There is absolutely no excuse for the amount of money our government wastes on the military .If we had rational government , it would reduce our military spending by at least 75 % .

Yet some bitch some are not paying enough taxes? How much is 'enough'? As stewards of the kitty perhaps an overhaul of priorities might be in order?

I think this is even more telling (from the original link):

In 2000, the Pentagon admitted it has lost -- yes, lost -- $2.3 trillion. In 2003, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that a subsequent Department of Defense study said it was only $1 trillion. To put such numbers in perspective, contemplate what those sums could finance. $1 trillion, for instance, could pay the total cost of universal healthcare for the long haul. $2.3 trillion would cover universal healthcare plus the bank bailout plus the stimulus package.

How in the hell do you lose a trillion dollars? We weren't even at war in 2000. Does this number raise exponentially because we are at war?

I worked for the federal government for a few years as a civilian and I could tell you stories...I have not read the article yet but I can think of many ways it could happen....when I worked for the Marines, at the end of the year if we had money left over we were told to spend it and not give it back, so we bought things that we not only did not need but we never, ever used...multiply this by all the military and it adds up...we were told to do this because, we wanted the same or more money the next year....Fraud, waste and abuse

Fraud, waste, and abuse about covers it, Pam. Because otherwise, your budget gets cut. So we have a ton of armament in development, which won't work, or is outdated. Do we really need to kill off the world with what we already have in stock?

Great post. I fear there is more that we do not know.

I had a discussion with a friend over giving money to public radio. We are both poor because both of us have been marginally employed -- cobbling together part-time jobs -- for years. She finally found a full-time job in 2007 at 55. It is not a well-paying post but it has allowed her to pledge $10/month to public radio (the only news I rely on).

I know how much she gives up. I give up as much and more but I feel I can not make such a commitment as I need to personally keep track of every penny.

What has this to do with military spending as reported by Pamela?

It's this: when you have an unlimited source of funds, you spend without limits and you exercise no control over that spending.

What's a trillion dollars when you are standing at the end of the rainbow, in the pot of gold?

Remember those hearings 30 plus years ago about hammers and toilets that were billed to the government by the military at ridiculous costs? I suspect we all thought that exposing that fraud then would end. Some how, that last bit reminds me of Hamlet. No wonder he hesitated to act . . . it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. Yeah, I know that's MacBeth but the dilemma is the same.

True, but with the F-117, the B-1, the B-2, and the SR-71 the Military has been able to get their own reality TV Show; The Military Chanel. Ain’t that cool Bubba?

Ike had it right when he warned us about the military industrial complex. how many carrier battle groups do we have now? I think it's 11 of them. where in the hell is the threat that justifies that? actually LLL the miliary channel has some pretty good history. just watched a show on the waste of men to WW1.

Dragon, I would be interested in a show on the waste of men during WWI. did not know that was a military channel.