It's not about the cost, it's about the benefit. The author is arguing that the proposals for what to do with a super-LHC aren't very good and that's why it sho

It's not about the cost, it's about the benefit. The author is arguing that the proposals for what to do with a super-LHC aren't very good and that's why it shouldn't be done. So let's indeed spend the $20B- but spend it on 20 other $1B programs that will each provide better results and answers than what we'll get from poor theories that a $20B project can answer.