mtosner / Daily Kos & Demonocracy – 2015-08-24 22:13:46
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/08/19/1413372/-The-Biggest-Scandal-in-US-History-That-We-re-Still-Not-Talking-About
Pentagon Lost $8.5 Trillion:
The Biggest Scandal in US History That We’re Still Not Talking About
mtosner / Daily Kos
(August 18, 2015) –The above is roughly what 8.5 Trillion dollars would look like… and those are $100 bills. Take another look and let that sink in for a bit . . . I find it absolutely astonishing that the pentagon could lose track of this much money and for there to be no MSM coverage of this scandalous amount of mismanagement and fraud.
Where is the demand for accountability? Why is the first question to ANY candidate for president not “What would you do about the massive fraud and waste at the Pentagon?” Where are the hearings, nay indictments, that are warranted when a sum equal to 1/2 of our national debt can be sent to the pentagon to never be accounted for. More below.
We progressives need to work this scandal into every political conversation we engage in, especially when we talk to conservatives. Cutting government spending and accountability are supposed to be core GOP values.
Combine “Known” Pentagon waste (like the 1.5 trillion dollar F35) with missing pentagon money and you have a good chunk of our entire national debt represented.
“What’s that? Body cameras for all cops will be too expensive? How bout we find 1/10,000th of the money we sent to the pentagon.”
“Oh really? There’s 500 million in provable food stamp fraud going to poor people how bout the 8.5 TRILLION the pentagon can’t account for?”
“Oh really? You think Obama care is going to cost us almost a trillion dollars over 15 years? How about the 8.5 Trillion that just disappeared into the ether at the pentagon? What’s you’re take on that?”
“Oh really, you’re concerned about deficit spending and the debt? Fully 1/3 of the national debt it is money we sent the Pentagon and they can’t tell us where it went. It’s just gone.”
“College for everyone will cost too much? You must be really pissed at the 8.5 Trillion, with a ‘t’, dollars the pentagon’s spent and can’t tell us where it went.”
Bringing up this “open secret” exposes their hypocrisy, and draws attention to the lack of corporate media attention to this HUGE SCANDALOUS level of waste by the Military/Industrial/Media (<-should be new addition to the lexicon) complex ownership of government. It seems for few hundred million in "be all you can be" ad buys the MSM will keep it's mouth shut. We need to press so called journalists to bring this issue front and center. No candidate should be allowed to talk about government waste or big government with out being asked the follow up "What would you do about the massive 8.5 Trillion dollars the pentagon can't account for?" In short; nothing reinforces our position that the money for valuable social and infrastructure programs (that have provable returns on investment) is actually there than this scandal. We need to harp on this until we get some answers and we need to leverage it more to shut down debate about desperately needed social program spending. Money visualization grabbed from this site you should check it out HERE.
Tue Aug 18, 2015 at 9:19 PM PT: Here’s an additional point : 8.5 trillion dollars represents about $70,000 from each of the 123 million US households.
1:00 AM PT: Updated this diary as the totals were misinterpreted although the crux is the same. Also of note is this is scandalous because the Pentagon has been required by law to be “audit ready” since 1996, but still has no real accounting systems.
15 Facts About Military Spending That Will Blow Your Mind
Ujala Sehgal and Robert Johnson / Demonocracy
WASHINGTON, DC (Oct. 14, 2011) — As the economy has tanked, the banks have been bailed out, and America lost its jobs, the defense budget continues to grow.
For the past 13 years US military spending has increased 114 percent.
That’s 8 percent higher than at the height of Reagan’s presidency and the Cold War.
The money is used to buying sophisticated weapons that often don’t make it into production, and when the do they’re expensive to maintain.
The US must spend a full 1 percent of its GDP just to maintain its arsenal.
America spends more on its military than THE NEXT 15 COUNTRIES COMBINED
The total known land area occupied by US bases and facilities is 15,654 square miles — bigger than D.C., Massachusetts, and New Jersey combined.
By 2033 the US will be paying $59 billion a year to its veterans injured in the wars
In 2007, the amount of money labeled ‘wasted’ or ‘lost’ in Iraq — $11 billion — could pay 220,000 teachers salaries
Defense spending is higher today than at any time since the height of World War II
America’s defense spending doubled in the same period that its economy shrunk from 32 to 23 percent of global output*
The yearly cost of stationing one soldier in Iraq could feed 60 American families.
Each day in Afghanistan costs the government more than it did to build the entire Pentagon
In 2008, the Pentagon spent more money every five seconds in Iraq than the average American earned in a year
In 2008, the Pentagon spent more money every five seconds in Iraq than the average American earned in a year
The pentagon budget consumes 80% of individual income tax revenue
Two decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Defense Department still has more than 40 generals, admirals or civilian equivalents based in Europe
The amount the government has spent compensating radiation victims of nuclear testing ($1.5 billion) could fully educate 13,000 American kids
The Pentagon spends more on war than all 50 states combined spend on health, education, welfare, and safety
The US has 5% of the world’s population — but almost 50% of the world’s total military expenditure
Sources: Arms Control Center, National Defense Magazine, New York Times,Washington Post, Intel Daily, Lexington Institute/
sted in accordance with Title 17, Section 107, US Code, for noncommercial, educational purposes.
