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Devoured by Instruments of War: The Human Toll of U.S. Military Obsession
In 2024, the United States spent nearly $1 trillion on defense—more than the next nine countries combined, with China, the second-largest spender, allocating less than a third of that amount. Over half of all federal discretionary spending—$1.1 trillion—went not to healthcare, education, or infrastructure, but to war, militarism, and the machinery that sustains them. Meanwhile, the nation’s social fabric frays: millions lack access to affordable healthcare, homelessness is endemic, schools crumble, and basic public services are underfunded or cut entirely.The Machinery of War vs. the Needs of the People
For every $10 of federal discretionary spending, less than $4 benefits people and communities directly. The rest is funneled into the Pentagon, border security, federal law enforcement, and veterans’ benefits—systems designed to project power and enforce order, not nurture or heal. Congress debates ever-larger military budgets, while programs supporting food security, education, housing, and infrastructure face relentless cuts. The result: a nation where the profits of war contractors soar, while the health and well-being of ordinary Americans decline.
The Institute for Policy Studies’ National Priorities Project puts it plainly: “Spending on militarism takes up the majority of the federal discretionary budget, and it has grown faster than all other spending. If we keep up these patterns, we are hurtling toward a future where we can't afford the basics of a civilized society”.
The Psychology of the Warfare State
What drives this obsession? The psychology of the American state reveals a behemoth—restless, anxious, and lumbering—forever seeking security through the sheer force of its own dominance. Decades of psychological research show that war is not just a matter of policy, but of national identity and self-perception. The U.S. government has invested heavily in psychological operations—propaganda, influence campaigns, and the manipulation of public opinion—both abroad and at home. The military’s own recruitment materials boast of their ability to “deceive, persuade, change, influence, inspire,” not just foreign adversaries, but the American public itself.
This psychological warfare is not abstract. It shapes the very way Americans see themselves and their nation: as beset by threats, needing ever more weapons, surveillance, and force to remain safe. The result is a society primed for fear, division, and compliance—one where dissent is easily painted as disloyalty, and calls for peace are drowned out by the pounding march of perpetual conflict.
The Human Cost: Mental Health, Violence, and Social Decay
While the state pours its treasure into war, the consequences are felt on the streets and in the homes of ordinary Americans. The World Health Organization warns that exposure to war and its imagery—whether as soldiers, civilians, or even distant observers—has profound mental health consequences. Depression, anxiety, insomnia, and psychosomatic illnesses rise not only among combatants but among the general public, who consume a steady diet of violence through media and culture.
Veterans, exposed to trauma abroad, return to a society ill-equipped to care for them. Rates of homelessness, addiction, and suicide among veterans are the highest of any group in the country. But the trauma does not stop at the battlefield’s edge. The culture of militarism seeps into civilian life, fueling a uniquely American epidemic of gun violence. Easy access to military-style weapons, the normalization of force, and the militarization of police have made gun deaths and mass shootings a daily reality. Amnesty International calls U.S. gun violence a “human rights crisis,” enabled by the very policies and priorities that funnel billions into war while neglecting regulation, prevention, and care.
The Descent Toward Madness
The United States, once a beacon for the possibility of shared prosperity, now risks becoming a cautionary tale—a titan so obsessed with ruling, so fearful of vulnerability, that it neglects its own. The symptoms are everywhere: rising rates of mental illness, addiction, suicide, and violence; a fraying sense of community; the hollowing out of public institutions; and a growing gulf between the rhetoric of greatness and the reality of suffering.
This is not just a failure of policy, but of vision. The refusal to invest in healthcare, education, housing, and the environment is a refusal to invest in the future. The relentless pursuit of military supremacy, at the expense of human needs, is a descent toward madness—a society that devours itself to feed its precious war machine.
A Call to Reimagine Priorities
The path forward is not mysterious. The resources exist to end homelessness, provide universal healthcare, rebuild schools, and address the root causes of addiction and violence. For a fraction of what has been spent on war since 2001, the U.S. could have transformed its own society and set an example for the world.
The question is not whether the U.S. can afford to care for its people, but whether it can afford not to. As the costs of war mount—abroad and at home—the time has come to demand a new vision: one that values life over weaponry, community over conquest, and healing over harm. The future of the nation depends on it.
Helpful Resources
Every dollar spent on war is a dollar stolen from homes, hospitals, and classrooms. For readers moved to action, here are reputable organizations working to address these issues. cDemand better—support however you can, whenever you can.
- National Alliance to End Homelessness
A leading nonprofit dedicated to ending homelessness through research, advocacy, and direct support for both veterans and non-veterans. - Family Promise
A top-rated organization helping homeless and low-income families achieve sustainable independence through shelter, housing, and stabilization programs. - Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP)
A nonprofit of health professionals advocating for universal, single-payer healthcare and providing education and policy leadership on healthcare for all. - Rebuild America’s Schools
A coalition working to modernize and rebuild public school infrastructure, ensuring safe and effective learning environments for every child.
- Shatterproof
A national nonprofit dedicated to reversing the addiction crisis through evidence-based treatment, advocacy, and support for individuals and families.
This article features computer generated content. AI technology, specifically a large language model, has been utilized to generate both imagery and text. We chose this approach deliberately, not to undermine our message, but to strengthen it by demonstrating the complex relationship between humans and technology. Our use of AI serves as a practical example of leveraging its strengths while maintaining human oversight and critical thought.