On Sat, Feb 08, 2003 at 02:57:29AM -0600, Gary Turner wrote: > Paul Johnson wrote:
> >Considering the military accounts for over 40% of government spending, > >I think we found a place to start trimming fat heavily. Especially if > >our politicians are going to keep claiming we're a peace-loving > >nation. Peace-loving nations don't spend damn near half thier money > >on a military. > > Uh, that's not exactly factual. The 40% you refer must be the amount > spent on militant oldsters for Social Security (22%), Medicare (11%), > and Medicaid (7%). The portion of the budget spent on defense is > 17%.[1] The amazing tales of the amounts supposedly being spent on the > military seem to be urban legends that just keep getting repeated. It's about 40% of *discretionary* spending. So, you're both right. Since Social Security, et al. are mandatory programs with separate payroll deductions, they are often excluded from budget discussions. -- echo ">gra.fcw@2ztr< eryyvZ .T pveR" | rot13 | reverse -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]