US Government Spending For Fiscal 2008

   A group called the  War Resisters League has a nifty pie chart that    they say shows you where the US Government's budget funding               for fiscal 2008 goes as compared to where the government claims         that it goes. The numbers below just covers the military portion.              Visit their site for the remainder.

 

Current Military
$727 billion:
• Military Personnel $136 billion
• Operation & Maint. $249 billion
• Procurement $111 billion
• Research & Dev. $70 billion
• Construction $10 billion
• Family Housing $4 billion
• DoD misc. $6 billion
• Retired Pay $52 billion
• DoE nuclear weapons $17 billion
• NASA (50%) $9 billion
• International Security $10 billion
• Homeland Secur. (military) $31 billion
• Exec. Office of President $1 billion
• other military (non-DoD) $1 billion
• plus ... anticipated supplemental war spending requests of $20 billion in addition to $141 billion for Iraq and Afghanistan wars already incorporated into figures above

Past Military,
$461 billion:
• Veterans’ Benefits $85 billion
• Interest on national debt $376 billion (80% est. to be created by military spending)

Technorati tags: US Government, Federal Spending, 2008, military

 

Morning News: Asian Stocks Drop, Huge Explosion In Afghan Capital, US Soldier Ordered To Kill Detainees

AP

TOKYO - Asian stocks plunged Wednesday and European shares opened sharply lower after Wall Street chalked its second-biggest point drop in four years and rattled already nervous markets worldwide.

  The tumble came just as international markets were recovering in recent days from sharp declines in early March amid concerns about overvalued stock prices and slower U.S. economic growth.

* * * *

BBC

   At least four people have been killed and several wounded in a huge explosion at a shop selling ammunition in the Afghan capital, Kabul, police say.                                         

The blast took place in a bazaar where rifles, gunpowder and bullets are sold.                                                                      

Many surrounding shops and houses were destroyed by the force of the blast, which also left a 3m (10ft) crater.

Officials gave conflicting initial information about the cause but have since dismissed reports of a bomb, saying it "was not a terrorist act".

* * * *

Al Jazeera

A US soldier has testified that his commander ordered him to kill three Iraqi detainees, then cut him with a knife to make it look as if there had been a struggle.

Specialist William Hunsaker told a court martial for Ray Girouard on Tuesday that the staff sergeant ordered him and another soldier to free the men, then shoot them as they ran.

 

Technorati tags: news, asian markets, afghanistan, us soldier, ray girouard, iraq