NASA Budget in Perspective

See that chart up above? That is a chart of the U.S. government expenditures in 2008. We managed to spend $2,210 billion just on mandatory government services alone. Where does the funding for NASA fit into this? The allocated budget for NASA for the fiscal year of 2008 was around $17.3 billion, or just around 0.60% of the total federal budget. This, while a large amount to the average citizen, is an inconsequential amount when compared to the rest of our spending. Americans spend over $27 billion each year on just pizza. $88.8 billion is spent each year on tobacco products, and $97 billion on alcohol. $64 billion, over 3 times NASA's budget, is yearly wasted away by Americans on illegal drugs. A staggering $586.5 billion is spent on gambling alone each year. If any of these characteristics of our spending habits could be curtailed, the amount of money saved would be substantial. NASA's budget is surprisingly small when compared to the other ways in which we spend our money. Even the $684 million saved by NASA's budget cuts for the 2012 fiscal year pale in comparison to the amount of money that could be saved by eradicating any one of our nation's bad habits.

Picture: http://www.universetoday.com/31470/8-ridiculous-things-bigger-than-nasas-budget/

Link: http://visualeconomics.creditloan.com/how-much-americans-spend-on-shopping/

Source: Atkinson, Nancy. "8 Ridiculous Things Bigger Than NASA’s Budget." Universe Today. Universe Today, 29 May 2007. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. <http://www.universetoday.com/31470/8-ridiculous-things-bigger-than-nasas-budget/>.