I sincerely doubt they'd send anyone to their deaths nor that anyone would accept it, that would be absurd (tho accidents can happen). Consider the amount of effort, time and money such a trip would take. With the right focus, in 50 years we could have the technology to sustain life in space. However, the right focus probably means "if we have something to gain from it". I guess that's why he thinks of a "Big Brother in Space" program that would cover part of the costs. I see the idea has some logic, even if I don't agree completely with it.
On a side note, I always heard that Biodomes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closed_ecological_system) would be the answer to living on Mars or other planets in the initial phases. Not sure if I'd want to live in lava tubes.