I'm not saying we should eliminate military spending. But I do think it needs to take a back seat to the building blocks of a sucessful and happy populous.

The following pie chart illustrates the Bush Administration's proposal for federal discretionary spending in fiscal year 2006




Over the past three years two huge tax cuts have decimated our budget, putting more money into the pockets of the nation’s wealthiest while simultaneously taking tax dollars away from our schools, health care programs and national security. If these tax cuts become permanent middle- and low- income taxpayers will bear the brunt of the $2.2 trillion cost in the form of reduced services or higher taxes.

Under the new tax laws:
• Families earning an average of $938,000 receive an average tax break of $51,627, while workers making $35,000 receive an average tax break of $827.
• Corporate taxes at their lowest levels since the 1930’s— corporations have been given $177 billion in tax breaks, plus offshore tax shelters to avoid taxation.
• Fifty billion dollars of revenue lost each year due to widening loopholes and massive corporate tax breaks.
• The tax burden shifts away from millionaires and onto families making less than $75,000 a year.

New proposals, including making the tax cut permanent would:

• Provide the top one percent of Americans with 50 percent of the benefits.
• Give an average $144,000 tax break to Millionaires.
• Cost the United States $20 billion in revenue just to give money back to two percent of wealthy Americans who currently pay an estate tax.
• Force average taxpayers to pay a greater share of their own income for public services that the wealthy use, too.




Economists: Federal deficit a bigger risk than terrorism

http://www.usatoday.com/money/econom...eat-nabe_x.htm

The president, whose approval ratings are down on almost every issue, has yet to sell the country on his plan for Social Security

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7240970/site/newsweek/