Spectre’s Sayings

In the Truman and Eisenhower administrations, the defense budget accounted, at its height, for about 13 percent of the economy. In the Reagan administration, the defense budget was about 6 percent of the economy. The 2009 defense budget coupled with projected spending on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan comes in at about 4 percent of overall spending.

Source.

Actually, dollar-for-dollar (i.e. adjusted for inflation) today’s military spending is bigger than in those two examples above. What this shows is that the economy has grown faster than military spending has. Which is good news, indeed.

What a cool toy! What little boy wouldn’t want one?

Sierra Nevada’s ESB (Early Spring Beer) pours a dark amber - nearly red - color with a small head and has a subtle floral aroma. This American take on a British ESB (Extra Special Bitter) is exactly what you would expect: the balance between the malts and hops is skewed in favor of the hops.

The maltiness is small but distinct, and there’s a bitter kick to the finish. But it’s a pretty good beer. This is what last night’s mild ale should have tasted like.

My local big box beer store carries Westmalle! Yay!