Increase funding to NASA a proven job creator and proven good investment of government funds to pursue deep space exploration with the immediate short term goal of establishing a PERMANENT human colony on Mars or the Moon. The reasons being far more tangible and relating to the national security of the United States and the long term survival of the human species. In this it is a global issue and the cost can be shared by all nations with NASA and America at the lead.
Establishing a permanent human presence off world increases humanities survivability in the event of a cataclysmic disaster of either cosmic origin or human device. The immediate R&D and economic benefits will easily offset any cost.
NASA's current budget accounts for .45 percent of the federal budget; increase it to 5%.