War costs leading to collapse

Yes, war is bankrupting the United States of America (see Gary Foster’s Dec. 29 letter). U.S. “defense” spending is 41.5 percent of total global defense spending. During the fiscal year ’09 U.S. debt increased just under 20 percent to $12 trillion. America’s military budget is more than seven times that of its closest competitor – China. If the U.S. spent the same on “defense” as China, we’d have spent $520 billion less this year, just under $1,700 for every man, woman and child in America. That’s a lot of money in our household. These numbers are calculated from figures available at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Web site.

Bombing nations of people halfway around the earth might make sense if there was something more honorable to our purposes than keeping oil pipelines and opium production flowing, and that perennial suspect, supporting war profiteering. As ever, the official justifications are not to be believed – a simple exercise of “follow the money” explains motives. War begets more war – and tends to escalate. Imagine that. Please.

Are we nuts? Is America’s national leadership corrupt? (Yes.) Shouldn’t we stop this? Or shall we just let this empire’s collapse run its insane course?

Dan Treecraft

Spokane