ESCALATES BILL FOR WAR
Johnson revealed January 17 that his defense [war] budget for the next fiscal year will be $73 billion, up $5 billion for the current fiscal year. ending June 30. This represents the third largest in history. In 1945 it was $79.9 billion and in 1944 $76.1 billion. a
In addition to the $73 billion, Johnson said he would ask for $9.4 billion to cover greater expenditures than had been calculated on for the current year.
, By way of comparison, the U.S. public debt for 1915 was $1.2 billion and in 1920, following World War I, it was $24.3 billion.
On a per capita basis, the figure is perhaps not so staggering. It is expected that the population in the U.S. in mid 1967 will reach 200 million. Thus each man, ene and child will share in the war budget for the next fiscal year. to the amount of 365 ~
Lest this seem a mere trifle, it should be remembered that the rich do not pay for wars. This is done only by the poor, who have sturdy backs and are accustomed to carrying heavy burdens. In addition, since most children have but limited earning capacity, the full weight generally falls on the parents. An American family of six, in calculating its share of war costs, must figure $2,190, plus what the rich evade, and that's just for the next fiscal year.