"I suppose Social Security and Medicare might cost quadrillions,"
I'm not sure about 'quadrillions', <g>, after all --- it becomes an impossibility to tax at a rate of more then 100%... (& surely there would be no one in the world foolish enough to loan us money to continue such spendthrift ways), so there are logical reasons for their being practical caps on what can be spent.
Re: the 30,000 wounded from the current wars....
There is no one denying that many, many more extremely seriously wounded have been saved by better frontline medical care delivery, and faster evac, in this present day conflict, then was the typical example in earlier wars such as Vietnam, Korea, or certainly even WW II.
It is the Veteran's Department which (in conjunction with GAO) has made financial projections about the lifetime care expenses that the government is responsible for. These estimates are not 'pie-in-the-sky', not fantasies... indeed, given the rates at which the costs for medical care continue to rise, the government estimates are more likely very much to the low side of what eventual costs will turn out to be.
Also, interest on the national debt run up to finance the wars is not a 'fantasy' line item either.
It is an unavoidable budget reality.
Same with the military's need to replace the destroyed / worn-out equipment. |
