'Death Star' hopes dashed by White House response to petition

CHICAGO — The Obama administration has officially rejected a citizen petition calling for the building of a "Star Wars”-style "Death Star,” citing the enormous cost of the project, 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, made the official response on the White House website

He said the administration shares the desire for job creation and a strong national defense, but noted that the construction cost has been estimated at more than $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 text reads that "by focusing our defense resources into a space-superiority platform and weapon system such as a Death Star, the government can spur job creation in the fields of construction, engineering, space exploration, and more, and strengthen our national defense.”

It was created by a Colorado man identified only as John D. in November and passed the threshold for a response just this week.

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