On the one hand, the comparisons of the $21 trillion with a single year of anything (as the article does with annual federal budget and the annual GDP) is an apples and oranges type comparison. A figure reprsenting something accumulated over 17 years is never figure compared one-to-one with a figure from a single year.
On the other had, if you averge the total $21 trillion over the 17 years, it represents $1.2 trillion a year, which is more than the DOD officially spent in any of the 17 years covered in the analysis.
How many ways can you say “waste” and why is the GOP always afraid to attack that waste, as if they were attacking “defense”? In reality the GOP is as afraid to fight the DOD on waste as they are to fight the media on its political agendas.
Thanks Everett
Important to remember the Pentagon's been part of the swamp for decades... liberals, criminals, liars, posers and thugs...
How about an audit of Obama’s trillion dollar stimulus package back in 2009?
FR: Never Accept the Premise of Your Opponents Argument
Since the Founding States gave the power of the purse uniquely to the House of Representatives (1.7.1), the House is constitutionally obligated to take full responsibility for all fraud dealing with taxpayer money imo.
Article I, Section 7, Clause 1: All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills.
In fact, one check that the Founding States established for Houses power of the purse was to give ordinary voters the power to elect representatives every two years.
Article I, Section 2, Clause 1: The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States, and the Electors in each State shall have the Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature.
Another check that the Founding States established for the Houses power to originate tax appropriation bills was to give the power to vote for federal senators uniquely to the state legislatures. The idea was for senators to protect their states by killing bills that not only steal state powers, but also steal state revenues uniquely associated with those powers, state revenues stolen by means of unconstitutional federal taxes.
"Congress is not empowered to tax for those purposes which are within the exclusive province of the States."Justice John Marshall, Gibbons v. Ogden, 1824.
However, the 17th Amendment destroyed that safeguard by giving ordinary, low-information voters the power to elect senators.
The Founding States had also constitutionally obligated Congress to publish receipts and expenditures of public money, but who knew?
"Article I, Section 9, Clause 7: No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law; and a regular Statement and Account of the Receipts and Expenditures of all public Money shall be published from time to time [emphasis added]."
On the other hand, Thomas Jefferson gave us the first evidence constitutional checks on the Houses power of the purse would probably fail.
Cherish, therefore, the spirit of our people, and keep alive their attention. If once they become inattentive to the public affairs, you and I, and Congress and Assemblies, judges and governors, shall all become wolves. It seems to be the law of our general nature. - Thomas Jefferson (Letter to Edward Carrington January 16, 1787)
Youve come a long way baby! /sarc
I keep thinking about the fact that they are “losing” more than the entire Pentagon budget, year after year... sometimes double or triple the Pentagon budget, year after year.
If it was a few billions, I’d assume they were padding someone’s retirement account. But this is trillions per year over decades starting, we don’t know when.
They are funding some kind of off-budget project that is bigger than the Pentagon. Any ideas what that might be?
That much money missing every year, I don’t believe its tax money. They would have to be printing it.
A professor from Michigan State and some grad assistants did this very same thing last year. I wonder if they’re all still alive. And I wonder if The Nation is plagiarizing their work.
If they did it could very well lead to the collapse and demise of the FED.
The FED directly and indirectly control America's economy and they are NOT even a branch of our government... and THEY HAVE NEVER BEEN AUDITED in modern times.
Don’t just start or stop with the DOD take a look at each of the others...bet ya the rate of money lost is even higher in other departments...maybe not the total amount, but the amount of the fraud in DEW and other places is just as high or higher, of course...they all want to target DOD and the message is clear...there are a bunch of thefts in DOD and all of their suppliers and enhancers in congress and throughout gov just as Eisenhower said in 59-60!
We wonder how Presidents come in with little wealth and leave very wealthy? Not to mention other government people, like Comey, Mueller, Clintons, etc., etc., etc.