Yes, but then we are arguing about truisms, so what's the point the naysayers want to make? I don't mean you specifically, but on several threads on this page

Yes, but then we are arguing about truisms, so what's the point the naysayers want to make? I don't mean you specifically, but on several threads on this page there are people arguing that: "oh, this is so much money wasted, other things could be done with it, but oh, I'm not saying we should take away from the space program, but, oh, this is so much money wasted..." ad nauseam. I mean what exactly is the point in pointing out that yes, obviously, other good things can be done with 72 million, and then disclaiming that it's an argument against India launching a Mars probe? Why point out such a trivial truth unless arguing against India doing this? If it's just about 72 million not being small change in general, why aren't people making such trivially true statements in discussions about other things? Again, I am not singling you out, I get what you're saying, but I just have to ask: why aren't we having people pointing out how many schools can be built out of a budget for, for example as kamaal wrote, an Olympic opening ceremony? I don't think it's even some kind of closet racism, as some have argued, in general (though in this case there is also that, in this story's coverage by the Western media), because people go nuts over the US space program also. Even outside the US. :) It's a clear pattern of pushing the waste argument over just about any kind of space exploration anyone does, and it's not done just by "unwashed masses" but also by very educated people (e.g. here, I had a colleague, a theoretical physicist of all people, telling me how space programs are such a waste when there are people starving etc...). What the hell?