The annual U.S. military budget is about $650 billion. This is more than the military budget of all the rest of the world combined. Our leaders tell us this expenditure is necessary to keep us safe. When a cost/benefit analysis is conducted, however, I believe it’s safe to say the American people are not receiving a very good return on their investment.

Since 9/11, our government has spent well in excess of two trillion dollars supposedly to keep us safe and subdue our enemies. The Department of Homeland Security, with 240,000 employees, was created to keep us safe. The Transportation Security Administration, with 55,000 employees, was added to augment this effort. The problem is, despite this huge expenditure, we are not safe and our enemy, rather than being subdued, is stronger than in the beginning.

I believe it’s necessary to recognize that the wars we are fighting are not being waged to make us safe. Rather, they are being waged to protect the interests of mega corporations abroad and perpetuate the military/industrial complex. The lobbyists of the military/industrial complex determine the direction of our nation, not the citizens. Unless we kick the lobbyists out of Washington and take back control of our government, we will continue to be exploited and played like a fiddle.