Seriously people. This isn't that difficult. A PRIVATE company can INVEST in research to gain a competitive advantage over another to promote their business in this wonderful capitalist (what's left of it) nation of ours. In most cases, taxing the entire (at least all the taxpayers) US population to fund "FREE" PUBLIC research is not that appealing. Nothing is FREE.

Consumers will gladly pay for the research with their dollars when they buy the product that resulted from the research, thereby rewarding the investment of private enterprise.

If you eliminate competition, you stifle innovation.

Does anybody know of any government (non-US) research projects that have changed the world? I'm struggling to come up with one...