Self Portrait XXV

Here is how much the US government will spend on my protection in 2012 : $ 531B base budget+$115 B for overseas contingency operations (source: The Pentagon)

But there is more. After adjusting for double counting and offsetting receipts, America will spend $125B on veterans, $49B for seperate retirement funds, $42B on homeland security, $22B on foreign military sales and aid, and $18B on nuclear programs. Throw in $58B to cover a fair share of the government's military related interest cost and the total is .. .$960B. Give or take . (Source: Financial Times). This is 6% of GDP and 26% of Federal spending.

Repub contender Mitt Romney on Memorial Day :
"We have two courses we can follow: One is to follow in the pathway of Europe, to shrink our military smaller and smaller to pay for our social needs. The other is to commit to preserve America as the strongest military in the world, second to none, with no comparable power anywhere in the world."