As of 2013, the U.S. Government has granted nearly 1.3 trillion dollars for military spending, not including various grants and overseas funding. The U.S. national debt is 16.4 trillion dollars, more than 5 trillion dollars from just 4 years ago.

The U.S should pay more attention to its own people than the happenings in other countries.

More than 15 percent of the U.S. population is under the poverty. That’s nearly 48 million people suffering for food and a job. Is this the time to actually fret about events happening nearly 6500 miles away? The media shows poverty and hardship in many other countries, but have they ever shown the paucity of our own backstreets? The ghettos and shantytowns of our own neighborhoods are ignored unless they are talking about what an eyesore they are. We have never done one thing to improve the existence of those who live deprived. Arguing that plans have been put into place isn’t enough. We need to do more now before the problem grows too large for us to handle.

So what does the military do with all the money they get from the government? Here is a breakdown of the military’s spending: 675 billion dollars on military upkeep, 212 billion on research and development, and 135 billion on veteran’s benefits. That’s nearly 300 billion dollars unaccounted for. So where did the money go? So far, no one knows where that money is or how it is being used. Arguing that military is more important than economic is not a valid argument. Look at North Korea, where their entire population has at some point gone through military training, but still has the worst economy of East Asia.

Why get involved in the affairs of other countries, when your own people are suffering? Ever since the U.S. was formed, we have always been involved in the events of other countries. We should shift our focus back home once again. The media tells us what we want to hear, but the truth is there is no end in sight to conflict in the Middle East. So why fight a losing battle no one else is interested in? If we were interested in keeping the peace, where we during Rwanda? Or Darfur? It’s an all or nothing commitment that we as a nation must uphold or discard.