Priorities { I alternate between sickness and sadness
What 1.2 Trillion Can Buy
Look at all the good we could be doing. Look at how little it takes to change lives. Now consider how we're just pissing away this potential to be a force for good.
1.17.2007
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War, when one is victorious, has historically been a shot in the arm for an economy. American foreign policy of the post WWII era has basically been about scaring the American people (with reasons both valid and dubious) in order to justify a permanent wartime economy: the indefinite sucking up of a huge portion of tax revenue for the purpose of funding a small number of defense contractors. A great example of this is the F-22 Raptor fighter jet: $339 million per jet to fight the Soviet Union in a Cold War era battle. Sure it is a highly effective weapon system, but it was designed to fight wars in a security and military situation that is now gone and replaced with a much different situation. Spending the cost of just a few of those planes on foreign aid would probably go a long way to securing better relationships and overall reducing the environment that creates potential threats.
The United States spends more money on the military than pretty much every other nation on Earth COMBINED, and yet we cannot manage to 'win' brushfire wars and regional skirmishes without making a mess of things.
Modern security is about things like hidden concrete barriers, intelligence and law enforcement, transparency, and not pissing off one's allies.
Our current expenditure is over half a trillion a year on a military that can barely function and isn't keeping us as safe as other methods might. This isn't even counting the wartime expenditures. All of this creates debt which our grandchildren will probably never be able to pay, weakens, instead of strengthens the economy, and takes money away from actually useful expenditures. It takes away from spending that might genuinely make things more safe.
Our fiasco in Iraq, being escalated by the tinpot dictator on Pennsylvania Avenue, is all about trying to secure the last vestiges of readily accessible oil supplies so that we can keep up the unsustainable suburb expansion project in the US. Bush is even leveling heated rhetoric at Iran, probably in hopes of provoking a Gulf of Tonkin style incident and leading us to an even bigger conflict that, frankly, we've already lost.
The war and defense expenditures of the United States are one of the most tragic wastes of resources I can imagine. As a nation, we are bankrupt in the economy of good ideas and ethical behavior as a nation state, as we are about to be bankrupt as a global economy. The Soviet Union fell for a number of reasons, but near the top of the list would be their bankruptcy due to blowing huge amounts of money on military expenditures and not on building infrastructure. America is near collapse for much the same reasons. We have built an infrastructure which has no future, we have neglected spending on things that actually make a difference for the good, and we've defended our stupid arrangements with the barrel of a very expensive, shiny, high-tech, and ineffective gun.
Here are a few things that are a better use of our money: foreign aid, medical research, healthcare for all Americans, education, sustainable development of cities and urban areas, genuine useful security measures (see Bruce Schneier), organic agriculture, non-fossil fuel energy research, national parks, or even, dare I say it, paying down the national debt.
The most telling part of the military's budget is the pay and subsequent support of its forces. The bulk of the people are in lower ranks receiving under $25 to 30k/year to pretty much be the military's minions.
The VA hospitals where retired service personnel can receive care are horrendous. There have been improvements over the years, but the staff are overworked and underpaid. Conditions are substandard.
What I can surmise from these appropriations is that the military is mostly a shiny penis enhancement for this country. Everything else is PR justification for expenditure. (Oh and also a way we can make our buddies in the companies we previously ran even richer.)
I'd like to add, the reason I dislike the current military is not because of the people who join up. While some people do join out of a need to serve their country, I think some people are also duped into believing promises the government has no intention of following through on. I also believe there are people for whom life has few other positive choices, so the military looks like a way out. How awful, the only source of light is a path that could lead to your death and possibly your killing of others.
I feel like the execution of protecting our nation is perverted by those who have the power over it. It has become an instrument to settle family disputes ('They tried to kill my father') and protect economic interests for the wealthy few. Especially when a force as well trained as ours (compared to some) could be used to stop the genocide in Darfur or here at home when disasters strike.
I think currently I'm just disgusted at the choices people make when it comes down to self interest and helping others. Only those low on the totem polem seem to choose helping others.
I read this article in the paper today as well. It is sad.
The money we spend on just military operating costs could solve a lot of problems at home and abroad. This war has done nothing to decrease terrorism or increase security. We have in fact created ripe conditions for the further spread of animosity and hatred towards us as a society.
We spend $300M a week on this war.
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