Some facts about U.S. Nuclear Weapons:
Wait... we're spending how much?
|
The Elephant in the RoomIt is such a supreme folly to believe that nuclear weapons are deadly only if they're used. The fact that they exist at all, their presence in our lives, will wreak more havoc than we can begin to fathom. Nuclear weapons pervade our thinking. Control our behavior. Administer our societies. Inform our dreams. They bury themselves like meat hooks deep in the base of our brains. They are purveyors of madness. - Arundhathi Roy The U.S. spends the most money on the military which is followed by Social Security then nuclear weapons. Hold up, not entitlements or Obamacare? $52.4 billion is spent annually on nuclear and other related weapons. Neither accumulate to that much, by far. Also neither have caused extensive environmental destruction, deaths of thousands of people, and has a high potential of eliminating the world in which we know it today. More than that though, the possession of so many nuclear weapons (4,804 in fact) just makes the questions appear... Are we a nation relying on programs that perpetuate fear, violence, and continuous war? Is our government really seeking to create a more peaceful world for all people? The amount of money and trust that the U.S. put into nuclear weapons is outrageous. What is even wilder is how much dialogue around this is not happening. That even talking negatively about nuclear weapons and their disarmament links into arguments about national security and protection. What is not brought up is the amount, which is excessive, both in money and weapons present, but also the environmental impact. To read more about citizens taking action about nuclear accountability, click below. |
Did you know...
All facts from the Brookings Institute's updated list of "50 Facts About Nuclear Weapons Today."
The Brookings Institute, which is one of the most influential think tanks, started a project, Arms Control and Non-Proliferation Initiative, stating first that, "Few problems pose greater challenges to U.S. national security than controlling, reducing and countering the proliferation of nuclear arms." They post in-depth research around nuclear arms reductions, deterrence policies, and non-proliferation challenges that we face today. If you want to learn more, especially about what is going on currently around nuclear weapons and disarmament efforts across the world, check out their website. |
How much do you think that you spend? How about your city?All information from the Citizens for Peaceful Resolutions.
Want to calculate how much you or your community spends on nuclear weapons every year? Each April, Dr. Bob Dodge calculates each from the previous years' tax reports. These projection are for April 15, 2014. Total spent every year on nuclear weapons: $57 billion In Washington State, each person contributes around $196.20 per year. The estimated total nuclear weapons tax expenditures is $1,367,790,000. To figure out your individual estimated nuclear weapons tax or local community's total tax expenditure, check out the equations and their research here. |