New Zealand War Machine
From our Agitator backlist … Happy Holidays!
I don't know what this post has to do with anything, but here goes …
Just saw a pie chart depicting how New Zealand government was going to spend its 2007 budget, totalling NZ$56.1 billion.
A whopping 3%, or NZ$1.7 billion is allocated to “Defence.” I suppose that's roughly the Pentagon's stationery budget.
In NZ, the big bucks go to Health (21%) and Education (16%). And still, there's spirited debate over whether there are too few primary teachers and inadequate medical services.
And yes, there are “anti-war” protesters in NZ. Talk about a tough advocacy job … I can see the direct mail appeals and e-mail action alerts: “Just say NO to bazookas!” Recall, NZ is a nuclear-free zone.
Did I mention that NZ's budget surplus will exceed the Defence allocation?!
Imagine a US federal budget where 3% went to Defense! What in the world would we do with all that left-over cash?
Just something to dream about on a Monday morning.
Tom
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