We can't afford anything until it's time for war.

[IM2]

All of you who love quoting Rev. King miss this comment:

“A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.”

We can't afford to nationalize health care. We can't afford free education. We should not forgive student loan debt because that's unfair. We need to end Social Security. We just can't afford to keep spending. Until we decide to wage war. This war is estimated to cost 1.3 million dollars per minute.

The $1.3-Million-a-Minute War​

Here are some ideas of what the war money could be used for instead. My calculations are conservative, based on Pentagon reporting that the first six days of the war cost $11.3 billion — and even that incomplete tally amounted to more than $1.3 million a minute.

• For a bit more than two weeks of this war, we could offer free college education to every American family earning less than $125,000 annually, at a cost of around $30 billion a year.
• For less than three weeks of war, or $35 billion, we could run a nationwide pre-K program for 3- and 4-year-olds.
• For $75 million, about an hour’s worth of war, we could provide three books free to every child in America who is living under the poverty line, according to Kyle Zimmer of First Book, a nonprofit that works on early literacy. Research suggests that books like these can help get children reading and improve their outcomes.
• A woman dies in the United States every two hours, on average, from cervical cancer. Screening all uninsured women who need it would cost perhaps $1 billion and could save hundreds of lives, according to Dr. Linda Eckert, a cervical cancer expert at the University of Washington. That’s less than 13 hours of the war bill.
• We could get glasses to all 2.3 million low-income schoolchildren in the United States who need them but don’t have them. The base cost would be about $300 million, according to Vision to Learn, a nonprofit that does this work. The bill would be what we spend on four hours of this war.
• For about $34 billion a year, less than three weeks of war, we could restore health insurance subsidies that the Trump administration let expire last year. One analysis predicted an additional 8,800 preventable American deaths as a result.

The war money would save even more lives if we allocated part of it abroad. Indeed, we spent more on the first three days of war than we spent ($4 billion) on all humanitarian aid in 2025. Consider what we could achieve internationally:

• For $400 million or less, a bit more than five hours of war, we could deworm all children in need worldwide, according to Evidence Action, a nonprofit that works on deworming. This would result in stronger, healthier children and adults.
• For $380 million, less than five hours of war, we could provide vitamin A supplementation for the 190 million children who need it. Helen Keller Intl, a nonprofit engaged in this work, says this would prevent up to 480,000 child deaths each year and virtually eliminate blindness from vitamin A deficiency.
• About one day’s worth of war spending could save more than 350,000 lives from malaria, through a rigorously studied screening and prevention program, according to Esther Duflo, an economist at M.I.T.’s Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab.
• For $4.3 billion, less than three days of the war bill, we could largely end the most terrible form of malnutrition, called severe wasting. That would save about 1.5 million children’s lives annually. We would accomplish something historic: For the first time in the history of humanity, large numbers of children would no longer be starving to death.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/21/opinion/iran-war-cost.html

Our priorities as a nation are really screwed up. We would rather kill people than take care of our own.

 

[Invisibleflash]

All of you who love quoting Rev. King miss this comment:

“A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.”

We can't afford to nationalize health care. We can't afford free education. We should not forgive student loan debt because that's unfair. We need to end Social Security. We just can't afford to keep spending. Until we decide to wage war. This war is estimated to cost 1.3 million dollars per minute.

The $1.3-Million-a-Minute War​

Here are some ideas of what the war money could be used for instead. My calculations are conservative, based on Pentagon reporting that the first six days of the war cost $11.3 billion — and even that incomplete tally amounted to more than $1.3 million a minute.

• For a bit more than two weeks of this war, we could offer free college education to every American family earning less than $125,000 annually, at a cost of around $30 billion a year.
• For less than three weeks of war, or $35 billion, we could run a nationwide pre-K program for 3- and 4-year-olds.
• For $75 million, about an hour’s worth of war, we could provide three books free to every child in America who is living under the poverty line, according to Kyle Zimmer of First Book, a nonprofit that works on early literacy. Research suggests that books like these can help get children reading and improve their outcomes.
• A woman dies in the United States every two hours, on average, from cervical cancer. Screening all uninsured women who need it would cost perhaps $1 billion and could save hundreds of lives, according to Dr. Linda Eckert, a cervical cancer expert at the University of Washington. That’s less than 13 hours of the war bill.
• We could get glasses to all 2.3 million low-income schoolchildren in the United States who need them but don’t have them. The base cost would be about $300 million, according to Vision to Learn, a nonprofit that does this work. The bill would be what we spend on four hours of this war.
• For about $34 billion a year, less than three weeks of war, we could restore health insurance subsidies that the Trump administration let expire last year. One analysis predicted an additional 8,800 preventable American deaths as a result.

The war money would save even more lives if we allocated part of it abroad. Indeed, we spent more on the first three days of war than we spent ($4 billion) on all humanitarian aid in 2025. Consider what we could achieve internationally:

• For $400 million or less, a bit more than five hours of war, we could deworm all children in need worldwide, according to Evidence Action, a nonprofit that works on deworming. This would result in stronger, healthier children and adults.
• For $380 million, less than five hours of war, we could provide vitamin A supplementation for the 190 million children who need it. Helen Keller Intl, a nonprofit engaged in this work, says this would prevent up to 480,000 child deaths each year and virtually eliminate blindness from vitamin A deficiency.
• About one day’s worth of war spending could save more than 350,000 lives from malaria, through a rigorously studied screening and prevention program, according to Esther Duflo, an economist at M.I.T.’s Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab.
• For $4.3 billion, less than three days of the war bill, we could largely end the most terrible form of malnutrition, called severe wasting. That would save about 1.5 million children’s lives annually. We would accomplish something historic: For the first time in the history of humanity, large numbers of children would no longer be starving to death.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/21/opinion/iran-war-cost.html

Our priorities as a nation are really screwed up. We would rather kill people than take care of our own.

Well, I'd have to agree with IM2 on this.

 

[Bleipriester]

All of you who love quoting Rev. King miss this comment:

“A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.”

We can't afford to nationalize health care. We can't afford free education. We should not forgive student loan debt because that's unfair. We need to end Social Security. We just can't afford to keep spending. Until we decide to wage war. This war is estimated to cost 1.3 million dollars per minute.

The $1.3-Million-a-Minute War​

Here are some ideas of what the war money could be used for instead. My calculations are conservative, based on Pentagon reporting that the first six days of the war cost $11.3 billion — and even that incomplete tally amounted to more than $1.3 million a minute.

• For a bit more than two weeks of this war, we could offer free college education to every American family earning less than $125,000 annually, at a cost of around $30 billion a year.
• For less than three weeks of war, or $35 billion, we could run a nationwide pre-K program for 3- and 4-year-olds.
• For $75 million, about an hour’s worth of war, we could provide three books free to every child in America who is living under the poverty line, according to Kyle Zimmer of First Book, a nonprofit that works on early literacy. Research suggests that books like these can help get children reading and improve their outcomes.
• A woman dies in the United States every two hours, on average, from cervical cancer. Screening all uninsured women who need it would cost perhaps $1 billion and could save hundreds of lives, according to Dr. Linda Eckert, a cervical cancer expert at the University of Washington. That’s less than 13 hours of the war bill.
• We could get glasses to all 2.3 million low-income schoolchildren in the United States who need them but don’t have them. The base cost would be about $300 million, according to Vision to Learn, a nonprofit that does this work. The bill would be what we spend on four hours of this war.
• For about $34 billion a year, less than three weeks of war, we could restore health insurance subsidies that the Trump administration let expire last year. One analysis predicted an additional 8,800 preventable American deaths as a result.

The war money would save even more lives if we allocated part of it abroad. Indeed, we spent more on the first three days of war than we spent ($4 billion) on all humanitarian aid in 2025. Consider what we could achieve internationally:

• For $400 million or less, a bit more than five hours of war, we could deworm all children in need worldwide, according to Evidence Action, a nonprofit that works on deworming. This would result in stronger, healthier children and adults.
• For $380 million, less than five hours of war, we could provide vitamin A supplementation for the 190 million children who need it. Helen Keller Intl, a nonprofit engaged in this work, says this would prevent up to 480,000 child deaths each year and virtually eliminate blindness from vitamin A deficiency.
• About one day’s worth of war spending could save more than 350,000 lives from malaria, through a rigorously studied screening and prevention program, according to Esther Duflo, an economist at M.I.T.’s Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab.
• For $4.3 billion, less than three days of the war bill, we could largely end the most terrible form of malnutrition, called severe wasting. That would save about 1.5 million children’s lives annually. We would accomplish something historic: For the first time in the history of humanity, large numbers of children would no longer be starving to death.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/21/opinion/iran-war-cost.html

Our priorities as a nation are really screwed up. We would rather kill people than take care of our own.

Imagine what you could get for the $175 billion the US spent on the Ukraine war.

 

[Eman623]

We spend several times what we spend on war for social security, Medicare, Medicaid, and the innumerable other social programs.

You know what we also spend more on than war? Interest on the national debt.

You want more money for free stuff? Reduce deficit spending.

 

[IM2]

Imagine what you could get for the $175 billion the US spent on the Ukraine war.

If we had been attacked like Ukraine was, nobody would be complaining about the money. So it's time to stop the stupid whataboutisms and realize that we started a war for no reason, and only a brain-dead individual would try comparing this to us helping Ukraine fend off an aggressor.

 

[IM2]

We spend several times what we spend on war for social security, Medicare, Medicaid, and the innumerable other social programs.

You know what we also spend more on than war? Interest on the national debt.

You want more money for free stuff? Reduce deficit spending.

Wrong. We pay taxes. Getting health care, education, and a safety net if we are in struggle as a return for our taxes are reasonable things to ask for.

 

[excalibur]

What's the problem? Øbama took care of healthcare with the ACA.

 

[Bleipriester]

If we had been attacked like Ukraine was, nobody would be complaining about the money. So it's time to stop the stupid whataboutisms and realize that we started a war for no reason, and only a brain-dead individual would try comparing this to us helping Ukraine fend off an aggressor.

Many countries get attacked for different reasons and nobody cares.

 

[shockedcanadian]

What's the problem? Øbama took care of healthcare with the ACA.

This is what I find pecu!iar. Obamas cardinal achievement was Obamacare yet it is apparently quite unpopular and there remains constantly complaining about it.

 

[jacksonlamb]

This is what I find pecu!iar. Obamas cardinal achievement was Obamacare yet it is apparently quite unpopular and there remains constantly complaining about it.

By Republicans only. How about that?

 

[Eman623]

Wrong. We pay taxes. Getting health care, education, and a safety net if we are in struggle as a return for our taxes is a reasonable thing to ask for.

I'm not wrong. We spend far more on social services than we do on defense.

Facts don't care about your feelings.

 

[BackAgain]

All of you who love quoting Rev. King miss this comment:

“A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.”

We can't afford to nationalize health care. We can't afford free education. We should not forgive student loan debt because that's unfair. We need to end Social Security. We just can't afford to keep spending. Until we decide to wage war. This war is estimated to cost 1.3 million dollars per minute.

The $1.3-Million-a-Minute War​

Here are some ideas of what the war money could be used for instead. My calculations are conservative, based on Pentagon reporting that the first six days of the war cost $11.3 billion — and even that incomplete tally amounted to more than $1.3 million a minute.

• For a bit more than two weeks of this war, we could offer free college education to every American family earning less than $125,000 annually, at a cost of around $30 billion a year.
• For less than three weeks of war, or $35 billion, we could run a nationwide pre-K program for 3- and 4-year-olds.
• For $75 million, about an hour’s worth of war, we could provide three books free to every child in America who is living under the poverty line, according to Kyle Zimmer of First Book, a nonprofit that works on early literacy. Research suggests that books like these can help get children reading and improve their outcomes.
• A woman dies in the United States every two hours, on average, from cervical cancer. Screening all uninsured women who need it would cost perhaps $1 billion and could save hundreds of lives, according to Dr. Linda Eckert, a cervical cancer expert at the University of Washington. That’s less than 13 hours of the war bill.
• We could get glasses to all 2.3 million low-income schoolchildren in the United States who need them but don’t have them. The base cost would be about $300 million, according to Vision to Learn, a nonprofit that does this work. The bill would be what we spend on four hours of this war.
• For about $34 billion a year, less than three weeks of war, we could restore health insurance subsidies that the Trump administration let expire last year. One analysis predicted an additional 8,800 preventable American deaths as a result.

The war money would save even more lives if we allocated part of it abroad. Indeed, we spent more on the first three days of war than we spent ($4 billion) on all humanitarian aid in 2025. Consider what we could achieve internationally:

• For $400 million or less, a bit more than five hours of war, we could deworm all children in need worldwide, according to Evidence Action, a nonprofit that works on deworming. This would result in stronger, healthier children and adults.
• For $380 million, less than five hours of war, we could provide vitamin A supplementation for the 190 million children who need it. Helen Keller Intl, a nonprofit engaged in this work, says this would prevent up to 480,000 child deaths each year and virtually eliminate blindness from vitamin A deficiency.
• About one day’s worth of war spending could save more than 350,000 lives from malaria, through a rigorously studied screening and prevention program, according to Esther Duflo, an economist at M.I.T.’s Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab.
• For $4.3 billion, less than three days of the war bill, we could largely end the most terrible form of malnutrition, called severe wasting. That would save about 1.5 million children’s lives annually. We would accomplish something historic: For the first time in the history of humanity, large numbers of children would no longer be starving to death.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/21/opinion/iran-war-cost.html

Our priorities as a nation are really screwed up. We would rather kill people than take care of our own.

You’re such a hack.

It is never necessary to agree with every opinion of a public figure whose words one may happen to quote.

When King wished that we could judge a person “by the content of his character” we may agree. But that does not mean I have to agree with whatever he may have thought about military spending, etc.