Newsflash to Sen Kennedy....

[Postman]

I'm willing to trade being Number 1 (militarily) for providing everyone in the country healthcare, a decent job, a living wage, a secure retirement, a clean environment.

This country is already on its way to being a "second level" country due to the vast sums of cash (borrowed from China and taxed from our paychecks) to feed a military-congressional complex that serves only to create more enemies in the world to ensure its own survival.

For some strange reason fanatics don't seem to be flying planes into buildings in places like Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy and many other "free" countries.

[Skip Intro]

1. Being "#1" is a false argument. We need to be strong enough to defend

ourselves and our legitimate intrests (world hunger, human rights, etc) as well as seeing to it all citizens had food, shelter and equal quality health care. We can have both.

[SeaBob]

9. #1

What amazes me is that we spend 1/2 a trillion dollars on our military budget. Thats more than most of the countries in Africa. Something is wrong with this picture:wtf:

[bdamomma]

10. and just think the

money we are using everyday in Iraq is not even included in the deficit.
this is suicide.

[Lex]

2. Wasn't part of the Soviet Union's decline due to military spending

and pouring too much into its military as opposed to its people and infrastructure?

[Postman]

4. Yes, and the enemies of America (Bush Neo-con crowd) want to do it again

only this time its the social safety net that is the target of their mega-deficit spending.

We can't afford to spend money on national healthcare because all of it is going to the Pentagon budget to prop up future "evil doers" to ensure their existence.

[American Tragedy]

5. Absolutely.

The invasion of Afghanistan was probably a breaking point, but Soviet imperialism and mindless armaments spending in general proved a catastrophically expensive venture. It doesn't serve America any better.

Of course, leave it to the aging Cold Warriors currently in power not to learn the obvious lesson.

[jwirr]

7. Almost all of this world's empires have fallen due to over-

stretch - spending too much on military. That said I don't think *ss is concerned because that may be exactly what he and his globalization cronies want. Their real goal is to create the NEW WORLD ORDER that features corporate rule of the world.

[Erika]

11. We no longer have a country - We're only a pawn

in the corporate globalist new world plan.

When Gates is the host of the Chinese president, followed by a meeting with Bush at the WH, with a DC luncheon including all our corporate leaders, our country is gone.

[NotGivingUp]

3. I agree with you 100%. Seems just about all

politicians are afraid of saying to cut down on military spending.

[American Tragedy]

6. We could drastically cut back and STILL be "number 1" by far

As you say, it seems no politician today is willing to suggest the most modest, totally rational reductions in grossly redundant arms production. Ironically, I'd be willing to bet America's defense would be better served in the end by focusing upon infrastructure, not to mention serve as economic stimulus, but no.

What's truly sad that even in the midst of Cold War paranoia, Eisenhower, of all people, managed to press for military spending cuts.

"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.

This world in arms in not spending money alone.

It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children.

The cost of one modern heavy bomber is this: a modern brick school in more than 30 cities.

It is two electric power plants, each serving a town of 60,000 population.

It is two fine, fully equipped hospitals.

It is some 50 miles of concrete highway.

We pay for a single fighter with a half million bushels of wheat.

We pay for a single destroyer with new homes that could have housed more than 8,000 people.

This, I repeat, is the best way of life to be found on the road the world has been taking.

This is not a way of life at all, in any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron."

[Salviati]

8. Here are the world military spending figures for 2004

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/spending.htm

Of the $950 billion the world spent on the military, the US spent $466 billion of that. We're spending over seven times as much as the next highest country, our good buddies China. We're spending almost 30 times as much as the whole "Axis of Evil" put together. It is really ridiculous.

[SeaBob]

12. #1

thank you for those figures. they are very enilghtening. I think it would be interesting to compare these figures as a % of each nations total annual budget Israel I saw spent in 2002 9.2 Billion while Sao Tome and Principe spent only $400,000. That might be a good place to move to.

[Erika]

14. In figuring Israels military expenditures

You need to review www.aipac.org

We are funding a significant part of their military spending.

[LittleClarkie]

13. And you're addressing it to him because...?

Was there something on one of his appearances tonight that prompted you to comment? Which one? What did he say?