Mars is in no way "the new America." First of all, there are no indigenous people to enslave and slaughter, which will significantly reduce the fun to be had by would-be colonists. Secondly, and more seriously, there's no economic basis for any Martian colony because there's nothing to grow, nothing to mine, nothing of any productive value whatsoever that can't be done on Earth millions of times more cheaply. Thirdly, who wants to live in underground bunkers their entire lives, attempting to shelter from cosmic radiation? And who wants the physiological harm that will come from spending long periods in 1/3rd of the gravity we're adapted for?

All in all, it's time we stopped thinking TV sci-fi is any guide to the future because it leads to risible articles like this one.