Well, you have to think of the benefits of such a program. I mean, people back in the days of the Apollo program began to wonder why we were putting men on the moon when we couldn't even deal with our problems at home. I think the technologies acquired from the program greatly enhanced the quality of life for all. Just think of the medical advancements that came from this program to name one. But to get a man to the moon, you had to do so much that we didn't know how to do even 9 years before it happened. I believe that advancements in computer technology and signal processing that come from just the time alone spent on this will do something to benefit the quality of life here on earth. But what if we do find a civilization? I mean, if they are more advanced, they may have a cure for some diseas or a technology that allows us to enhance food production or improve energy efficiency. You have to consider that something like this is a win-win situation, in the long run.
Watch Contact if you haven't. I think that movie explains a lot, really.
