Many thanks to Jess (entry 66) for the clarification and graphics. For all you idiots wrapped around the axle about the Space Shuttle graphic I think you have missed the point. Your verbose objection to what picture Jess used worries me, but reinforces my next statement. Instead of wondering why the Average Joe can’t tell the difference between a Soviet and an American Space Shuttle, we focus our attention on the graphic and not what the graphic represents. It’s just a picture people and has very little to do with the content of this presentation.

Tyler (entry 13) Right On! As an Average Joe I think your family your problem. The more intelligent of our population limit their family size by what they can afford to support. I know that shit happens and it is not always up to you when a child is born. The initial statement stands, your cross your burden don’t make me pay for your mistakes. It concerns me that we encourage our stupid to breed and tax those with the sense to know where babies come from more.

AndWhun (entry 96) Awesome! The world laughs at us because we think we are the best and it is our way or no way. We came to this country to escape opression (religious or otherwise) but here we are a couple of hundred years later imposing our will on whomever choses to think and live differently than us. It costs the Average Joe a good chunk of change and the loss of American lives to poke our noses in everyone elses business (i.e. Iraq). I’m a retired military man (20 years Army) and believe our military is critical to sustaining our way of life. The Military is a misused resource, instead of spending billions outside our borders we could spend millions within to make our way of life better. Our soldiers are capable of doing more than killing and dying. nuff said

I also would like to add that most military spending is R&D based. This is really a great way for the government to support private R&D with getting around international trade treaties that prohibit various government sponsored industry and favoritism. Most of what is founded and first used by the military is then given to the private sector. Examples are GPS, satellite anything, the Internet, and the list goes on and on. So, while military spending does go to war and warlike activities a good portion of it goes to R&D that eventually benefits all of society.

I think it’s interesting to make people aware of how much of a working persons income goes to help them directly, as McLaughlin pointed out. Also, it sheds light on how easy it would be to divert money from defense into the much needed public arenas of education and health.
Does anyone agree that we should reduce the defense budget?

In addition, Israel is the only country that the US assists that upholds the agreement to purchase items back from the US such as arms (as so nicely depicted in the last slide.

If Israel was not around, the US would have a full out war on there hands with the Arab nations…think about it!