The problem in the US is that over 1/3 of it’s 3 trillion dollar budget is borrowed money. 1.2 trillion goes towards social security medicare and medicaid … which as we know costs the Americans $1.60 for the same amount of health care our Canadian system would provide. Another half trillion goes to ‘other mandatory spending’ which I take to be transfers to state and local gov’t, and a couple of hundred billion goes to making minimum payments on their debt.

That leaves them with 1 trillion for the ‘real’ budget, and the defense department takes 60 – 70% of that. It’s not just that the defense department dwarfs NASA’s budget, it dwarfs all other US spending.

EVERYONE else in the US government is left fighting over about 300 million. To pat that into perspective the Canadian 2010 budget is 280 billion… 200 if you subtract pension and health and defense.

So a nation of 350 million Americans has only 100 million more to spend than 33 million Canadians.

In short they are bankrupt. It doesn’t make it excusable, but it is more understandable why they look to cut NASA’s budget when you realize they have got to the point that their discretionary spending is on par with a country 1/10 their size.