I think we should have built a base on the moon and been doing a lot more research into faster propulsion systems.
As long as NASA is on the original mission of exploration (Pathfinding and prospecting) I wish they had the budget of welfare.
We’ve should have had a permanent population the moon decades ago. Maybe in the dozens, but still. Especially large telescopes, and definitely a huge radio scope on the far side, shielded from our noise.
There’s absolutely no reason we have not landed on Mars decades ago.
You said it. The entire ten-year Apollo Program consumed less money than a single year of WIC/SNAP (inflation-adjusted). And at least the NASA guys and contractors showed up for work and produced something.
When I pointed this out to a liberal-leaning friend of my Mom's, his only response was to splutter a bit and then say, "Don't say things like that." Couldn't deal with the facts, I guess.