Professor Noam Chomsky was interviewed recently about war and peace. One of the facts that he mentioned, which of course NO ONE in our embedded mainstream media ever reports is this:
“ Some background facts may be useful. According to the major international monitor, SIPRI, “The growth in total [military] spending in 2020 was largely influenced by expenditure patterns in the United States and China. The USA increased its military spending for the third straight year to reach $778 billion in 2020,” as compared with China’s increase to $252 billion (far less per capita of course). In fourth place, below India, is Russia: $61.7 billion. ”
There you have it folks. All the BS about us not having enough funding for Medicare for All or food stamps, free college to name just a few is bunk. Factor the obscene military spending with the top 37% federal tax bracket that saves mega millionaires and billionaires hundreds of billions of dollars annually. Does anyone realize that about half of our federal spending goes down the military rabbit hole? Does anyone remember, since our educational system makes sure to pass over it, that in 1961, when JFK took office, the top federal income tax bracket was at 90%? Or that it was 60% in 1971? 50% in 1981?
One does not need to be a genius to understand this: The more money spent on the military does NOT translate into us being a safer country. Check out what just went down regarding Afghanistan. Trillions of dollars of your and my taxpayer dollars went down the sewer of endless war. Another fact: The more the super rich save in paying taxes takes away needed funds from our treasury to help working stiffs and the indigent. When my late mother was in a local nursing home 20 years ago, her denture cracked. They called around and found out that NOT ONE cosmetic dentistry place in the entire county would accept Medicaid. Not one! She went to her grave with her cracked denture. Yet, mega millionaires and billionaires are happier than a ‘ pig in shit’. As economist Robert Reich explains: ” It is nice that Jeff Bezos donated 100 million dollars to food banks. That covers 11 days of his earnings… out of 365.” If Bezos was around when that man from Galilee walked amongst us, and he was enchanted by Jesus so much to wish to follow him… remember the famous quip by Jesus: ” Easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich man to go to heaven.”
As more and more working stiffs get evicted from ‘ Way too high’ rentals, will people start to wake up!? The Vietnam debacle ended earlier than the provocateurs of it had wished. Why? When people like my late father, a Goldwater and Nixon supporter by the way, raised his voice at a Palm Sunday dinner with my relatives in 1971 and said: ” Before I let my two sons get sent to Vietnam I will drive them up to Canada myself! ” The streets of my NYC, along with countless other cities across America, were filled with citizens, of all ages, demanding the insanity ended! Since they were mostly all voters, the ‘ Minions of empire’ in government positions did like Bob Dylan had predicted: ” You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.” Since we have this terrible One Party/ Two Party fiasco, it shouldn’t take too many of us to push that envelope again. How long can the hundreds of millions of us who are maybe a few paychecks away from financial crisis put up with ‘ Capitalism on Steroids’ ?
Philip A Farruggio is regular columnist on It’s the Empire… stupid website. He is also frequently posted on Nation of Change, and Countercurrents.org,. He is the son and grandson of Brooklyn NYC longshoremen and a graduate of Brooklyn College, class of 1974. Since the 2000 election debacle Philip has written over 400 columns on the Military Industrial Empire and other facets of life in an upside down America. He is also host of the ‘ It’s the Empire… Stupid ‘ radio show, co produced by Chuck Gregory. Philip can be reached at [email protected].
