National Debt and the Money Spent on War

The bitter battle this past week over the debt ceiling and how we need to cut spending was nothing short of horrendous. Most of us agree on that.

But here’s what I’m wondering, as a Christian, as one who follows the Prince of Peace:
If we need so desperately to cut spending, then why aren’t we cutting the defense budget?

The Atlantic just published a report on the amount we spend of Defense, and it’s astounding. It’s infuriating.

It’s unchristian.

They write,

“Recent budget trends and the behavior of other countries suggests we're giving the Pentagon too much money.”

Look at this chart:



The Department of Defense’s budget has more than doubled since 2000. This does not include expenses for Homeland Security or the VA. While we hear politicians bicker about spending cuts, we have been fighting two wars that have cost us not only many American lives (4,474 dead in Iraq, 1,689 dead in Afghanistan) but has also cost us an extra $2.68 trillion over the past decade.

I ask you: On what could we have better spent $2,680,000,000,000?

Not only has our military spending gone through the roof based on our previous years, but The Atlantic also reports,

“The United States could substantially cut its defense budget and still spend more money on our military than every country that even plausibly threatens us combined.”

I’m sorry, but this is contrary to all the rhetoric that America is supposed to be a “Christian Nation.”