The NASA of today is a pale imitation of a once great organization that put John Glen into orbit and sent Armstrong to the moon. This space station farce is a political front for a failed system. The only hope this country has to develop a viable space industry is the private sector. Free enterprise and the promise of profit has done more to develop this country than any government project. If you build it, they will come!
Of course. BUT, look at the development of the American West. Railroads, built by private enterprise, AFTER gov't cleared permits and granted rights of way. California's agricultural development, AFTER gov't water projects were flowing.
Point here is that some things are too big for private enterprise to get started. Gov't provides infrastructure, private enterprise backfills. It works, it ought to work for outer space development.