NASA is stumbling along because our government stopped investing in it and funds Musk instead. Kennedy spent public funds on improving university education and developed the space program to compete with the Soviets. Now, our government privatizes public institutions and funds billionaires to manage them.

The American public owns NASA, and our economic contributions and salaries pay private owners for the internet, healthcare, trash collection, water, energy, and natural resources. Our government subsidizes companies and allows them to bill us. We pay for basic and other goods at least twice, and the private owners receive quadruple the profits.

Imagine receiving public subsidies and profits from charging the people who provide the subsidies. What a great business model.

Space programs are incredibly expensive. Musk would not invest in the tech if he did not receive public funding and expect profits, and he isn't a genius. He's another rich kid with access to capital, expertise, and privilege. It's no surprise he's wealthy, and SpaceX employees get things done, not Elon. Capital provides the means, and labor generates the products.

Musk faces countless lawsuits for violating labor laws, but that's what most corporate owners do. They reduce costs to increase profits by cutting staff, salaries, benefits, and tax payments and ignoring expensive environmental regulations.

The rich gained their wealth via public funds and labor cuts. Their gains derived from the billions to trillions that labor would have received - there isn't necessarily more money floating around. It shifted from the people to a few and created mass poverty.

So, it may not impact you directly, but homelessness, violence, mental health, drug addictions, family breakdowns, environmental catastrophes, and other social issues are unavoidable. Perhaps, you managed to overlook the anguish, but it exists, and civilization could have been anything we wanted.

It's the saddest and greatest human creation, and I can't help but mourn.