the CO$T of WAR
The U.S. has a population of over 300 million in a world of nearly 7 billion people, 4% of the world's population, yet accounts for over 41% of officially acknowledged worldwide government military spending. The U.S. has the world's second largest military with 1,445,000 active duty personnel, with an additional 1.2 million National Guard and other components. The War Department also has over 800,000 civilian employees worldwide. The Pentagon has over 3.5 million people excluding private military contractors, and a current military and war budget exceeding 1.1 trillion dollars. The U.S. sells or gives its military weaponry to nearly 2/3 of the world's nations accounting for 68.4% of the global arms sales. The U.S. has established its control over at least 191 governments and has over 700 military bases on foreign soil; and 12,000 nuclear weapons.
Informationclearinghouse, published in The Catholic Agitator of 2/10/10
“Ladies, do you know the numbers? Our taxes are higher than three billion and the ministers of the army and navy devour a third themselves... The household with six francs a day for expenses, for example, starts each day by throwing two francs away.”
--Sylvia Flammarion, 1905 speech to working class French women. |
