Of the most recent 470 billion dollar "defense" spending bill authorized by the US senate a mere 63 billion more is for Iraq an Afghanistan

470,000,000,000

The bill sailed through by a vote of 98-0 after senators added money to help track down al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and fight the opium trade in Afghanistan that is helping fuel the Taliban's resurgence. More successes of the Bush Con winning Strategy and plan for imperial domination of oil rich areas
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The bill now totals $469.7 billion. It grew by more than $16 billion during a debate that began in July before it was suspended during lawmakers' four-week August recess. That's just this year. It is also only part of the military expenditure. They hide the other funding bills to bury the costs out of public sight.
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The bill also contains $1.8 billion to construct 370 miles of fencing and almost 500 miles of vehicle barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border. A gift to Lockheed
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The defense bill contains $99 billion for personnel costs; $126 billion for operations and maintenance; $81 billion for weapons procurement; and $73 billion for research and development. What personnel are drawing that kind of payroll?
Not the people doing the actual FIGHTING. One way or another almost every penny of this appropriation is going to a handful of well connected "defense contractors" such as Lockheed, Custer Battels, Halliburton.
And your armed services, paid for dearly from your taxes at the expense of your health care, education, infrastructure and a clean envrionemnt is now a mercenary force, privatized by creepy corporatist sociopaths who run washington.
History clearly shows the value of mercenaries. But Bushies don't read.
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