The Coalition of the Swilling

I don't think we can afford either of them.

Question 2: Which of these expenses is mentioned in the Constitution as a responsibility of the federal government?

Well Thomas, the Preamble does say "...provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare,..." which certainly covers a good part of the defense budget to my eye. You've got me on the elderly benefits.

Hmmmmm.

One thing you have to keep in mind is that the DoD is using this time, of politically acceptable open money spigot, to revamp and modernize the entire US military.

I doubt that the Republican Party which helped pass the prescription drug benefit has the slightest intention of controlling the cost of benefits to the elderly.

A friend sent me a link to a movie proposing more sustainable economies. It is probably much as you fear it was, including some terrible factual errors. This is one of them - the film claimed that more than half the US budget was military spending. I didn't think that was right, and now, golly gee but there it is in print. Thanks guys.

Mr. B, the Constitution also provides for the common defense in Article 1, Section 8, and further says:

"To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;

To provide and maintain a Navy;

To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;

To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;"

So, there y'go, Thomas!

And, yep, the welfare part is up in the air (IMHO) as far as the Constitution is concerned.

One could argue that, since the Constitution is silent on the question, it becomes the legislature's responsibility to ask which policies actually DO promote the general welfare - punishing achievers and subsidizing disastrous social ills, or the reverse.