Tramp, Tramp, Tramp

Following up on yesterday's lament about the gargantuan amount of our national treasure we're giving to the U.S. military establishment, consider this: The U.S. war department [I have decided I am no longer going to refer to these people as the Department of Defense. When the government was founded in 1789 it was the "war department." It did not become the Dept of Defense till after WWII when the military establishment had its beginnings as the bloated monster it has become.] has roughly 1,000 bases around the globe for our "defense." (This doesn't count the over 4,000 military sites we have here in the U.S.) Just roll that number around in your head for a bit. If you're not saying "what the hell!" and "how much is all of this costing?", then you're not paying attention.

The "What the Hell!" is a natural reaction. The answer to what it's costing us is quite another matter. But there's a guy who's done all that homework in this lengthy article.

The bottom line is approximately $170 billion. Can you imagine all the good we could do here at home with this money we're spending to cover the globe with our war-makers?

That tramp, tramp, tramp you hear is the sound of your money marching away to the great beyond.