We spend less than 1/10 on education as we do on "Defense". That is a fucking outrage.

[Ardent15]

* $663.7 billion (+12.7%) – Department of Defense (including Overseas Contingency Operations)
* $78.7 billion (−1.7%) – Department of Health and Human Services
* $72.5 billion (+2.8%) – Department of Transportation
* $52.5 billion (+10.3%) – Department of Veterans Affairs
* $51.7 billion (+40.9%) – Department of State and Other International Programs
* $47.5 billion (+18.5%) – Department of Housing and Urban Development
* $46.7 billion (+12.8%) – Department of Education
* $42.7 billion (+1.2%) – Department of Homeland Security
* $26.3 billion (−0.4%) – Department of Energy
* $26.0 billion (+8.8%) – Department of Agriculture
* $23.9 billion (−6.3%) – Department of Justice
* $18.7 billion (+5.1%) – National Aeronautics and Space Administration
* $13.8 billion (+48.4%) – Department of Commerce
* $13.3 billion (+4.7%) – Department of Labor
* $13.3 billion (+4.7%) – Department of the Treasury
* $12.0 billion (+6.2%) – Department of the Interior
* $10.5 billion (+34.6%) – Environmental Protection Agency
* $9.7 billion (+10.2%) – Social Security Administration
* $7.0 billion (+1.4%) – National Science Foundation
* $5.1 billion (−3.8%) – Corps of Engineers
* $5.0 billion (+100%) – National Infrastructure Bank
* $1.1 billion (+22.2%) – Corporation for National and Community Service
* $0.7 billion (0.0%) – Small Business Administration
* $0.6 billion (−14.3%) – General Services Administration
* $19.8 billion (+3.7%) – Other Agencies
* $105 billion – Other

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_United_States_federal_budget

That is discretionary spending, not including the mandatory spending on Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, etc.

Is it any wonder our country is a mess? We spend so much money on not just the Pentagon, but the MIC in general. Meanwhile, our education budget is a distant SEVENTH in priorities on spending.

This is beyond disgusting. This is obscene in every way.

I may be stating the obvious, but apparently many Americans don't seem to realize this-or DON'T CARE!!

[naaman fletcher]

1. To be fair education is mostly locally funded..

So you need to include that. Not that I don't think that the defense budget could be cut 60%.

[Ardent15]

2. Yeah, and look how that has turned out.

States everywhere are cutting education in their budget.

[anigbrowl]

7. OK, but now you're conflating funding level with funding source.

Availability or shortage of money has the same effect regardless of whether it takes place at the federal or state level, ie a dollar is a dollar. Centralizing it might or might not increase efficiency of those education dollars.

[naaman fletcher]

14. I didn't say it was either good or bad, just saying that your comparison is invalid. nt.

[anigbrowl]

3. I think you ought to include school funding from property taxes in that total

Of course you'd also have to add in state expenses for things like the national guard etc., but given that much education spending takes place at the state level and is financed by property taxes, just looking at the federal spending can be misleading since the federal government is not in the business of directly hiring teachers or operating schools.

[Ardent15]

4. Well, here in CA property taxes are capped.

But the need for education is growing. We have 35 million people in this state.

[HeresyLives]

8. More people than there are in all of Canada.

[anigbrowl]

11. True, but that's not the point I'm making

the point is that to get an accurate idea of how much we spend on education vs defense, you have to add up the state as well as the federal expenditures. Now, I'm not in favor of the property tax cap that we have here in California, but even though there is a cap on that that is not the same thing as a cap on education spending. As more properties are built (and taxed at existing rates), the revenue can still rise.

Personally I'm not strongly in favor of property taxes precisely because they tie budgets too closely to the value of real estate and thus revenues fall when the market sinks. I also think that if you paid taxes and used the money left over to buy property, you ought to enjoy the use of said property and just pay for the services rather than being taxed again, so I lean more towards financing education etc. via state income taxes rather than property taxes.

[rfranklin]

5. Yes, and education should be ten times the war budget...

thae fact that we accept(like sheep)the current balance of spending is a disgrace.

[anigbrowl]

12. Did I say that? No. Better luck next time. nt

[Gabi Hayes]

13. the reason that the war budget is ten times the education budget:

the war budget is ten times the education budget.

keep em stupid and keep em scared

[PacerLJ35]

19. States don't spend much on the National Guard

Most of their equipment is federally funded, and much of their deployment and training costs are also borne by the federal government through the National Guard Bureau. They do have state budgets, but it's miniscule in comparison to the federal dollars.

[anigbrowl]

22. Agreed. I was just trying to be as even-handed as possible.

If I had left it out someone would have complained I was trying to minimize the cost of defense.

[Echo In Light]

6. War Pigs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtqy4DTHGqg

[Romulox]

10. Oliver's Army

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSmNIecfqog

[dana_b]

15. side bar

thanks for the video. it made my day. :)

[jonnyblitz]

16. that song runs through my head whenever I see certain DUers.'

posts. One of my anti-war picket signs i used to use in NYC and DC had a picture of Bush with a pig nose imposed over his actual nose. i will have to *update* my picket sign. :o

[Echo In Light]

25. Another anti-war tune, Saint Vitus - War Is Our Destiny, Dec. 20 1984 Embassy Hotel

"No more war!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07DZBBd81e4&feature=PlayList&p=95A1D31710BCD1A6&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=8

[hack89]

9. Why don't you add up state spending while you are at it? nt

[Fresh_Start]

17. the GOP seems to want to cater to the ppl who don't want to

fund abortion, birth control, science....

I wish the dems would cater to the ppl who don't want to fund wars, development of new weapons
I'd like a line item on my tax return where I can chose what I'm willing to fund:
I'd veto funding military and weapons development
I vote to fund education, housing, welfare, healthcare including mental health

[PacerLJ35]

18. Most Education funding comes from local/state taxes

The Dept of Education's budget is mostly designed for projects and programs to assist local school districts. The US Dept of Education does not directly fund school districts. States and local municipalities do.

According to a study, the US (including federal, state and local) government spends over $900 billion on education.

[Juche]

20. Thats not technically true

Most education is funded at the local (k-12) and state level (public universities). I don't know how much is tax revenue, but I would assume 80% is a good estimate.


http://www.nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d07/index.asp

Education Expenditures

Expenditures for public and private education, from prekindergarten through graduate school (excluding postsecondary schools not awarding associate's or higher degrees), are estimated at $972 billion for 2006–07 (table 25). Expenditures of elementary and secondary schools are expected to total $599 billion, while those of degree-granting postsecondary institutions are expected to total $373 billion. Total expenditures for education are expected to amount to 7.4 percent of the gross domestic product in 2006–07, about 0.5 percentage points higher than in 1996–97.

[Igel]

23. I approve of understatement.

"Not technically true" is just a euphemism for "that's utterly false."

Once heard a joke: How do you say "no" in French? "En principe."

[branders seine]

21. agreed wholeheartedly.

it is utterly outrageous.

art? nowhere on the list.

science? way down at the bottom.

goddamned warmongering sons of bitches.

[Golden Raisin]

24. In a Corporate/Fascistic environment

an under or un-educated populace is a desirable factor. Malleable, susceptible to propaganda, non-voting, unaware their rights are being taken away, and ultimately (especially with no draft) cannon fodder.