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Wars incur many costs besides Pentagon budgets. They include medical care for injured combatants and veterans, federal benefits provided veterans, expenses for veterans paid by state and local governments, construction in occupied countries, supplemental budget and hidden add-ons, black budgets, intelligence costs, national debt interest related to war, weapons R & D, and other categories few people consider.
Among them - the macroeconomic consequences of militarism and war. They include lost industrialization, crumbling infrastructure, other neglected homeland needs, and suffering millions at home on their own, uncared for, unwanted, ignored, and forgotten to assure steady funding for America's war machine.
Military spending also affects debt, interest rates, jobs, investment, and neglected public needs overall. The more spent on war, the less available for more productive sectors. An overall macroeconomic loss results.
Moreover, so much hidden, unaccountable war/militarism related spending occurs annually that perhaps trillions more should be added to the above figures.
WIIS said direct and indirect war costs "have been consistently minimized, misunderstood, or hidden from public view." So have the shocking human costs and enormous future obligations. Undiscussed, taxpayers don't know where their money goes, how much, for what purpose, for how long, or why.
They've been lied to, cheated, and made to believe wars promote peace, democratic values, and national security.
America today is more than ever unstable, unsafe, and threatened by its own government pursuing policies harming the public interest.
According to Obamaspeak, America is "the greatest force for freedom and security that the world has ever known."
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