The US military budget has been steadily growing since 2001, sometimes by leaps and bounds. Yet Pentagon officials and most members of Congress say it needs yet more. Why is that? It is true government figures always understate costs. The Pentagon budget is no exception. Congress in Dec passed a US$453 billion defense appropriations bill for fiscal year 2006. In fact, the total amount to be spent for the Dept of Defense in 2006 is $13 billion to $63 billion more, the latter figure assuming full funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. If you also count non-DoD "national defense" costs, add another $21 billion, and if you count defense-related security costs, such as homeland security, the release numbers are low by more than $200 billion. The 2007 budget request of $439 billion marks an increase of about 27% in real terms since 9 11, 2001, according to one analysis. This figure does not include $21.8 billion for Energy Dept spending on nuclear-weapons activities. Nor does it...
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Editor - 23:36:00 07-31-06
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 Drugs: the real deal |
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Editor - 23:26:00 07-31-06
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| U.N. continues to press for Mideast resolution |
| Israel vowed today to widen its ground offensive against Hezbollah in south Lebanon as world diplomats at the United Nations pushed for a cease-fire.Israel's Security Cabinet said the new offensive would begin .. full News |
Editor - 23:18:00 07-31-06
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| Kidnappers grab 29 people in Baghdad |
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Editor - 22:56:00 07-31-06
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| Britain, Calif. to work together on global warming |
| California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, accusing Washington of lacking leadership on the environment, committed his state on Monday to work with Britain to reduce greenhouse gases linked to global warming. Briti.. full News |
Editor - 22:49:00 07-31-06
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| Trapped Lebanese Flee Town During Break Trapped residents of shattered Bint Jbail flee during break in bombings |
| The elderly man stumbled over the rubble, his crumpled suit hanging off his shrunken frame, his loose pants held together by a pin after eating only a piece of candy a day."I haven't seen the sun for 20 days," .. full News |
Editor - 22:47:00 07-31-06
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