> there may not be an economic rationale tomorrow, since the technology will not miraculously develop itself And if we don't invade country X, it may come back

> there may not be an economic rationale tomorrow, since the technology will not miraculously develop itself And if we don't invade country X, it may come back to bite us some day, right? And if we don't prop up the auto industry buying clunkers and robbing shareholders to pay union reps top dollar, people will have to start riding bikes and millions will be out of work, right? If you're hoping for miracles, the government would be the last place to go looking for them. Necessity is the mother of invention, and while one could argue that our society "needs" this technology just like it "needs" to invade other countries, centralized decision making never leads to optimal outcomes, let alone "miracles".