Military Spending 'Outrageous'

TO THE EDITORS:

On July 6, 2010, Reps. Barney Frank (D) and Ron Paul (R) statedin a blog, "As members of opposing political parties ... it isirrefutably clear to us that, if we do not make substantial cuts inthe projected levels of Pentagon spending, we will do substantialdamage to our economy and dramatically reduce our quality of life."

According to information from the Internet on world militaryspending, in 2009, we were responsible for 46.5 percent of themilitary expenditures of our entire planet. Furthermore, we spendseven times more than China, 13 times more than Russia and 73 timesmore than Iran in military expenditures. This is outrageous.

Every year, the Pentagon asks for more and gets it while moniesfor our own needs get cut. This is even more outrageous.

I heartily endorse Frank and Paul's proposal to cut Pentagonspending. Let's use at least some of that money for improving thequality of life in our own country.

Golly gee, among other things, we desperately need jobs. Let'sbring them home from Afghanistan. Joblessness is crushing many ofus.

Journalist and antiwar activist Norman Solomon reports that,among Americans with an annual household income of less than$12,500, the unemployment rate is a staggering 30.8 percent - fivetimes higher than the overall jobless rate at the height of theGreat Depression.

The Congressional Research Service estimates that it costs $1million a year to support one soldier in Afghanistan. That means weare spending $98 billion a year to support 98,000 American jobs inAfghanistan. How totally absurd.

That kind of dough would provide work for 10 times as many or980,000 stateside jobs at $100,000 a year and/or 20 times as many or1.96 million stateside jobs at $50,000 a year.

What a lift that would give to our own ailing economy, wouldn'tyou agree?

Daniel Riehl

Manheim Township