Posted by
zapdoodat on Tuesday, April 01, 2008 11:04:00 AM
Too many Neo-cons like suppressing the real cost that America spends for its defense or national security. The number, often heard, is that the U.S. spends only 4% of GDP for defense. This number represents only the budget for the Department of Defense. Other departments in the US government also spend money for defense.
To name a few, the Veterans Administration spends $73 billion per year. The Department of Energy, annually, spends $20 on nuclear weapons. Other departments responsible for national security are the National Security Agency ($30 billion), the CIA ($40) and one could even include the Coast Guard ($8 billion). These are all yearly costs. I'm tired of Neo-cons saying that the National Security Agency has nothing to do with national security.
Oh. Let's add on the cost of the War on Terror. The war in Iraq costs $120 a year and the war in Afghanistan costs $30 billion a year.
All this added up means that the U.S. spends double or about 8% of GDP on defense. We conservatives can agree that honest assessments are needed to plan for the future, can't we?