In case you didn't know, the US of Empire spends more than $1 TRILLION per year maintaining 1000+ foreign military bases that serve to protect the supply lines of the cheap fossil fuels we "need" for our consumption-based economy.
That means that Vermont's share is more than $2 Billion per year, or about $10,000 per household. The ENTIRE VT state budget is just over $4 billion, not including the cost of our participation in the US Empire.
So you think gas and propane and heating oil each cost about $4 per gallon because that's what you pay at the pump (and you go YIKES, that's expensive compared to just a few years ago...)...well, think again.
It's a good thing we don't live in a nation like Ireland that has no military to ensure that fossil fuels stay cheap.
GOSH, gasoline currently costs $4.70/gallon in Ireland! God bless the US where we get "cheap" oil thanks to our military might.
Without including ANY of the direct subsidies the fossil fuel industry gets per year (which are still 13X more globally than all subsidies for renewable energy)...Vermont's share of the US military budget means that gasoline, propane and fuel oil each actually cost us more than $8 per gallon in 2011.
Thanks Bernie, Leahy and Welch for continuing to vote YES on all the US military funding resolutions! Thanks Obombya for keeping the US military budget higher than even GW Bush did! Good thing we have all these progressive heros as our government leaders!
