My response to article & it's 10 points:
"Prevention of environmental disaster "

This is a govt job, but it's not NASA's.

"Creating a global network for modern communications, entertainment and networking"

Private sector is doing this.

"Global education and health services"

Again, not NASA's job [though involvement in education regarding space is]

"Cheap and environmentally friendly energy"

Ok, but I would tie this to opening space frontier and the relationship of your future as it relates to space environment which include: getting to point of using energy produced in space in space to be used on Earth- which would done by developing a market for this energy e.g. developing
"prototype systems" that can transmit energy through space [microwave {or other} transmission and recieving systems. And generally doing thing to encourage developing markets in space for electrical and chemical energy [gas stations].

"Transportation safety"

Again, this isn't NASA job [though certainly NASA should work with the other govt agencies charged with this responsibility]

"Emergency warning and recovery systems"

Again, this isn't NASA's job

"National defense and strategic security"
Isn't NASA's job

"Protection against catastrophic planetary accidents"

This should be miltary's job, but for polictical reasons NASA is currently doing this, and it should be something the UN is doing [but they are slow to understand it's importance]. But in any case, yes, it is NASA's job and they are taking some action in the area [not enough though].

"Creation of new jobs and Industries -- a new vision for the 21st century and a mandate to explore truly new frontiers"

Sure, opening the space frontier would create huge economic growth, but the current Job Program isn't opening up frontier- basically it's been about as useful as other welfare or job programs.

"Why explore space and why send humans into space?"
Answer: To open up the Space Frontier, this is the only valid reason.

"Why does NASA spend the money it does?"
Because it is like other govt programs, it focuses on increasing it's political power by becoming a job program. This of course is STUPID. By opening the space frontier they could exponentially increase their political power- not to mention be actually be worth the billions we spend on it.

"Why does NASA use the resources it has the way it does?"

It's a Job Program.

"What is NASA’s role in terms of education, health care, energy and job creation?"

Space is only known way of supporting the energy needs of billions [or trillions] of people over the long term. Currently the Sun provides almost all the energy we use- the only exception is nuclear energy [and generating nuclear power in Space, would be safer than having nuclear power generation in our biosphere [not to mention all kinds of other industrial processes]. As far as education, NASA's job is to explore space. You want children to have access to this knowledge; it's their future. Plus you want kids to be exposed to interesting and
mysterious things- it increases their intellience. Plus kids CAN be interested in this "stuff"- it's like exposing children to different languages- they learn this stuff easier.

"Why is there not more international cooperation in space activities?"
Could have something to do with US policies regarding export of technology.
Why? What is the fundemental reason? We are afraid of the future. We are un-American. We have bucreacrats and politicans making these "important decisions".

"Should the U.S. government, at all levels, not realize it needs to do a better job telling us why space and space research, exploration and applications are key?"

This is NASA's Job, and they are doing it very poorly.