Forget the Moon. Forget Mars.
Who cares about lifeless rocks. They've been studied to death. Been there. Done that. Time to move on.
Take the tax dollars allocated for that BS, and spend it on unmanned programs that will expand knowledge of the universe. Build telescopes to image alien planets. Build telescopes that can continuously scan for non-periodic comets out to 100 AU.
Do something that actually adds to the wealth of humanity, instead of just burning propellant.