Almost Half of U.S. Tax Money Goes to military and Health Care

[kpete]

Almost Half of U.S. Tax Money Goes to military and Health Care
Friday, April 06, 2012

For those paying income taxes later this month and wondering just what their money goes toward, here is a breakdown of how the U.S. government spends it.

One quarter of all income taxes are consumed by national defense, which represents the largest slice of the tax-money pie. More precisely, 10.3% goes to “ongoing operations;” 7.9% to research, development, weapons and constructions; and 5.6% to salaries and benefits.

Almost another quarter (23.7%) is spent on health care programs, such as Medicare (10.5%) and Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (10.0%).

Among the other big ticket categories are veterans’ benefits (4.5%), military and civilian retirement and disability payments (4.4%), and food and nutrition assistance (3.7%). And—not to be overlooked—interest on the national debt…8.1%.

MORE plus links:
http://www.opednews.com/populum/linkframe.php?linkid=148408

[banned from Kos]

1. Wow, interest is up to 8.1% and that is with record low borrowing costs

(thank you Federal Reserve).

Debt service has to go up from here. A Republican appointing the Fed Govs would be a disaster.

[NYC_SKP]

2. When you project these costs further and further out into the future...

...you realize that somethings got to give.

It's scary. I'm happy to live with a fraction of our military expense, but what are we going to do about health care?

What used to be provided by your employer now costs more than your rent or mortgage!

And it can only get worse.

[RKP5637]

3. Yep, agree. I'm certainly no economist, but I think it's going to

get worse and worse. Too many games are being played, too much going on under the table.

Just my gut feeling tells me none of this makes any sense and down the road we're going to have to make radical changes to how our economy works.

Also, for supposedly minimal inflation, all I see are costs for goods going up and up around here. And often packages (food, etc.) getting smaller for the same price.

[rfranklin]

5. We pay twice as much for health care as other developed countries with worse results...

The only health care crisis is letting the "free market" have it's way with us.

[banned from Kos]

6. You're right and the GOP knows it. To balance the budget taxes need to go

north of 50% on the high end and the low brackets need to go up as well. And that would get about 1/2 there.

Only compromise will work.

[PSPS]

4. A portion of which gets laundered back to congress as "campaign contributions" (bribes.)

[bhikkhu]

7. Here's a good graphic from not too long ago:

...something in there sticks out like a sore thumb!

[banned from Kos]

9. that is a graph for discretionary spending only

Entitlements are hard wired (SS, Medixxxx) in the budget.

[judy]

8. Well, this is where true civil disobedience lies...

in the modern Western World.
War Tax Resistance has been going on for a long time, and has contributed to ending the Vietnam War.
Check this out:
http://www.nwtrcc.org/

I, personally am too cowardly to do it...maybe there will be one day where I am "mad as hell, and I can't take it anymore" and will have the nerve to start doing it...
War Tax Resistance on a large scale would change the world!