Well that's nice,
but you never said what you have against it. I believe it would be of tremendous PR value as well.
The Moon is easily seen by anyone looking up in the sky, while most people can't find Mars. How would it affect the average person's thoughts of space travel if, everytime they saw the Moon, they knew that there were people living and working on that bright shining orb in the night sky? I think it would have a major effect on lifting the subject of space in the public's consciousness. No one would be able to look at the Moon, or space, in the same way.