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> We're military first, people second, and science last. 2013 United States Federal Budget Outlays[1] Agency Billions --

> We're military first, people second, and science last. 2013 United States Federal Budget Outlays[1] Agency Billions ------------------------------------- -------- Department of HHS (Medicare+Medicaid) 940.9 Social Security Administration 882.7 Department of Defense, including wars 672.9 Interest on Debt 246.0 ... NASA 17.8 ... National Science Foundation 7.5 To me it looks like spending on people is more than 2x spending on military (including wars). But you're right about putting science last, as far as federal spending goes. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_United_States_federal_budget#Total_revenues_and_spending http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_United_States_federal_budg...

rosser 13y ago
In terms of absolute dollar-outlay amounts, perhaps. But in terms of discretionary spending — the things on which we can choose to spend money — blowing shit up accounts for more than half of it. Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security are monies the government is obligated to spend, and so in terms of a discussion of our priorities, aren't exactly relevant. Source: the same Wikipedia article you used.
- nickff 13y ago
  Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security spending are all within the discretion of congress to change or eliminate; the only difference between "discretionary" and "non-discretionary" is that the latter do not require annual appropriations. The "discretionary" v. "non-discretionary" divide is a fiction created for the convenience of the congress.
drzaiusapelord 13y ago
First off, that includes running the current winding-down war today (thanks obama), many years after its peak. Those wars cost us 2t already and 4t when you consider our long term committments of taking care of our veterans. Social security isn't discretionary spending or an entitlement. Its a fucking national retirenment buy-in program thats helped eliminate much senior poverty. Medicare is the healthcare end of this. I pay in so I get something back in the future. We'd have less interest debt if we could pay for our wars, but can't thus that huge interest debt, or at least a large part of it. Bush walked in with little debt and left us a shit-pile of war debt. Wars and all these wargames are discretionary and massive. Its the obvious cut for a sane society. Problem is, this isn't a sane society.
ck2 13y ago
"defense" spending is sneakily broken up across many departments far further down that list - it exceeds social security, easily Homeland Security is not in the Department of Defense either, neither is the VA, NSA or other stuff they sneakily break up. Well over a trillion. For war.
- lostlogin 13y ago
  This comment is great. Social spending is lumped together - look how much it is! But military spending is broken up, hidden, obfuscated and fudged. And where does the cost of treating the hundreds of thousands of conflict veterans come from? The military budget? Or so called social benefits?

rosser 13y ago

In terms of absolute dollar-outlay amounts, perhaps. But in terms of discretionary spending — the things on which we can choose to spend money — blowing shit up accounts for more than half of it. Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security are monies the government is obligated to spend, and so in terms of a discussion of our priorities, aren't exactly relevant. Source: the same Wikipedia article you used.

nickff 13y ago
Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security spending are all within the discretion of congress to change or eliminate; the only difference between "discretionary" and "non-discretionary" is that the latter do not require annual appropriations. The "discretionary" v. "non-discretionary" divide is a fiction created for the convenience of the congress.

drzaiusapelord 13y ago

First off, that includes running the current winding-down war today (thanks obama), many years after its peak. Those wars cost us 2t already and 4t when you consider our long term committments of taking care of our veterans. Social security isn't discretionary spending or an entitlement. Its a fucking national retirenment buy-in program thats helped eliminate much senior poverty. Medicare is the healthcare end of this. I pay in so I get something back in the future. We'd have less interest debt if we could pay for our wars, but can't thus that huge interest debt, or at least a large part of it. Bush walked in with little debt and left us a shit-pile of war debt. Wars and all these wargames are discretionary and massive. Its the obvious cut for a sane society. Problem is, this isn't a sane society.

ck2 13y ago

"defense" spending is sneakily broken up across many departments far further down that list - it exceeds social security, easily Homeland Security is not in the Department of Defense either, neither is the VA, NSA or other stuff they sneakily break up. Well over a trillion. For war.

lostlogin 13y ago
This comment is great. Social spending is lumped together - look how much it is! But military spending is broken up, hidden, obfuscated and fudged. And where does the cost of treating the hundreds of thousands of conflict veterans come from? The military budget? Or so called social benefits?