Is the gov spending us into destructive massive debt for security reasons, or to help the rich?

[papau]

Since discretionary spending is the only spending the Congress can affect (interest on the Debt and Social Security payments being mandatory - and Social Security running a massive surplus) folks need to look at this.



But folks say interest on the debt is all war related - this chart includes mandatory spending including just 80% of that debt interest as military:



Current military” includes Dept. of Defense ($585 billion), the military portion from other departments ($122 billion), and an un-budgeted estimate of supplemental appropriations ($20 billion). “Past military” represents veterans’ benefits plus 80% of the interest on the debt.*


Now who's benefiting with our massive security spending - are we really improving our security or are we chasing things that are police action required, not military, due to corporate advertising like "news media"? And where are those companies that are getting our contracts and sending part of the money on the military-industrial company owning rich - like Bush41 and his Carlye connection or Cheney and his Halliburton connection?



Seems military spending is the way the rich have decided to use to get richer - if they live in Western Europe/US.

[soothsayer]

1. to destroy the middle class and perhaps to bankrupt the nation,

bringing on the NWO currency (the 'world mark').

[niceypoo]

7. Economic murder suicide

Destroy entitlements by destroying the economy

[soothsayer]

2. to destroy the middle class and perhaps to bankrupt the nation

[hobbit709]

3. Is this a trick question?

[illinoisprogressive]

4. help the rich and destroy the New Deal and the poor and middle class.

[katsy]

5. JMO... a double whammy.

These criminals running this country are enriching their friends and drowning the government in the proverbial bathtub.

What better way to kill all social programs than to bankrupt the country.

[papau]

6. Thanks for the responses - all very true - meanwhile why did building 7 WTC fall down - did it need

redevelopment?

With no explanation that is logical for that 911 event, it is hard not be cynical.

[Rydz777]

8. "Starve the Beast"

was a slogan that surfaced during the Reagan years. It meant simply that running up a massive debt would prevent enactment of more of the New Deal and Great Society type social programs hated by the political right. We now have this massive debt hanging over us and it does in fact constrain efforts to solve the problems that press on us. Historically, the way such debts are made to go away is to pay them off with debased currency, i.e. inflation.

[GregD]

9. See the PNAC manifesto

They explicitly refer to spending 50% of the US GDP on defense (offense).
.

[sinkingfeeling]

10. The plan is to 'bankrupt' the US to the point that the only government function that can be

funded is the military.

[papau]

11. Kilingers' Richard Sammon takes middle chart and says only 30% spent on military! Ignoring military

mop-up expense because the VA does not count as military to the GOP. Here is how he explains the 2.7 trillion dollar budget.

http://finance.yahoo.com/taxes/article/102817/How-Your-Tax-Dollars-Are-Spent

How Your Tax Dollars Are Spent
by Richard Sammon
Wednesday, April 11, 2007provided byKiplinger'sPersonalFinance

FIRST HE MIXES IN SOCIAL SECURITY WHICH IS RUNNING A $150 B SURPLUS AND DOING JUST FINE, THANK YOU:
<snip>About 70 percent of the annual budget pays for commitments already incurred -- everything from Social Security benefits to interest on the national debt. Neither President Bush nor Congress has much say over that.
SO NATIONAL DEBT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MILITARY SPENDING

<snip>The biggest single chunk of that so-called nondiscretionary spending -- more than 20 percent of the total budget -- is used to pay Social Security benefits to existing retirees. Another 15 percent pays the tab for Medicare health benefits. An additional 7 percent goes for Medicaid, 3 percent for veterans benefits and 1.3 percent for supplemental security income used to assist the aged, disabled and blind.

SO AGAIN _ ITS SOCIAL SECURITY _ WHICH AGAIN DOES NOT HAVE A PROBLEM

All types of aid to the needy -- Medicaid, housing subsidies, aid to poor families with children (welfare, which accounts for about 1 percent of the budget), food stamps, school lunches and so on, plus unemployment benefits -- account for about 16 percent of the budget.
NOW SEE HOW "NEEDY BECOMES "INDIVIDUALS" AGAIN NOTING SOCIAL SECURITY PAYOUTS HAVE INCREASED
In fact, all government payments to individuals amount to about 58 percent of the budget. That's twice the share of the budget such payments claimed 40 years ago. And the percentage continues to climb -- giving those pushing reform of such entitlement programs a powerful argument.<snip>

EVER SEE ANYTHING MORE OBVIOUSLY WRITTEN BY A MEDIAWHORE?

<snip>Next year, the deficit will run about $300 billion. Coincidentally, that's just about the same amount that the government figures it's being stiffed by individuals and companies who don't pay all the taxes they owe, either by intent or by error.
Copyrighted, Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc.

[ljm2002]

12. In the question...

...lies the answer.