Wednesday, April 9, 2008
How our income tax dollars are spent...
.
I just saw this from CNBC that shows a simple slideshow (courtesy of the National Priorities Project) of how federal tax dollars are actually spent. I'm going to say this and try not to express any outrage. Simply by the numbers.
Out of every dollar, here is how much goes toward the following expenditures:
The US government spends:
And from here, regarding funding for solar energy development, the Bush administration requested from Congress $11,068,000 LESS in 2008 than was enacted in 2007. Likewise, he requested over $9 million less for wind energy, $5 million less for geothermal (actually requesting zero dollars!), the exact same amount for and even asking for $20 million less for biomass research (which I find less inspiring than the first three anyway).
Excluding the biomass, all of these combined (<$210 million) are slightly more than 1/3 of their budget request for fossil fuel R&D ($567 million), and about 1/4 of the budget request for nuclear power ($802 million) That says something about energy priorities. What do we say about a president who works against a positive trend? I haven't had words for a long time, but they wouldn't be words I'd use in front of my mother. I'm always uncomfortable using negative words around my mother. I want her to see me finding the positive things and praising them. Go, solar! Hooray for wind! Go, geothermal, go tidal power!
lyrics: "Jesus would never forgive what you do." from Masters of War, by Bob Dylan
colors: pick a pie chart color theme
mood: tired
chant/prayer/mantra: love your neighbor
pax hominibus,
agape to all,
joel
I just saw this from CNBC that shows a simple slideshow (courtesy of the National Priorities Project) of how federal tax dollars are actually spent. I'm going to say this and try not to express any outrage. Simply by the numbers.
Out of every dollar, here is how much goes toward the following expenditures:
| BUDGET CATEGORY | CENTS PER DOLLAR |
| Military: | 42.2 cents |
| Health Care: | 22.1 cents |
| Interest on Debt: | 10.2 cents |
| Anti-Poverty Programs: | 8.7 cents |
| Education: | 4.4 cents |
| Government and Law Enforcement: : | 3.9 cents |
| Housing and Community Development: | 3.3 cents |
| Environment, Energy, and Science: | 2.6 cents |
| Agriculture, Commerce, and Transportation: | 1.5 cents |
| International Affairs: | 1.0 cents |
The US government spends:
- about five times more for war than for helping the poor.
- about nine times more for war than for educating its youth.
- over 2600 times more for war than for research on renewable energy.
And from here, regarding funding for solar energy development, the Bush administration requested from Congress $11,068,000 LESS in 2008 than was enacted in 2007. Likewise, he requested over $9 million less for wind energy, $5 million less for geothermal (actually requesting zero dollars!), the exact same amount for and even asking for $20 million less for biomass research (which I find less inspiring than the first three anyway).
Excluding the biomass, all of these combined (<$210 million) are slightly more than 1/3 of their budget request for fossil fuel R&D ($567 million), and about 1/4 of the budget request for nuclear power ($802 million) That says something about energy priorities. What do we say about a president who works against a positive trend? I haven't had words for a long time, but they wouldn't be words I'd use in front of my mother. I'm always uncomfortable using negative words around my mother. I want her to see me finding the positive things and praising them. Go, solar! Hooray for wind! Go, geothermal, go tidal power!
lyrics: "Jesus would never forgive what you do." from Masters of War, by Bob Dylan
colors: pick a pie chart color theme
mood: tired
chant/prayer/mantra: love your neighbor
pax hominibus,
agape to all,
joel
Labels: economics, environment, renewable energy, war and peace
