Re: Bet this never flies.
I hope not.
Zero-Gee science is indispensible for furthering our knowledge of metals and biotechnology. At least, I'm convinced it is. So we need to have a permanent base in orbit, so as to do Science (yes, with a capital S), as well as serve as a launchpad for missions that go beyond low orbit - which we need for our knowledge of the Universe.
So I do hope that there will be a successor to the ISS - one not managed and owned by China, for example.
But I can only hope.