See, that's where groupthink leads you. Mars is easy enough to get to. Venus is hard. But which one has the resources to make it worthwhile? Here's a secret: Mars is a barren desert. Mars could support a science colony, but otherwise nothing is happening. Some day someone will have the chance to opt for Venus, that will be the day the direction of human history changes.
Can you please cite evidence to suggest Mars' crust would not contain rare elements?
My ultimate point was that Mars will most probably be the second self-sustaining human planet, mostly becuase it is easiest to colonize. Can you argue otherwise?