TheBudgetGraph.Com: A Web Site that Reveals Exactly Where Your Tax Dollars Are Being Spent

Ever wonder where you tax dollars really go? You know, back in the 90s I used to have send in a check every April 15^th, but I really didn't mind too much because I felt like the country was basically on the right track and my dollars might very well be funding something positive. If I had to pay taxes this year, I might have seriously considered fraud. Frankly, I don't want a single penny of my hard-earned money paying for whatever new crackpot and illegal scheme Dick and the Bush are working on to make their campaign contributors richer. Of course, I'll never know exactly where my tax dollars are going, but there is an interesting web site that shows you exactly where the country's money is being spent. It's called TheBudgetGraph.com and it's a clickable poster that lets you find exactly how much money is being targeted to specific interests.

For instance, did you know that 2 billion dollars is earmarked for Iraqi security forces? And why not? After all, they're doing a heckuva job, Brownie. Interestingly, Afghanistan security forces will get 2.7 billion dollars. And why not? After all, the security situation is far, far worse in Afghanistan than Iraq, right? I certainly hope you are more concerned about the safety of Iraqis and Afghans than you are about your children while they are in school. Know how much money is being spent on keeping America's schools safe from drugs and violence? A little over 300 million. And by the way, that number is down 38% from last year. Clearly, when Pres. Bush says No Child Left Behind what he really means is that No Iraqi or Afghan Child Left Behind.

Just in case you might for some reason still be wondering what part of the budget took the biggest hit, and I simply cannot imagine anyone thinking it would anything else, you are correct if you assumed it was in the services to the poor, sick and young. For instance, Administration for Children and Families took a 10% hit. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention witnessed a 1% drop in funding. Shockingly for an administration that has spent the bulk of its time creating a false fear of a terrorist on every corner, the money being spent on terrorism preparedness is down 3%. The biggest loser, however, is the Health Resources and Service Administration, which saw a jaw-dropping 13% drop in funding. My advice is to make sure you suffer no health problems for the rest of your life.

So where did all that lost revenue go? You can be sure it is money better spent. For instance, budget funding for the F-22A Raptor skyrocketed by 75%. Of course, that's nothing compared to the increase in funding for the KC-135 Tanker replacement. The figures for that little piece of destruction went up 355%. Of course, even that hefty increase pales in comparison to the staggering 408% increase in funding for the Polar MILSATCOM.

The Budget Graph is an intensely fascinating web site. It is also a distressingly depressing one. Yes, I am afraid that next year I may well have to send in a check to the IRS. So, starting right now, I'm looking into every single possible tax deduction idea that exists. I don't mind paying taxes. In fact, I'd be more than willing to pay double in taxes if I could personally choose to which programs the money went. But I'm damn sure not going to make it any easier for Pres. Bush to make his already richer than Croesus friends in the defense industry even richer.