Where (and what) our tax dollars are being spent on (and for):
Bottom Line: From time to time we hear about where tax money is spent but it's often just numbers that paint an unclear picture. Here's the final top five breakout for the 2016 fiscal year:
- 30%: Healthcare
- 23%: Defense
- 13%: Interest to service the federal debt
- 7%: Unemployed benefits
- 6%: Veteran's benefits
So two categories should immediately jump out at you. First, healthcare's currently at the root of nearly one out of every three tax dollars being spent (and growing). Defense, which is the only Constitutional mandate of our federal government, isn't even a quarter of what our money is spent on & are you kidding me on the debt service!? No it's not surprising that it's so significant but isn't it outrageous that the third biggest federal spending item is simply paying the interest on our debt? Plus, like healthcare, we know what direction that's going as well. The real takeaway here is that while it's seemingly all just numbers and intangible - it matters. Imagine 13% lower taxes? If we didn't have debt to service that would be possible without even cutting anything else.
Education and accountability are key. I'm here to try to assist.