Comments (6)

• Alan

  It is a nice piece - yet it only covers so called "discretionary spending" missing things like medicare and social security.

  Frankly, for those who think the primary purpose of government is the protect the environment in which we exercise our freedoms, I think it will have a different meaning than the creator intended.

  Still a great piece of work - just wish he included all government spending.

  Published: March 17, 2006 12:13 AM

• David C

  Some observations,

  The fact that it leaves out social security and medicare is a disgrace.

  I thought education was a state matter?

  It is amazing all the things you can do with other peoples money.

  Also, I always get a laugh out of the names of government programs. Since when has ATF have anything to do with alchol or tobacco. "Drug Enforcement", well perhaps if you're enforcing high crack prices? And social security, isn't sociable nor secure. Medicare, doesn't care. Department of Commerce? I haven't seen them doing any commerce. Financial crimes enforcement? Ha, they need to take a look at the Fed and the IRS. Internal revenue - how about external coersion. FEMA? I wouldn't exactly call New Orleans an emergency response. Housing and Urban Development? well, if you call a welfare ghetto developing our urban areas. Heres one I found, "teacher quality" - need I say more. Department of energy - I don't see them making any energy? Department of Agriculture - I don't see them growing anything? Department of Defense - When's the last time our armed forces were on the defensive?

  Published: March 17, 2006 12:59 AM

• Ryan Fuller

  They fit right in with the Ministry of Peace, Love, Truth, etc...

  Published: March 17, 2006 6:20 AM

• Christopher Meisenzahl

  I agree, leaving out entitlements is VERY misleading.

  Published: March 17, 2006 7:36 AM

• R.P. McCosker

  The creator and his readers are socialist-Left types, so entitlements were left out to convey the idea that military spending exceeds nonmilitary. The comments are peppered with stuff like: Look how little we spend on public housing and the arts compared with the military!

  Of course, the unintended effect on people like me is to make graphic how disgustingly wasteful and destructive 99 percent of this spending is. The nonmilitary stuff is virtually all unconstitutional to boot. The military stuff -- arguably the vast majority of it is unconstitutional too, though the argument isn't as clearcut as with the nonmilitary -- is a bunch of empire-building madness, as though the US was surrounded by superpower enemies fixing to attack any minute. Whoa.

  Published: March 19, 2006 9:37 PM

• billwald

  Glad I never had to learn German or Russian. English gives me enough trouble. Thanks, U. S. Armed Forces.

  Published: March 23, 2006 10:05 AM