Where Does All The Money Go?

Since it appears that we are all stuck paying taxes for the
foreseeable future, wouldn't you like to have a say in where
your money is spent?

I mean, after all, it is our money. It is supposed to be our
government. Why is it that the government believes that they
know what is best for us? Do you believe that? I don't.

Here is what bothers me. For the last several decades the U.S.
has taken on the job of global policeman. We dash here and
there quelling wars, deposing despots, and bringing democracy to
the masses. At least that is what we are told.

Ask any of our global neighbors and you will hear a different
story. The story of the big bad empire stretching its tentacles
further and further into the periphery, sucking resources out of
the planet like a giant leech.

Let me pause for a moment to remind you of a time not so long
ago where a similar empire was living off of the fat of the
world. Rome had pretty well taken over most of the known world
and as ruler; they demanded that farmers and artisans send their
goods to Rome so that the enlightened few could enjoy life and
liberty.

You see, if you were a Roman citizen, and you lived in Rome,
you were entitled to the fat of the land. It was history's
first major experiment in entitlement. What happened?

The farmer and businessmen that lived in the periphery simply
got tired of the high taxation and simply walked off the job.
They grew weary of working their fingers to the bone to support
the lazy ruling class. The empire collapsed.

There will come a day when the citizens of the world turn off
the spigots and let us fend for ourselves. Then we will have to
learn how to take care of ourselves.

That is why I want a say in where my taxes are spent. I did a
little research this morning. Our government spends about 51%
of the federal budget on defense related spending. $1,228
billion to be exact. That compares with the official budget
percentage of only 21%. Check here for the numbers.
http://www.warresisters.org/piechart.htm

Now, let's look at how we spend our money here at home. The
most recent national disaster was Katrina. The federal
government set aside a whopping $110 billion, less than 10% of
what we spend on war and killing. (I prefer to call defense-
spending war spending because we are currently not under attack,
but we are on the offensive.) And if you refer me back to 9-11
I will be happy to point out that if we were not so involved in
the affairs of other nations around the world, 9-11 would have
never happened. In fact, it appears that our intelligence
agencies knew something was up, but the powers that be let it
happen, just like Pearl Harbor, to arouse the emotions of the
people. But that is a story for another day.

I would much rather that we as a nation had spent our money on
the Katrina disaster than the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Imagine what $1,228 billion would have done for the people in
that part of the country. We could have taken care of our own
for a change. Imagine how the world would look at the U.S. if
instead of warmongering, we were taking care of the people of
our country. We would truly be viewed as world leaders.
Leaders in peace.