Asteroid or Death Star?

I was reading through a few news articles this morning when I found this bit of information:

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/04/05/obamas-100-million-plan-to-lasso-an-asteroid/

Nuclear Deterant? lifted from: toptenz.net

I couldn't help but be reminded of a popular petition requesting the federal government to build a "Death Star". The response was the most sensible thing anyone in the current administration ever wrote:

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/secure-resources-and-funding-and-begin-construction-death-star-2016/wlfKzFkN

Someone tell me please how lasso-ing an asteroid is any less ridiculous than building a Death Star. What economic or even technological benefit will hauling a 25 foot asteroid back to Earth bring us. It's not as if the Earth is having a shortage of iron and rocks at this time. And what, pray tell, will the science community do should they miscalculate and lose the asteroid in the atmosphere?... All their work and funding literally up in flames... WHOOSH!!!