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  • baller_w@lemmy.ziptoMicroblog Memes@lemmy.worldmetastasis
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    23 hours ago

    For context, $77 billion is more than most nations spend on their military.

    What we could have bought instead; a list of real problems that money could help significantly with, or fix entirely (generated with AI):

    Universal Healthcare (Medicare for All)

    • Est. cost: $3–4T per year
    • $77B covers ~2–3 weeks of healthcare for the entire US
    • Or ~6–7 million people for one year
    • ~2% of annual national healthcare spend

    High-Speed Rail and Public Transit

    • Est. cost: $50–120M per mile
    • $77B covers 600–1,200 miles of true HSR
    • 3–5 major national corridors plus urban transit upgrades

    Homelessness, Veterans, and Mental Health

    • Est. cost: $150k–300k per housing unit; ~$25k/person/year care
    • $77B covers 250,000–400,000 permanent housing units
    • 10+ years of care for all chronically homeless
    • 100% of veteran homelessness eliminated

    Roads, Bridges, and Infrastructure

    • Est. cost: ~$5M per bridge; ~$1M per mile of road
    • $77B covers 15,000–20,000 bridge replacements
    • ~100,000 miles of roadway rebuilt
    • ~15–20% of all structurally deficient bridges

    Domestic Semiconductor Manufacturing

    • CHIPS Act: $52B total
    • $77B covers 150% of CHIPS Act
    • 3–5 leading-edge fabs
    • Full AI, defense, and automotive supply-chain security

    Fusion and Advanced Energy

    • ITER reactor: ~$22B
    • SPARC program: ~$4B
    • $77B covers 3 ITER-class reactors
    • 10+ SPARC-class fusion programs

    Climate Resilience and Clean Energy

    • Est. cost: ~$1B per GW renewable capacity
    • $77B covers 60+ GW clean power
    • Electrification of ~10 million homes
    • Coastal protection and grid modernization across multiple states

    Public Sector Scale Comparison

    • Equals 3+ years of NASA’s budget
    • Equals 10 years of US homelessness funding
    • Exceeds annual defense budgets of most countries