are we funding pointless research?

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a fellow mylotter had a discussion about this, which i commented on, but i've been thinking about it more and more, and wanted to start my own discussion. we know that our tax's and our national insurance, and any other money we pay to the government goes on our roads, our parks, our street lights, our traffic lights etc.. but a large proportion of this money goes into scientific research. for example, new diabeties medicines, ways to cure, or prolong life while suffering with, cancer, and i suppose this is a good thing, without research we would not have had lazer eye surgery, chomotherapy etc.. but when is it too much? part of my comment to this fellow mylotter, was when you look at beauty products, and the surveys and research that have done, in order to advertise the products, it really is scandalous. you may not think of it, because it's one advert, one advert where 8 out of 10 woman would recommend to a friend, and 92% of a study of 124 women said it gave them smoother skin etc etc etc.. but exactly how much time and money is spent on these, when you consider the vast range of beauty and hair products on the market? surely that money would be better spent when it comes to our personal health? i do believe it is a good marketing tool, to have these statistics behind the product, but surely we would all believe it more, if it was real peoples views and opinions. for example i watched an advert last night for this mascara, that was meant to give you 10x fuller lashes for a false lash effect. at the end of the add it said 86% of woman would recommend to a friend, and there underneath it, in tiny writing was .. "the models eyelashes have been styled with extensions" .. extensions! so we weren't even seeing what the product actually did! yet we were meant to believe these polls and statistics? i'd much rather log onto a website and read actual reviews!! we hear all these things like, woman are 9 times more likey to cheat than men. men are 7 times more likey to trip down the stairs than women! single women are 4 times more like to sleep with a man on the first date! like i mean c'mon.. who actually cares about any of this! but there are obviously studies and research going on!! .. why is our money being used to find out facts that common sense would probably tell us, that is if we even cared in the first place? do you think our tax's and national insurances could be put to better use? and i say this whilst looking at a street light thats been broken for almost 3 months!