$735,700,000,000

[unhappycamper]

That's the budget for the Department of Defense for 2009. (Iraq and Afghanistan are costing us $12,000,000,000 to $13,000,000,000 a week.)

That's almost 3/4 of a trillion ($1,000,000,000,000) dollars.

Can someone please tell me why?

[Tyler Durden]

1. Gotta pay those execs at the defense contractors.....

HARD to pay salaries 100 times higher than the lowest paid employee and still make a profit.

[A HERETIC I AM]

2. Because big defense budget = big penis.

And we HAVE to have a big penis to wag at the rest of the world.

[EmperorHasNoClothes]

3. It's all about wealth redistribution

Funneling money from the American taxpayers to defense contractors. The republicans (no longer "conservatives") look at government as a means of building wealth.

[meegbear]

4. Some guy named Hal Burton keeps sending them bills ...

and they just keep paying 'em.

[islandmkl]

6. OIL = BLACK GOLD = BLACKWATER =

black eye for us, black ink for halliburton

[sinkingfeeling]

5. It's because 'the terrorists are out to kill us all.- G.W. Bush

[B Calm]

7. The national debt today: $9,274,509,930,415.43

Your share of the debt:
$30,679.76

[islandmkl]

8. maybe we can get China and Saudi Arabia to split it...

and just send us checks to cover it.

[islandmkl]

9. oh, wait a minute...we OWE THEM the money