More than 50 years ago, President, and former five star general, Dwight Eisenhower warned America about what he called the military-industrial complex. More than any president before or since Eisenhower understood the rapacious greed of the corporations that made up this sector of our economy. He was right. The U.S. has by far the largest military budget in the world at $767.8 billion in 2021. It is so large that is greater than the next seven largest national budgets combined. China’s budget is the next largest at $270 billion. In comparison, the other four nations had more modest outlays that same year, ranging from Saudi Arabia’s $53.8 billion to India’s $73.6 billion. Why is the American budget so large? Because the military-industrial corporations pour hundreds of millions into Congress to bribe both Republicans and Democrats to vote for this outrageous budget, which both Republican and Democrat Presidents signed off on. It is the biggest single grift going on in the United States. I want to be clear here. This is not about the military itself. Neither enlisted nor officers get anything like what they would get in the private sector. A private first class with 8 years of service gets $23,011.20 annually. The highest ranking general or admiral running what would be a multibillion-dollar corporation in the private sector gets $203,000 annually. What is going on here is the sheer greed of the corporations; it is one of the sweetest deals in America, and you and I are paying for it.
The average U.S. taxpayer in 2022 spent over four times as much on Pentagon contractors than on primary and secondary education, according to the annual Tax Day analysis published in recent days by the Institute for Policy Studies’ National Priorities Project.
NPP found that, on average, American taxpayers contributed $1,087 to Pentagon contractors, compared with $270 for K-12 education. The top military contractor — Lockheed Martin — received $106 from the average taxpayer, while just $6 went to funding renewable energy.
According to the analysis, the average 2022 U.S. taxpayer:
Paid $74 for nuclear weapons, and just $43 for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;
Spent $70 on deportations and border control, versus just $19 for refugee assistance;
Contributed $20 for federal prisons, and just $11 for anti-homelessness programs; and
Gave $298 to the top five military contractors, and just $19 for mental health and substance abuse.
“The main message? Our government is continuing to invest too much in the military, and in militarized law enforcement, and not nearly enough on prevention, people, and our communities,” NPP said.
