Success?

Defense Spending During 2001 - $316 billion
Defense Spending During 2010 - $693 billion
Percent Increase - 119%

Number of Terrorist Attacks Worldwide in 2000 - 423
Number of Terrorist Attacks Worldwide in 2009 - 10,999
Percent Increase - 2,500%

We are in the midst of a "war on terror." While we have claimed victories throughout the war, the fact of the matter is that we have exacerbated the terrorist problem. We tried to further control a rebellious teenager, only to see them rebel with even more fury. The imposition of our will is the very act that generates anti-American sentiment. We have succeeded in increasing anti-American sentiment, the number of potential terrorists, and the number of terrorist attacks. The decisions to get involved in the "wars on terror" are largely the result of the macho, "nobody messes with America" mentality following 9/11.

The "war on terror" has been a significant contributor to the increase in defense spending. Not including the war expenditures, the defense budget is absurdly high. The United States ranks number one in defense spending coming in at $693 billion. If you sum the defense budgets of the countries that rank #2-21, the total would be less than US alone. Even pre-war defense spending was more than triple the next highest country. We unquestionably have the strongest, most advanced military in the has ever seen, but at what point are we going to say enough? We continue to build our military power through the development of multi-billion dollar weapons systems. Are we to believe that we are so much further at risk than any other country in the world?

It is time to slash the defense budget. If we cut the defense budget by a third, our budget will still be more than four times higher than the next country. This is a task that will meet considerable opposition. For years, politicians and lobbyists pushing a pro defense spending agenda have portrayed votes against defense spending as votes against the troops. A republican can consider a "vote against the troops" as career suicide. In our current fiscal predicament, nothing is off limits, in fact, the "scared cows" of government spending(Social Security, Medicare, and Defense Spending)should be the first to see cuts. We need to set a serious tone of responsible spending by starting with the most untouchable programs. The current US debt is pushing $13.9 trillion.

The American people showed their collective displeasure by voting out many incumbents in the fall 2010 elections. One of the major reasons was over continual spending despite the growing deficit. Unfortunately, the likelihood of responsible spending is unlikely. After news of a Republican takeover in the House of Representatives broke, the immediate talk out of both parties was political strategies on how to win the 2012 elections rather than strategies addressing the concerns of the American people. Right now, Washington is too concerned with winning, winning the "war on terrorism" and winning elections. The only thing we need to win is our fight against debt.

We need to raise taxes. If you think that raising taxes will negatively affect your ability to live a good life, refer to my previous blog on happiness.