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Policy In Focus » Article / Op-Ed  Death and Taxes  April 18,
2012 · · Originally published in The Bellingham Herald
Tuesday, Tax Day, Americans were treated to the news that our
nation has increased its overall spending on the military. In
2011, the United States spent approximately $740 billion on the
military, an increase of more than $40 billion from the previous
year, and this doesn't include parts of the intelligence,
Homeland Security and State Department budgets devoted to
military activities.      The United States stands at a historic
crossroads. As the world's largest military spender, we can
literally bite the bullet and follow through on the essential
task of balancing the budget on the Pentagon's back. Toward this
end, Sen. Tom Coburn - a conservative Oklahoma Republican - has
proposed a $1 trillion cut in military spending over the next
decade. There's bipartisan support for his plan.  Mitt Romney,
by contrast, wants to increase mi