Using rocket tech for lifting payloads into orbit is antiquated, dangerous, inefficient, and therefore costly by nearly any measure, including money, manpower, and lives lost.
Conversely, a space elevator would eventually reduce the price of getting into orbit down to being comparable to what a plane ticket across the country currently costs.
A space elevator would also establish a much more cost-effective, efficient, comprehensive, robust, environmentally sound, safe and invaluable foundation for our future space exploration and infrastructure than rocket technology can provide. Without question.
The technologies needed to build a space elevator already exist. All it needs is money and political will thrown at it now.
It's time at last to start getting our species off of this rock.