Excellent Graphic of the US Federal Budget

[Strong Eagle]

One of the best interactive graphics I've see to show how the federal budget is broken down.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010 ... udget.html

[sundaymorningstaple]

I've posted this already on your FB page, but to get it rolling over here, I'm cutting & pasting!

SMS, just noting that Defense (738 billion), Social Security (738 billion), Medicare and Medicaid (879 billion) and Debt Interest (251 billion) add up to 2.6 trillion and are essentially untouchable right now. Out of the remainder, you've got another 178 billion for military pensions and retirements, 158 billion for unemployment insurance, plus another 71 billion for federal employees retirement. Too cut meaningfully is to kill off a lot of the defense budget. Killing parks, state department and such may be symbolic but really don't solve the problem.

No argument, I agree 100%, but defense? Do we really need all of that? I mean, shucks, if it were for defense, I'd not have a problem with it. But, the meaning of Defense is a lot different than the "Aggression" in places where we don't need to be and are not wanted in.......! If it were all for "Defense", I wouldn't have a problem with it. And still, where the money coming from?

[aster]

Do the billions (or is it now trillions?) wasted on Iraq go under national defense?