White House rejects citizen petition to build a Star Wars-style Death Star
The Obama administration has officially rejected a citizen petition calling for the building of a -style Death Star, citing the enormous cost, its opposition to destroying entire planets and critical design flaws.
Paul Shawcross, chief of the science and space branch at the White House Office of Management and Budget, posted the official response on the White House website.
Shawcross said the Obama administration shared the desire for job creation and a strong national defence, but the construction cost of a Death Star had been estimated at more than US$850 quadrillion and "we're working hard to reduce the deficit, not expand it".
"The administration does not support blowing up planets," he said.
And finally, Shawcross questioned the sense of spending "countless taxpayer dollars on a Death Star with a fundamental flaw that can be exploited by a one-man starship".
The petition, which garnered 34,000 signatures, had called for construction to begin by 2016. Under current policy, the White House will respond to any appeal that garners more than 25,000 signatures.
The petition was created by a Colorado man identified only as John D. in November and passed the threshold for a response just last week.
