The World's Largest Military Budget
 

I found this out and it made me feel both safe and sick at the same time.

America spends $399,100,000,000 on the Military each year.

Top global issues and the Annual Amount Needed to Solve the Problem:
• Eliminate Starvation and Malnutrition ($19 billion)
• Provide Shelter ($21 billion)
• Remove Landmines ($4 billion)
• Eliminate Nuclear Weapons ($7 billion)
• Refugee Relief ($5 billion)
• Eliminate Illiteracy ($5 billion)
• Provide Clean, Safe Water ($10 billion)
• Provide Health Care and AIDS Control ($21 billion)
• Stop Deforestation ($7 billion)
• Prevent Global Warming ($8 billion)
• Stabilize Population ($10.5 billion)
• Prevent Acid Rain ($8 billion)
• Provide Clean, Safe Energy: Energy Efficiency ($33 billion)
• Renewable Energy ($17 billion)
• Stop Ozone Depletion ($5 billion)
• Prevent Soil Erosion ($24 billion)
• Retire Developing Nations Debt ($30 billion)
Figures are from the World Game Institute, based on an annual budget with a 10 year period needed to achieve complete success.

and that would still give us $166,600,000,000 left over if we paid for all that alone, and that is more than $100 billion dollars than second place Russia ($65 billion). We would still have the largest national military budget and show me one nation who would want to attack us after we did all that.

But hey, if we put it all in bombs we can just scare the world into liking us instead.

Welcome to the military industrial complex.

Sounds kinda bogus to me. Where did you get that information?

I agree with the fact that we can focus a lot of our budgets in other places, but I wouldn't be too fond of dropping our military budget TOO much.

I do not think that by eliminating the top global issues you have listed is going to be a larger benefit than having a stronger, larger, volunteer military. Afterall the people we are currently defending our freedome from could give two shits about that list. Look at how they treat their own people when they are left alone...I am thinking Taliban in Afghanistan. It is not like we could do all this wonderfull good and the rest of the world would love America. I bet the French would start a campaign around the world with the underlying theme...

Look how arrogant those Americans are thinking they can just buy away the world's problems, how dare they flaunt their wealth.

And the sad part is a lot of the world would agree.

http://borgenproject.org/

I know doing all this is impossible and is nowhere reasonable as this website proclaims (they are very extreme, but alot of their facts seem to check out). But if America attempted to spearhead a program to completely eliminate just one of these major worldwide issues with UN and global help I would see very little popular resistance and it would cost us very little comparatively, France (just because they oppose our wonderful war doesn't mean they hate us, disagreements happen) nor any other nation would try to proclaim "Look at these American pigs trying to feed the starving and give everyone clean water! Sick I tell you! Sick! What next, teaching everyone to read? These people, all they want to do is help nations and give back some of their wealth! Down with Uncle Sam!" Now their could be a spin on this somehow, but come on... Headline: "USA and European Union lead the fight to completely end world hunger, international community furious?"

The french do hate us. They are jealous! I have been to France, before 9-11 and they treated me like shit. Bastard frenchmen, they would be speaking german if it wasn't for the u.s

You're going to pull that card... jeezus... well in that case... we may still be under British rule and kissing the ass of the queen if it weren't for the French.

Shes damn right.

You like that Statue of Liberty, don't you? She's French, too. As was the gentleman who invented the movie, as was Mr. Chevrolet, etc ...

France liked the US as long as it still perceived of itself as a world power. Now that it is no longer a world power they are jealous and envious of the might and wealth the US has.

France helped us gain our independance, we helped them against the Germans twice. Now it seems that in order for the French to have an identity, and to prove that it has some might in this world, they need to play the role of anti-American. They are already not part of the decision making of NATO, take away their permenent spot on the Security Council and they will be just another country in Europe.

i totally agree.........