People outside of California could not possibly comprehend the perverted logic of our prison system, which consumes more of the budget than state support of higher education. The number of public needs that deserve serious funding is enormous. The most ridiculous waste of money is the military.
I intended to write today about the military budget, going beyond Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes’s estimate of the $3 trillion dollar war, looking at the harm done to and by veterans, over and above the medical costs that Stiglitz and Bilmes count.
I had planned to begin with Dave Philipps’ articles on the how the war experience has screwed up soldiers’ minds. He documents a rash of murders occurred near Fort Carson, Colorado. The murderers are from a small unit that experienced exceptionally heavy fighting and casualties. This morning I was pleasantly surprised to hear Philipps interviewed on Democracy Now, going into more detail. The next note will point to the problem of homelessness among veterans.
The final note will note the recent discovery that Agent Orange did more harm to veterans health than previously recognized. I suspect that more information about Gulf War Syndrome will trickle in.
Read more here
http://michaelperelman.wordpress.com/2009/07/31/introduction-to-three-notes-on-budgetary-priorities/ -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929
530 898 5321 fax 530 898 5901 http://michaelperelman.wordpress.com