Wars Are Expensive

[Klavdy]

Not to mention that some are unjust, pointless and unending.
Makes you wonder what the agenda is and why.

[SlowOldGuy]

I have no opinion on the subject, but the data presentation is misleading.

The Addiction RATE as a percent of the population may be a flat line, but the NUMBER of ADDICTS is NOT a flat line.  It increases as the population increases. 

Granted, I don't think the population increase is near as bad as the Spending curve, but it's definitely not decreasing.

DavidR.

[Bill_Rockoff]

It's a business. Lots of people make a living prosecuting the war on drugs, housing the "criminals" (we sub out imprisonment to private firms! No conflict of interest there...) and they make sure to fund its continuation at every turn.

And if you can get enough community emotional investment in the war of the moment, nobody looks too closely at the cost, or even allows for reasonable discussion on whether or not it's a worthwhile fight.

"How dare you question this? What's wrong with you, do you hate America / favor drunk driving / want kids to overdose on heroin / condone a zillion miles an hour through school zones? Because if you don't fund this enforcement, that's where you're leading us!"

We did this for years with "the double nickel," our national 55 mph speed limit. Insurance industry groups fought to keep that as long as they could, because lower limits = more violations = justification to raise rates without corresponding actual increases in risk.

Lobby for legislation that favors your industry, spend your money to prime the pump so even more comes out, repeat.  Even better if you can arrange it so that legislation favors (tax exemptions) or even requires your services.

Follow the money.

[RichBaker]

Interesting graph, what is the source?  I don't doubt it, just want to be able to pass it along and have a reliable source to point to...

[Klavdy]

Interesting graph, what is the source?  I don't doubt it, just want to be able to pass it along and have a reliable source to point to...

Oh, sory, there's a couple of places,

[urlhttp://reason.com/blog/2012/10/11/forty-years-of-drug-war-failure-in-a-sin]Here's One[/url] it's got links to other sources,

here's another

[Pat Conlon]

Our country became great by investing in our infrastructure, e.g. Erie Canal, Hoover Dam, Golden Gate Bridge, interstate freeway system, etc, etc.....Can anyone remember our last great public works project?
Boston's big dig? That was what, like 15 years ago?
Instead we have spent trillions on weapons, wars and Viagra.

It seems that our country is one big limp dick.

[I make oil]

Our country became great by investing in our infrastructure, e.g. Erie Canal, Hoover Dam, Golden Gate Bridge, interstate freeway system, etc, etc.....Can anyone remember our last great public works project?
Boston's big dig? That was what, like 15 years ago?
Instead we have spent trillions on weapons, wars and Viagra.

It seems that our country is one big limp dick.

Sad but true.  I work all over the world and see innovative spirit in many places and it's exciting.  I return home and see very little.  I have to say our society is drifting towards an apathetic Mommy state mentality.  We over regulate ourselves into passivity wanting others to make our choices for us.  Accountability for our actions is being blamed on others and no one is allowed to fail.  Here Little Johnny is your 10th place trophy we all win.  Where is the incentive to excell?  It's being taken away and given to those less fortunate.  Hey we all have to pay our fair share right?  Bullshit.  If you use drugs you made the choice you live with the consequences whatever they might be.  Why should we spend all our money fighting a "war" on drugs?  Tax them like cigarettes and alcohol put the money in the General fund and let people make their own choices.  Win/Win. People make their own choice, no money going out in the "war" and additional revenue from the taxation.

[rktmanfj]

Can anyone remember our last great public works project?
Boston's big dig? That was what, like 15 years ago?

Not exactly a good example of a 'great public works project', IMO.           

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Dig

[andyb]

Our country became great by investing in our infrastructure, e.g. Erie Canal, Hoover Dam, Golden Gate Bridge, interstate freeway system, etc, etc.....Can anyone remember our last great public works project?
Boston's big dig? That was what, like 15 years ago?
Instead we have spent trillions on weapons, wars and Viagra.

It seems that our country is one big limp dick.

The leadership certainly is.

Just because we haven't had an impressive structure built doesn't mean we haven't put money into infrastructure.  For example the fairly recent hurricane that levelled much of the southeast of the country... I understand some effort/money was expended there.  (Not the place to argue if it was enough, too much, etc.)  More importantly, all of the projects you mentioned were "disasters" for the local wildlife and so on.  Can't wait until we can move the ecoidiots to their own personal cave and let them die from polio and tuberculosis while they starve when their organic farming shows itself as inadequate.

What do you expect from the government though?  Politics is what the best of the laywers go for... and it's not like anyone holds them in high regards, yeah?   The system is fundamentally flawed because we've allowed it to become that way.  There's a number of things that could be done to fix it (probably .22 to save money, but it'd work), but the easiest starting solution that I've thought of is:  All politicians, elected officals and such, should be paid equal to the average earnings of the people they represent.  Immediately, they'd fight towards improving the lives (financially at least) for those who voted for them.

[Dan Filetti]

There's a candidate here in PA that has been saying that if he was elected he would introduce a bill that would say Congress does not get paid if they do not pass a budget.

It wold never pass, but I like the idea. if you don't do you're job, you do not get paid....

Dan

[56 CHEVY]

..All politicians, elected officals and such, should be paid equal to the average earnings of the people they represent.

To which I would also include their health insurance benefits.

[jamesearthdrum]

Can anyone remember our last great public works project?
Boston's big dig? That was what, like 15 years ago?

Not exactly a good example of a 'great public works project', IMO.           

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Dig

I'll second that!

[Alf]

Our country became great by investing in our infrastructure, e.g. Erie Canal, Hoover Dam, Golden Gate Bridge, interstate freeway system, etc, etc.....Can anyone remember our last great public works project?
Boston's big dig? That was what, like 15 years ago?
Instead we have spent trillions on weapons, wars and Viagra.

It seems that our country is one big limp dick.

My country, Spain, has spent (and been stolen by politicians & friends) a lot of mega-structures in the last years:
- We are the 2nd country in the world in high velocity train lines, after China (what the hell if the super expensive trains only are used by 7 people daily?
- We have more high way km. per habitant that any country in Europe (it´s not important the astronomical costs incurred due to the political corruption)
- We have 52 airports. Germany only 39 (poor  ignorant Boches!!. what if most of them cost a fortune to maintain and there are no flights arriving?)
- We have the most inversions in ecological energies (and the most expensive energy in Europe, traduced to a not competitive industrial sector that have decreased more in this crisis than in our Civil War)

So speaking about infrastructure... A wise President of your country told that the best people to decide the money destiny is the People, not the Government, and that the money must stay in the people pockets

[fj11.5]

Hell yeah, , pay the bastards for what they do / have done, not what they say they will do, , like the idea of paying them a normal wage , , cut back on the free trips too , 120k just because his wife wanted to fly with him , no cost to either of them,   , where is your tax money going