By Christina Fermin
Politics & Society Columnist
With the threat of a government shutdown this past weekend we should reevaluate our priorities in our nations spending. Last year in 2010 the U.S. gross domestic product was $14.6 trillion dollars. Our current national debt is $14.2 trillion dollars, basically what our country as a whole makes in a year we owe in debt. What decisions has our government made that has put us so far in debt? The answer is complex, but at the same time simple, war. Defense spending accounts for anywhere between 40%-55% of the budget.
Our military has over 700 bases in 130 countries around the world, we spend more on the military than China, Russia and most countries combined. Our defense spending is responsible for most national debt. Republicans and democrats have equally stood on the sidelines for years on this issue, and are both responsible for our current budget crisis. Rather than reigning in on Presidential powers or speaking out against the Iraq, Afghanistan and Libyan attacks politicians have done nothing but argue and blame one another.
If we continue on this economic path of destruction the U.S. economy will collapse. It is time to reinvest in the united States of America and fund the things that are going to help stabilize our nation. How can we claim to be a free democratic country when our government hides parts of the defense spending in the name of “national security” to fund illegal operations such as citizen spying performed by the F.B.I., C.I.A., N.S.A and the like. The Federal Reserve Bank has made the situation worse by printing money out of thin air, risking inflation.
So how do we get ourselves out of this? First and foremost we must end all wars and call home our troops. Close corporate tax loopholes, let the Bush tax cuts expire and raise the taxes for the top 1% of the population. We also need to get rid of free trade and raise tariffs. Finally the power of the federal government needs to be reduced back to actual constitution levels so that the power is decentralized again and given back to the states.
We are not the police of the world, and we cannot allow the people we supposedly elect to make decisions that are based on the interests of corporations. Democracy does not work without the participation of the majority, today only a minority participate while a majority of corporations and those with money and influence actively participate. While the republicans and democrats are arguing on how to manage the budget we need to pressure them to call an end to all war and reduce the defense spending that is costing us and future generations a lifetime of debt.
The only way things are going to get done is if we do them ourselves, relying on others to serve our best interests does not work. Get active and involved in your communities, if we cannot take back our federal government, we do have the power to take back our communities, cities, and towns. We will take back our government one community at a time. It is time to do your responsibility and take care of yourself and one another. Like I have said in the past, one person can change the world, it just takes action!
Peace & Harmony,
Christina
About the Columnist
With a bachelors degree in political science from Florida Atlantic University, Christina Fermin has always cultivated her love for history, politics, sociology, ancient knowledge and teachings, the outdoors, the ocean and the environment. Christina strives to make our world better by helping us all create a new reality and understanding of all taking place here and now.
To go with the article, Military spending in 2010 $1.6 TRILLION !!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/10/global-military-spending-_n_847257.html
i totally agree…. i know too many people that died and lots of family that want to be reunited….. its time we go home….
While I completely agree that we need to reassess our Military Priorities, let’s not forget that under George Bush, Domestic spending grew by over 33% JUST on his first term! And when his second Term was dominated by a Democrat Congress, it grew ANOTHER 45%. Unlike Reagan, Bush NEVER vetoed a spending bill.
Truth is that other countries, such as Chile, have come up with innovative solutions to Social Security and ALL spending needs to be cut.
When the Republican Congress working with Clinton passed the Budget surpluses, they kept spending at just 18.9% of GDP. Bush grew it to nearly 21% and under Obama it’s now at over 24%!
To top it off, the Government now has RECORD Revenue, the highest they’ve EVER collected, yet we still have a 1.4 TRILLION $ Deficit.
As Freedom Fighter has stated, our Defense spending is now at 1.6 Trillion, obviously we can’t cut it down to just 200 Billion, it will NEVER happen. The Max the public would ever accept is maybe 20 to 25%, which means we would need to take the rest out of Domestic spending.