National Budget

[piku]

"What do you think the big headlines were in 1666, the year Newton posited gravitation as a universal force, discovered that white light was composed of the colors of the spectrum, and invented differential calculus, or in 1905, the “annus mirabilis” when Einstein confirmed quantum theory by analyzing the photoelectric effect, introduced special relativity, and proposed the formulation that matter and energy are equivalent? The Great Fire of London and the Anglo-Dutch War; The Russian Revolution and the Russo-Japanese War. The posturing and squabbling of politicians and the exchange of gunfire over issues that would be of little interest or significance to anyone alive now. In other words, ephemeral bull****. These insights and discoveries are the real history of our species, the slow painstaking climb from ignorance to understanding."

I was just reminded today of the horror that is our national budget... 20% on social security, 13.6% on medicare, 9.5% on medicaid (old people medical care really costs that much!?), 12.7% on unemployment and welfare (wtf really!?) 19% on defense (but at least that's tangible and could possibly benefit us vs taking care of crackheads), and an unbelievable 8.4% is just interest on the national debt!

After all is said and done we spend 0.8% on science and technology and 0.8% on energy....

A big WTF?! Who is running this country? I dunno, if this country is run by the people then the majority of people here would disagree with me and think it's fine. Is that the case?