Every time I hear someone complain about all the social spending that is being lost by, for example, spending on the military, I have to gently remind them that there is no shortage of social spending in this country.

A few numbers:

- Estimated cost of Iraq war through 2004: $150 billion. Pulled this number off an anti-war site. You can argue it if you want.

- Overall defense spending for 2004 budget: $390 billion. Obviously, there is a considerable overlap with the Iraq spending.

- Other discretionary spending: $429 billion.

- Social Security: $493 billion

- Medicare and Medicaid: $441 billion

- There's an "other" category under mandatory spending of $301 billion. Don't know how that breaks down.

- Percentage of total government budget going to Iraq war: 7 percent

- Percentage of total government budget going to mandatory spending (entitlements) alone: 55 percent

Keep in mind that the social spending is forever. In ten years, the Iraq war will be a memory, and we'll still be spending hundreds of billions on social programs.

- Cost of 9/11 attack, to New York alone: $100 billion. I have never seen an overall total of what 9/11 cost the United States economy as a whole over the past years. Security costs, the effects of a deepened recession, all the rest.