We Should Spend As Much on Helping the World as We Spend on Defense-letter

[Eric J in MN]

The US spends over $400 billion a year on the military, and about $16 billion a year on foreign assistance.

A recent letter to the Minneapolis Star Tribune suggests we change our priorities.

My latest article disusses a military spending bill Bush signed on Thursday, then quotes that letter-to-the-editor from a woman in Minneapolis, then discusses the issue of oversight in foreign assistance/reconstruction spending, and then provides a link to an animation which deals with the US military budget compared to the rest of the budget.

MOVELEFT MEDIA at MoveLeft.com:

http://www.moveleft.com/moveleft_essay_2004_08_08_we_should_spend_as_much_on_helping_the_wolrd_as_on_defense.asp

[Eric J in MN]

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[Eric J in MN]

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[Eric J in MN]

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[Massacure]

4. 400 billion on foreign assistance is a lot.

I agree that the defense budget needs to get gutted out, but don't go and throw it at other countries. We need to get rid of the 7 trillion dollar debt. We are paying 200 billion dollars a year on interest alone.

[Eric J in MN]

5. yes, we need to get our own house in order first by

paying off the national debt.

[Eric J in MN]

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[twoggle]

7. I agree

I think our country will eventually collapse under the financial burden of the military budgets. I don't see it as a "liberal" or "conservative" issue -- just common sense spending within one's means. Counteracting some of the negative feelings towards the U.S. will eventually go a long ways to allowing us to further reduce the need to overspend on defense.

Twoggle