I've become a big fan of Rick Steves lately. He's apparently a fan of where we stand on DU, too. [View All]

[Faygo Kid]

Just watched him again on PBS, visiting Prague (sorry, GOP - I donate). Beautifully done again; I had never looked him up, and found that he had posted this yesterday on his Facebook page. Thought I would share. I excerpt it here, and some will disagree with him, but I like the cut of his jib:

As Wisconsin-type protests are threatening to break out all over the USA--and regular people are taking huge hits because, as we are being constantly told, “our country is broke”--many are becoming concerned that money spent on our military is money denied other needs in our society. And that comes with a human cost. Reading in The Atlantic, March 15 issue, about how the USA plans to spend $900 billion to buy and operate a fleet of 2,400 new F-35 fighter jets--and then hearing how our country has no money for public-employee benefits, schools, parks, and so on--got me going. (I completely support the USA having the military wherewithal to take swift and decisive action when necessary, and I support our support of the rebels in Libya. But the time has come when the domestic cost of our military budget needs to be considered.). . .

. . . Imagine the impact of US military expenditures on your state’s budget. Maybe you’ve fantasized about winning the lottery. You could do the same for your state if somehow our country (which spends as much as the rest of the planet combined on weapons) became only modestly militaristic and hammered a few extra swords into plowshares.

Talking about the dollars wasted on the military incenses many good security-minded Americans. But I believe the irony of our age is that our military itself—because of the way it bleeds us economically and frays the fabric of our society—is actually becoming a threat to our national security. Yes, that’s irony. What is it about the sacred cow of military spending in today’s USA? Thoughts?

http://www.facebook.com/notes/rick-steves/a-different-way-to-trim-the-budget/10150142262969702#!/notes/rick-steves/a-different-way-to-trim-the-budget/10150142262969702



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