Technology isn't some separate constant that is responsible for our escalating standard of living. It mostly comes from free trade. Governments are responsible for some of it as well to be sure, and I'll even admit that this is one of the least wasteful things governments do (albeit still very, very wasteful), but refer to the broken window fallacy again. Governments spend money on research and development of shit they believe is more important than the free market would recommend, like stealth drones or lunar rovers, creating untold opportunity costs of developments in other sectors. Capitalism taps the ingenuity of people to innovate in ways that individuals would value the most.