AI and clean energy, once researched and developed, will never go away. The vast majority of government expenditures are for mundane transient things like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and bombing brown people across the ocean. None of which will last past beyond our lifetimes.
> mundane transient things like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid
You might dislike some of the details but aren't those things there to stop people dying, starving or living in misery?
Doesn't the entire developed world have programmes similar to those you've just dismissed as 'mundane and transient' - presumably to stop the masses rioting in the street?
Which libertarian paradise should we be looking to for guidance here?
> aren't those things there to stop people dying, starving or living in misery?
Ubiquitous AI and clean, cheap energy would be more effective in accomplishing the same thing. Not to mention off-world colonies would stop the human race as a whole from dying.
Ensuring you and I and Grandma enjoy a little more comfort and security throughout our measly lifespans doesn't seem as inspiring and deserving of, what, $2 trillion a year?
You act like the choice is "Send Granny on an iceberg or we won't have Nerd Rapture for Everyone". It's not an either/or here and there's plenty of money (government or otherwise) to do both. Also, hundreds of millions of voters would disagree with you, so I guess the choice is "pay SS tax" or "move to sea-topia". Godspeed to ya.
