Imperial Overstretch?

[Aquamarine]

http://www.warresisters.org/piechart.htm

[Smurf]

more than half the civil government revenue goes into politician's pockets, such corruption!

[Aquamarine]

World military spending leapt 11 percent in 2003 due to a "massive increase" from the U.S. war on terror but the pace may slow down as Washington's pre-emptive strike policy comes under pressure, says a leading think-tank.

The United States accounted for almost half the $956 billion total, which grew by 18 percent in real terms during 2002 and 2003, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said on Wednesday.
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0609-07.htm

[Aquamarine]

Among comments not released until Monday, bin Laden said: "We are continuing this policy in bleeding America to the point of bankruptcy," adding it was "easy for us to provoke and bait this administration."

As part of the "bleed-until-bankruptcy plan," bin Laden cited a British estimate that it cost al-Qaida about $500,000 to carry out the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, an amount he said paled in comparison with the costs incurred by the United States.

"Every dollar of al-Qaida defeated a million dollars, by the permission of Allah, besides the loss of a huge number of jobs," he said.
http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20041102-073358-8320r.htm