In a recent budget, the President propossibly even survived, sacrificing the mestic spending are clear: Internationposed spending $320 billion for napublic's health becomes a tragic paraal analysts have found that as a nation tional defense-four times the $70 bildox, with most nations of the world spends more for defense, the economy lion for Medicare, nine times the $35 bilattempting to defend themselves from disintegrates, inflation rates rise, and lion for health, twenty times the $15.4 nuclear war by preparing for it. employment drops(3). billion for education, twenty-six times Such budget decisions lead to an the $12.1 billion for training, employAN UNBALANCED BUDGET underdeveloped population with an ment, and social services, and fifty As most sectors scramble to protect underutilized, unhealthy labor times the $6.5 billion for community Mtheir ever-shrinking piece of the force, poor productivity, lost and regional development(l). federal pie, the defense department and assets, drained capital re:: How we as individuals choose to its related industries have enjoyed a sources, and aheavily spend money reveals what is important steady surge in federal monies every mortgaged futo us. If, on a larger scale, the national year since 1972. This trend implies that ture(4). budget reflects the choices, priorities, military strength is our first and overand values of a people, our current fedriding priority(2). eral budget represents a society that is Other governments have made simichoosing the threat of death and lar choices. World military expendidestruction as a way to defend against tures have grown to practically $1 the threat of death and destruction, and trillion(l). it chooses to do so at the cost of health The effects of choosing miland human life. itary over doSince a nuclear war cannot be won or