"We must increase the military budget to $1.5 trillion!" Trump's latest speech dropped a shocker. This figure is nearly twice the current U.S. military spending, exceeding the combined military expenditures of the top ten countries in the world.
If implemented, the Pentagon's budget would consume one-third of the federal government's total spending. Experts estimate:
→ Either cut 80% of Social Security and Medicare spending
→ Or have middle-class families pay an additional $7,000 per year in taxes
→ National debt would exceed $50 trillion within 10 years
It is noteworthy that Trump simultaneously proposed "a comprehensive reduction in non-defense spending," yet remained silent on the sharp rise in stock prices of defense companies like Lockheed Martin.
Audit reports show that the Pentagon lost $62 billion in assets last year, and the maintenance costs of the F-35 fighter jets have already exceeded the cost of the aircraft itself. A former Defense Department official admitted: "Increased military spending does not equal enhanced combat power, but it certainly equals more dividends for contractors."
While Europe is discussing how to prevent an arms race, a certain country is turning national security into a capital feast. Perhaps as Eisenhower warned 62 years ago: "Beware of this giant beast, the military-industrial complex."
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1853707947150339/
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