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?

[piku]

Oh and a whopping 3% on education!? Because NOBODY needs that. It just burns my retinas.

[R_Rambo]

lol welcome to America

[importpower99]

Run for senator of PA

[RSX Type-Slow]

to be fair .08% on science and technology is still millions of dollars, and i'm sure those industries mostly rely on private contributions.

but the education budget is a joke.

[The Captain]

Originally Posted by RSX Type-Slow

to be fair .08% on science and technology is still millions of dollars, and i'm sure those industries mostly rely on private contributions.

but the education budget is a joke.

but should they have to rely on private contributions?
We're already falling FAR behind the rest of the world in regards to producing scientists so maybe a little more money towards education and sci/tech would benefit the economy.

I'm amazed at the Soc. Sec, medicare, and unemployment costs. Thats scary.

Quick Q tho...do the funds for these things in the budget come from things funded by my paycheck? Or is this on top of what is being taken? Unemployment/welfare just really pisses me off tho. I'd love to know how much of that is welfare alone.

[piku]

I think your paycheck certainly pays most but it's the national allocations so it's considering all funding sources pooled together and then budgeted. At least that's the understanding I have.

[Nors]

I try not to think of how ****ed the world (yes I know you just mentioned US, but its the world really) is, because it is pretty ****ed. Oil sheiks said they are not upping the production of oil until its at $100 a barrel. Then they will THINK about upping production. Our world is run by greed, we are all doomed.

[DPancoast]

if it goes back up (which by the looks of gas prices... it is) I'll be pissed but it's just what happens.

[Honduh]

Its all the old people sucking our money up. ****ing baby boomers.

[SheaButter]

Well with education what you have to understand is yes it only 3% of the budget goes towards education. But education is funded by the individual states. You and/or your parents who evers house you live in pays for education. Property tax is how schools are funded in PA. Every state is different on how schools are funded but its all at the state level, that is why federal funding is only 3%. As far as technology and science. I feel as if the government could contribute more we are falling behind in that category but public funding and state funding play a good part in this as well, with grants and such. I believe.

[c0nfl1kt]

You don't buy scientific breakthroughs, dude.

Einstein never got a penny of money from the government for his breakthroughs. Neither did Niels Bohr, or the other members that argued Niels' papers with him(EPR).

Even without returning to the moon or 60 years of global peace technology has surprisingly still moved forward. We have mastered microcircuitry, started to dabble in hydroponics, car companies have started to make truly clean cars(Honda FCX), we are about to make our very first nuclear fusion reactor in California, and have a truly interconnected planet via the Internet where Billions of people can access global information at a few clicks, and have built the biggest and more complicated piece of machinery ever devised(Hadron Collider).

I think the accomplishments, although more subtle, speak for themselves. No one likes peace time technology achievements because it's not exciting thanks to no violence or no one dying, but they are there if you know where to look.

[SheaButter]

well said but I doubt we went to the moon. haha

[c0nfl1kt]

Originally Posted by SheaButter

well said but I doubt we went to the moon. haha

That's up to you to debate. I'm just pointing out the number of tangible and successful things we have accomplished as a race, not just a nation, in the past 60 years.

[FocusDude]

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This is the type of **** I think about everyday... It's destroying me dwelling on it.

:joins the herd: Baaaa Baaaa, everything is peachy!