to a flush-toilet! Is it just me, or is there a moral disconnect here? The international press is reporting that India intends to launch a space vehicle which is slated to orbit Mars. India's space program is reported to cost the country US$ 1.1 billion (yes! that is "_illion" with a B) annually from 2011-2013. I am kind of wondering how extensive a sanitation infrastructure India could have had for the combined budgets of their space and nuclear weapon's programs? I am also wondering at what point practitioners from the global health community start to call into question the ethical and moral responsibility of a government toward its citizens? For myself, I think I have reached that point - the next time I get solicited (a.k.a. fleeced) for some health project in India I may just tell them to go to h... Mars, because to me, this stinks worse than the cholera ward I once worked in.” In hindsight (a.k.a., on re-reading the post a few days later), it appears as more of a personal rant rather than what it was intended to be, namely, an expression of disbelief at the misplaced priorities. So my questions to the Philosophers are – (1) how could I have presented this situation from a moral and/or ethical perspective without it appearing as a rant? and (2) is there a philosophical perspective that I could have referenced or drawn from that would have set a higher priority to public good of health care over science, without it appearing to be anti-science, as I am not opposed to scientific research? Thank you for your time. Regards Doug N.