Mercury is a better option for colonization than Mars because of the abundance of solar and thermal energy and availability of water.
Mars has less available water and would require more reliance on nuclear energy because there is significantly less solar energy and heat. This would eventually require mining although Mars is believed to have less uranium than Earth. If energy is costly and natural resources are scarce, prospects of building a sustainable colony for a large group would be very challenging.
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Governments Are Comfortable Thinking Long Term When it Comes to Infrastructure
While government tends to be short-term oriented (the election cycle drives decisions so officials can be re-elected), an area the do feel comfortable thinking long term is infrastructure. With regularity, they will initiate projects to build roads, telecommunications, buildings, and other infrastructure that takes many years to build (the second avenue subway line in Manhattan started in 1972).