Interesting chart. There are several whoppers there, in comparative terms.

The sad part is that defense spending was trending down since the end of the Cold War, until 9/11 took place.

Hmm, funny thing from the chart, veteran medical care 25,4 billion yearly. Guess waging war has cost’s even after the actual fighting has stopped (not that I’m against veteran medical care).

Interesting that I couldn’t find medicare (I’m not sure if that’s the right name) from the chart, even though their responsible for paying medical care for the elderly, maybe their under the national institute of health, but then again why wouldn’t they show up on the chart unless they’d use less than 0.200 billion a year. And then their’s the medical care for poor people too, that also seems to be less than 0.200 billion/year. But hey, for 5.17 billion a year you get F-22 raptors for the flyboys, so everything is well.

And then their’s the 29.185 billion for Department of Homeland security, which managed mainly to embaress itself last fall. But I guess it all goes for good causes, especially the 4.141 billion to foreign military financing, which for some obscure reason is handled under department of State and Internatiol assistance, and hell just seems to be the biggest amount out of all of those under that department.

Interesting that I couldn’t find medicare

The explanation is given in the center circle of the chart. This chart does not include Social Security and Medicare, because those are not part of the dicretionary budget, but are separate taxes, apart from Federal Income Tax.

I find the Internal Revenue Service’s budget most depressing: $10.4 billion is spent to collect $782 billion in taxes.

I also don’t get $2.3 billion for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, given their tax-exempt status, and booming casino industry.

HUD spending is bigger than I thought; given the boom in real estate, it seems unnecessary to spend that much.

The main problem with all the armed forces weapons projects, – in addition to infrastructural bases – is that many of these projects the Pentagon would like to end, but pork-barrel state-side politicians have voted to keep them alive, just to win votes back home.

That’s also why the defense budget is so huge: it is the only expenditure that cannot be duplicated by market forces, necessitating government involvement. Most all of the civilian projects are harder for congressmen to defend, because critics will point out that the market is already spending money on them, in one form or another. So if a congressman wants to prove their worth, the Pentagon becomes a cash cow for many of them to go a-milking.

“Interesting that I couldn’t find medicare”

It says in the chart that medicare is not included because “Congress has not control over mandatory expenditures such as social security and medicare.”

why will this make me sick to my stomach?

Thanks Phil, Cool Chart.

Too bad it only covers Discresionary spending which on this chart totals 782 Billion. Missing items (non-discresionary spending) include the following:

Interest in the Debt: $321 Billion for 2004
(Third largest budget item)

Medicare: $258 billion

Food Stamps: $25 Billion

Social Security: $534 Billion out
(But will collect 668 Billion)

It is kind of a shame that the chart didn’t include these items too. The missing items are a big chunk of the tax spending. 1/4 of the budget is solely for interest on the debt. The total budget for 2004 was about $2.2 Trillion. So the chart covers less than half of what the US spends. Kind of odd that the reason that it was not included was because the spending was mandatory and congress has no control over it. That’s not true. Bush Wants to reform Social Security, but nobody wants to touch it. Shame because in a couple of years it will be paying out much more than it takes in.

Kind of odd that the reason that it was not included was because the spending was mandatory and congress has no control over it.

Good point, Fred. I tend to think that the reason for the omission was to heighten the amount spent on defense.

Yes, the point of the rather pretty picture is to show how much the USA spends on defence.

There is of course the argument that the USA’s huge military capability means that Europeans can get away with skimping on defense, and spending a lot of what they do spend on national-service style amateur armies. If you believe that then the graph should be more of a source of comfort than sickness to us old-worlders.

If if if….

-BM

slightly off the topic

Phil and all of phils readers, this is propably old but it’s really funny, google asshole and then press the “I’m Feeling Lucky” button…

9. Yeah, old meme. Bit like pressing the “I’m Feeling Lucky” button with the world failure.

“national-service style amateur armies.” sure summs up why the uSA had to resolve the Balkins mess all by itself.

(We paid 90% of that bill, so I can say we did it all)

Finnpundit,

I have no real knowledge of how the Bureau of Indian Affairs spends the tax dollars it gets but most of Native Americans are dead poor and get nothing from the casino industry. You’re saying that the federal government SHOULDN’T try to help them out?

“national-service style amateur armies.” sure summs up why the uSA had to resolve the Balkins mess all by itself.

(We paid 90% of that bill, so I can say we did it all)

yep you can say you did it all and you can also say that you caused all the iraq mess yourselves,ye really have made the world a safer place

The Department of Transportation ‘Disk’ is missing the US Maritime Administration.

I’m totally against the ideology that the USA are making the world a better/safer place. I think this applies specially to the war in Iraq. Sure Saddam was a tyrant but if you look at Irak’s situation right now, I ain’t sure if it’s a better country now then it was under Saddam’s regime. Now if you take the Vietnam war, they tried to be the world police and ended up getting their ass kicked and let the “bad guys” win. Communism, and I’ve noticed from an American friend of mine that most Americans are 100% against it, isn’t a bad ideology it’s just that whenever a regime tries to use it, it’s for power and fortune. For the wrong reasons in the end. I’m glad the USA came and helped out Europe during WWII and they were much of a support but I still believe they only got involved because they had somethings to protect and to gain out of it. They only did get involved after being attacked by Japan and at that time, the Nazis had already conquered most of the strongest europeans countries. Anyway, thats just what I think about Americas “world policing” ideology.

I’m totally against the ideology that the USA are making the world a better/safer place.

I’m against it, too. Since 9/11, I only care about making the world a better/safer place for the US.

As so much of the thinking behind 9/11 was inspired by Europeans, it seems to me that there is little for the US to gain by worrying about the rest of the world’s security.

Yep, we don’t care about the world anymore, just the USA. That’s the new memo to a tee.

When the EU finally figures that out, the shock will set them off to no end.

It will be some time before they even wake up, so I am not expecting the light to shine soon in any EU country’s head.

I don’t know if 9/11 was inspired by Euro’s, but their attitude after 9/11 tells the USA they are not on our side. Thus the Europeans are the enemy as much as the Muslim Extremists are.

“When the EU finally figures that out, the shock will set them off to no end.”

Too bad that they are too busy giving money to Hamas to figure anything out. Basic rule, get them to change BEFORE giving them money.

Funny how they have money for this things but don’t have cash for other useful stuff.

Money to Hamas?

Didn’t Sadam just do that and now he finds himself out of power?

When will the Euro’s learn anything. Again another reason the Euro’s are not our friends in this war.

winter, you see a friend do a damn stupid thing, you don’t enable him. Like lending money to a drunk, a gambler or a junkie.

And Finnpundit,
the Bureau of Indian Affairs exists because when the surviving Indians were herded into the worst possible lands in America,
the white man never imagined there might be valuable mineral resources in them thar hills.
(If they’d have known, they’d have killed them pesky Injuns and got it over with.)
So the BIA acts as a trustee for the Indians and sells off their resources at a ridiculous price to well-connected companies.

On 9/11 just watched “loose change”.. very eye opening!

prince

when you see a friend get mugged, you don’t just stand there and be a critic.

But then again you all had a cartoon lash back, and guess who stood by and laughed.

what goes around comes around, I guess.

http://www.hespos.com/archives/000546.html

And the cars keep getting bigger, everybody’s getting their SUV’s.