The Empire's media machine, also known as mainstream media, is busy promoting spending for the weapons industry while ignoring cuts in spending on education, health, welfare, infrastructure, etc. According to them reduced spending on killing machines threatens our security and jobs.
Military analyst Winslow Wheeler (Center for Defense Information, 8/24/11) points out an annual base budget of this size—$472 billion—is $70 billion more than was spent in 2000, and would still constitute “more than twice the defense spending of China, Russia, Iran, Syria, Somalia, Cuba and any other potential adversary—combined.”