So the work companies like SpaceX are doing can't culminate in something that continues our expansion off a single planet?

I mean, honestly I'm not so sure what the huge rush is to expand to another planet when we're having so much trouble with just one.

It's not that I don't want to see us move past the boundaries of this planet, but on the list of things I'd want to see before my time is up on this planet, there's plenty of things like the end of world hunger or bringing the poorest people in the world to an infinitely better standard of living that come way before us living on another planet.

In the very long term moving to another planet is a way to stave off the end of our species (amongst other positive things), but in the very very long term the odds are we won't live on indefinitely, I think improving the lives of those who come before now and that time is probably the most worthwhile thing we can do.

You're making a huge mistake if you think we have to pick between solving social issues and colonizing other planets. Spacex is doing what NASA should have done in the 80s. That's the tragedy.

I have no clue how the money for space exploration is allocated, but they could possibly put that money into the things the GP (did I use that right) said. I think a better use would be to perhaps continue funding small explorations as we've done, but put the brakes on something like actually colonizing another planet, moon, satellite, etc. I agree that we have plenty to deal with here.

No government money is being spent on space settlement. NASA's budget is about $18B per year.

Some stuff is actually awesome and worthwhile (and cost effective) like the robotic exploration of the solar system, and a little supports SpaceX which uses the money to develop technology that enables cheap access to space.

But I think most of that money is a jobs program for high paying jobs congressmen want in their districts which help the economy tactically but might not be the best use of those people's effort. But, the provided jobs also support a skills base and supplier ecosystem that would allow shifting some of those people and parts suppliers into doing something more necessary to the government like defense stuff. The thinking is that if that money goes away and those people get laid off, they'll stop working in aerospace, move into finance or whatever, college kids will not study space engineering because they'll hear there are no jobs, and defense contractors will have a harder time hiring the next time a big defense program is funded.

Nothing I said implies that I "think we have to pick between solving social issues and colonizing other planets.", it's not really fair to imply that I did.

SpaceX is doing what you feel NASA should have been doing in the 80s with 3 decades between then and now, with all that comes with 3 decades.