http://www.allgov.com/Opinion_from_the_Left/ViewNews/How_to_Spend_the_Money_being_Wasted_on_Defense__Joshua_Holland_110604Since the attacks on September 11, 2001, the U.S. government has committed trillions of dollars towards defending the country from future terrorist assaults. In the process of spending $7.6 trillion to guard national interests, Washington has shortchanged critical domestic programs. This has got to stop, argues Joshua Holland, editor and senior writer at AlterNet, who, using figures compiled by the National Priorities Project, offers up some alternative ways to appropriate defense and homeland security monies.
Fill the Medicare Gap: If Congress redirected just one-fifth of the budget increases from 2000 to 2011 for defense spending, it would be enough to eliminate the long-term budget hole in the Medicare program.
Fund Head Start for 15 Years: Instead of 10 years of warfare in Afghanistan, the U.S. could have secured 15.6 years of early childhood education and support through Head Start for the same price.
Insure the Uninsured: Another way to spend the Afghanistan war chest would be on the uninsured. The budget for fighting the Taliban is enough to cover every American without health insurance for 1.7 years.
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