$$$ on Military, from a friend
As I often talk about these things, I did a little reading and came up with the following numbers. Nothing is surprising -- most Defense numbers just keep getting larger, except the aggregate total of US nuclear weapons, which while having shrunk remains ridiculously excessive if not flat-out useless.
So here be the factoids:
The US military currently spends as much as $250 billion per year maintaining approximately 865 facilities in more than 40 countries and overseas US territories.
The F-35 fighter program alone may end up costing $338 billion, or more.
"The USA enters 2010 with approximately 9,400 nuclear weapons. Of these, 4,200 are retired and awaiting dismantlement. 2,500 are in reserve, and 2,700 nuclear weapons are deployed and operational around the world on US bases and submarines, many on hair-trigger alert, meaning that within minutes they can obliterate entire populations. Not only does the United States have superior weapons, but U.S. delivery vehicles and missile technology bring nearly the entire Earth within range of a U.S. nuclear attack." (Peace Action Education Fund OpEd piece of 3/11/10).
All other considerations aside, the magnitude of these numbers and what they represent is staggering, and is ominously indicative of just how unsustainable this society's use of finite resources really is. And we go around worrying ourselves about government-mandated Health Care Reform sucking away our precious personal wealth?
djb
So here be the factoids:
The US military currently spends as much as $250 billion per year maintaining approximately 865 facilities in more than 40 countries and overseas US territories.
The F-35 fighter program alone may end up costing $338 billion, or more.
"The USA enters 2010 with approximately 9,400 nuclear weapons. Of these, 4,200 are retired and awaiting dismantlement. 2,500 are in reserve, and 2,700 nuclear weapons are deployed and operational around the world on US bases and submarines, many on hair-trigger alert, meaning that within minutes they can obliterate entire populations. Not only does the United States have superior weapons, but U.S. delivery vehicles and missile technology bring nearly the entire Earth within range of a U.S. nuclear attack." (Peace Action Education Fund OpEd piece of 3/11/10).
All other considerations aside, the magnitude of these numbers and what they represent is staggering, and is ominously indicative of just how unsustainable this society's use of finite resources really is. And we go around worrying ourselves about government-mandated Health Care Reform sucking away our precious personal wealth?
djb
posted by RWC | 4:53 PM
1 Comments:
Thanks for writing about this subject. I feel sad and helpless whenever I think of our tax money being spend so, so--I can't even think of the right word! Health care, renewable energy, education, and such--think how strong our country would be if we threw dollars at those.
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