The Phoenix January 31, 2007
Staff Editorial: Exploding budget
Throughout our country's history, national defense has taken priority. From the incineration of Nagasaki and the unlawful internment of Japanese Americans during the Second World War, to Reagan's Star Wars missile defense system, the United States has justified horrific acts and outrageous spending to protect our interests and create a military edge over the rest of the world.
On Wednesday, Jan. 23, military officials unveiled to the media a ray gun developed in the name of defense. The gun will not actually go into production until 2010. This weapon is capable of shooting a beam which makes a person feel as though he is about to catch fire. The technology will be used to disperse riot crowds and make enemies drop their weapons. (The estimated cost of the weapon was not released in the Associated Press.) How can we justify what will surely be an enormous expense of tax dollars on such a bizarre and uncertain program?
The director of the non-lethal weapons program, Marine Col. Kirk Hymes, called the weapon, "one of the key technologies for the future." So the question is how much will the military be spending on ray guns between now and 2010?
According to GobalSecurity.org, worldwide military spending each year is about $950 billion. The rest of the world allocates $500 billion for such spending, while the United States alone accounts for the other $450 billion. China comes in at a distant second with $65 billion in spending. The United States spends more than the next 12 countries combined.
Culturally, Americans like to be number one. We admire those who have proven themselves to be better than everyone else, which is what we have done through military spending since the Cold War.
But why does this country have to be the best when it comes to military spending? Why not in education? Healthcare? Social services? Think of the things that could be done at the Department of Education if its $56 billion budget were multiplied by 10 - or even just doubled. Instead of tackling our social security system or offering medical insurance to the 43.6 million Americans without it, the federal government will allocate 20 percent of its total 2007 budget to defense.
Even if the military decreased spending, little would change. The United States is fighting a two front war; billions of dollars must be spent to provide soldiers with the necessary vehicles, defense equipment and weapons to continue combat. However, the outrageous defense spending is like throwing money into fire and, literally, into a weapon that makes you feel like you're on fire.
© Copyright 2007, The Phoenix
