Defense spending grave concern
The most favored ploy of our political leaders today is to place the blame of the majority of our deficit spending and our huge national debt on the ever-increasing rate of growth of our domestic programs. Common sense tells us the growing debt is a constant drag on our economy, if only from the standpoint of the $181.2 billion interest we paid in fiscal 2005. A significant sum of money, to be sure. Money that could be better spent funding programs such as “No Child Left Behind.” The interest on it should be considered a “debt tax” we can never repeal, until such time we reduce or eliminate the debt, much the same as your home mortgage and payments. As the federal government increases the size of this obligation, it is forced to shift the cost of federally mandated programs, such as “No Child Left Behind.” to the states. It only requires a very casual glance to determine a lack of financial geniuses at all state levels. Most of them have trouble balancing their own respective budgets. The long-term debt of the U.S.A. threatens the security and prosperity of all citizens.
Be that as it may, the notion that our social programs are responsible for the ever-increasing deficit and debt is not a mere exaggeration, it is a bold-faced lie! I refer to it as a myth-leading statement, and submit for your review and consideration a brief summary of the largest and most costlysingle item reported in the government’s year-end financial statements, year after year after year. It’s the Department of Defense.
I’m sure most of you are familiar with their purchasing efficiencies of $700 commode seats and $300 hammers. Not only is their spending out of control, consideration to reduce it is most definitely “off the table,” according to the White House. We are being controlled by our military-industrial complex.
In 2005, the DOD spent $703.9 billion (22.2 percent of the total spent), up from $393.5 billion (18.2 percent of the total spent) in 2000.
It is worth noting our national debt passed one trillion dollars early in 1981. The sum total of the dollars spent by the Defense Department from 1980 to 2005 is a whopping $8.8 trillion, a tremendous chunk of money. Coincidentally, this sum is just slightly higher than the present size of the entire national debt of $8.4 trillion.
My closing sentiment is this quotation of a statement made by Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 BC-43 BC) at the peak of the decline of the Roman Empire: “The budget should be balanced. Public debt should be reduced. The arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed, lest Rome become bankrupt.” We all recognize the wisdom and importance of this prediction, and the final outcome. Perhaps we will have the privilege of witnessing a rerun of this history lesson, first hand.
Robert E. Workman
Connellsville