NASA is one of the few government programs that have provided countless returns on investment. NASA's funding is a fart in a windstorm of federal programs, and the empassioned pleas to cut that funding is a direct consequence of the gargantuan level of visibility and impact that NASA has.
I guess what I'm saying is that we, taxpayers, helped to develop Tang, for one, as a part of the space program. Have you seen a return on your investment? Have you received any return from the programs, other than new high cost uses.
It seems that many companies take the residuals from our government programs, and sell the products back to us, if we ever see them.