[ratelimitsteve]

that's great, but it's not an unqualified Good Thing(tm) when we're putting it up against meeting basic needs for people today. We managed to have amazing gains in technology and a functioning state that can care for its citizens in the 60s. Also, this doesn't imply that 3 publicly-funded privately-owned space programs are better than 1 publicly-funded, publicly-owned space program, only that research is good (which was never the issue at hand).

[Hammershaft]

We had significantly less welfare in the 60s. We also had more poverty per capita in the 60s but living standards were rising as a result of technological improvements. Clearly a private space company (spaceX) has dramatically outperformed our public space company at advancing technology, despite being a scrappy startup with a fraction of the funding 20 years ago.