For those who worry about deficit spending

As the economic powers that be persuade themselves that the deepest economic recession since the Great Depression is coming to an end, I’m hearing more and more fuss about the budget deficit. This is old news, but it bears repeating: According to figures in the U.S. State Department’s World Military Expenditures and Arms Transfers report, in 2005, the U.S. spent more on its military than the next 19 countries combined:

Country Military Expenditures
Million dollars
United States
503,000
China, Mainland
85,300
United Kingdom
55,900
France
52,900
Japan
43,800
Germany
38,100
Italy
33,500
Russia
31,100
Saudi Arabia
25,400
India
18,800
Korea, South
18,500
Brazil
13,300
Canada
13,200
Spain
13,100
Australia
13,000
Israel
10,800
Turkey
10,300
Netherlands
9,570
China Taiwan
7,830
Iran
7,210

President Barack Obama has said he wants to improve the image of the United States around the world. The war in Iraq failed to find weapons of mass destruction and failed to halt ethnic cleansing there. The war in Afghanistan long ago lost sight of a purpose to apprehend Osama bin Laden. And everyone wants to spend their money wisely. Look again at that table. Do any ideas come to mind?

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