Isn’t Antarctica just Mars-lite? Do you think a mere treaty is hampering settlement there? That’s where my mind goes when people talk about colonizing another planet.
These people are incredibly stupid. They somehow think colonizing mars is easier than regulating the environment here on earth, somehow think elon as dictator is better than any earth government, are interested in putting undertested and sketchy implants into their brain even without a proposed use case, and seem to think that the only reason we don't regularly visit mars is because we don't have a big enough rocket, as if easy access to tons of powdered rust is economically useful.
Flying to another planet on a rocket is obviously very different, the goal is way more interesting than the challenge of living in a hostile environment. Even if it's ultimately a useless exercise for humanity.
I'm not sure that the people who want one of those will want them if:
* they are not the first (or in the first ~50 or so) to get there
* they have a lot of money and a lot of income on Earth
This is kind of a glory-seeking thing for people who haven't made a name for themselves otherwise. Rich people would want to have a return flight. That is not a recipe for making a ton of money.
think of it this way: you go there, work for a company, in a spare time, you find gold, raise capital to start mining it, got rich, build a huge house with swimming pools, and all the rich attributes, but on Mars.
Mars will be colonized with great mixture of science and initiative people. Your kids will grew up in this environment, they'll receive best education and endless room for possibilities.
Sure buddy. You will be able to prospect for and mine gold in your spare time after your one-way trip to Mars, including building all of the equipment you need, or having it sent over by rocket. And you'll be able to own land there too, because homestead laws and stuff will definitely carry over.
If you are already rich on Earth, you don't need to take risks that insane to try. In other words, nobody who can afford a ticket to Mars will pay for one.
Surely elon will allow lots of other people to get rich, instead of just capturing any possible value for himself, since he would literally be a god emperor.
There are no rules on mars, except the ones that the people who could simply push you out the airlock make. Look how elon treats his workers and you will understand how a mars colony with his backing will look, except even worse.