ETHICAL ISSUES ON AMERICA’S HUGE EXPENDITURE ON MILITARY

7/31/2019 ETHICAL ISSUES ON AMERICAS HUGE EXPENDITURE ON MILITARY

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ETHICAL ISSUES ON AMERICAS

HUGE EXPENDITURE ON MILITARY

BY

VARUN VARMA


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Introduction

Any country mainly maintains its defense to protect itselves against intruders. maintaining defense forces andtechnology required is a sensitive issue that depends onthe economic growth of the country.

The entire global expenditure on military annually isnearly $ 1 trillion whereas America contributes to nearly70% of the global expenditure on military.

America has been in a debt of nearly $4-$5 trillion torussia,uk and china and even in such dire consequences

america goes by spending $800 billion a year for military

is it justified for America and are the peoplejustified ..?


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Washington's $1.4 trillion annual military and nationalsecurity expenditures are a major factor behindAmerica's monumental national debt and the cutbacks in

social services for the people, but aside from WhiteHouse rhetoric about reducing redundant Pentagonexpenditures, overall war/security budgets are expectedto increase over the next several years.


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Increased spending during

the global economic crisis The America's expenditure on defense has doubled in the

same period when its economy shrunk from 32% to 23% ofthe global output.

Many employees both from the private and government

organizations have been fired out due to the economiccrisis and prevalence of recession in a huge scale.

Even during the aftermath of the financial crisis and cries ofthe government cutting back, even then the militaryspending appears to have been spared.

Is it ethical on the part of the government to limit thefreedom of their citizens by excising more taxes and beingone of the reason due to their deprival of their completesustenance by spending more on defense rather on theirdevelopment


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Effect on educational

institutions The government has been funding the educationalinstitutions under the name or research anddevelopment but in reality the government has beenputting the future of the research scholars and thestudents at a stake.

Ethical problems for participating scientists arisebecause the very basis of military activity is antitheticalto the principles of science.

The scientist/student is held sole responsibility if theoutcome is not as expected and if they do not accept, thegovernment stops funding the universities.


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Contd

Similarly BAE SYSTEMS have charged an extra of $30billion

The pentagon is unaccounted for spending $3.5 trillion

since its invasion on Iraq and Afghanistan. The monetary loss that America has incurred on arms ,

ammunitions and research due to scams that haveoccurred for past 10 years (since America's inception in

Afghanistan) have accounted for nearly $60 billion.


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America's Endless Wars in

Afghanistan and Iraq Military expenditure pertaining to any country should be

used for only safe-guarding the country and any attemptto provoke the safety of the other nation is considered

unethicalAmerica has used the monetary gains from the

market in utilizing them in waging wars against Iraq andAfghanistan and other dozen countries in the name of

eliminating terrorism and supplying combat troops forinternal security but the true reason being expansion ofUS power and controlling Mideast oil.


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Cont

US spends 54% of its revenue on military out of which18% is spent on Iraq and Afghanistan.

Some mind-blowing facts regarding its expenditure on Iraq

and Afghanistan :1. The yearly cost of stationing one soldier in Iraq could

feed 60 American families.

2. Each day in Afghanistan costs the government more

than it did to build the entire pentagon.3. The pentagon which is responsible for the US military

issues consumes 80% of individual income tax revenue.


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4. The pentagon spends more on war than all 50 statescombined spent on health, education , welfare andsafety.

5. The total known land area occupied by US bases andfacilities is 15,654 sq miles bigger thanDC,MASSACHUSETTES and NEW-JERSEY combined.

6.Pentagon spent more money every five seconds in IRAQ

than an average American earned in a year.7.US military has over 700 bases in 130 different countries

around the globe.

8.The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan cost more than $150

billion a year.


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The total amount spent on wars against IRAQ andAFGHANISTAN alone could account for $3847 for eachand every individual present in The USA.


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conclusion

Im no military expert, but I dont think its wise onspending this much money on something the US issuperior in by a considerable margin.

The military expenditure is $700 billion, more than thenext dozen countries including China ,Russia , Japan andthe entire of the NATO combined.

Even if some of those nations are fudging the numbers,

its doubtful theyre anywhere near the level of the USAespecially since the logistical and technical abilities farexceed what most other nations are spending theirmoney on.


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And while the US is the most egregious example, largelydue to the wealth and sole superpower status, its hardlythe only one.

US spends 4.2% of the GDP on military.($800 billion) Many of the top spenders are hardly wealthy either, and

its perverse to imagine sleek new weapons ofdestruction being paraded past crumbling buildings and

starving citizens.


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every gun that is made, every warship launched, everyrocket fired, represents, in the final analysis, a theft fromthose who hunger and are not fed, who are cold and are

not clothed. This world in arms is not spending moneyalone. It is spending the sweat of its labourers, the geniusof its scientists, the hopes of its children

thank you

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ETHICAL ISSUES ON AMERICA’S HUGE EXPENDITURE ON MILITARY