Into eh concept of the mathematics discussion, I wouldn't care to hire a plumber that could work through theoretical plumbing designs that have nothing to do with my house.

Having a plumber that can better solve problems during their work fixing a system is obviously a good thing. That simply isn't what is being discussed here, most mathematics research being raised are theoretical math that has no immediate practical use. That doesn't mean it shouldn't be worked on, but it isn't the same as solving a real world problem we have today.