Good letter Mr. Cross. "Discretionary Congressional Spending" is also usually hidden  by not being included as part of the budget total for a year and the last time I checked about 65% of it also goes to military spending. People, including politicians, are investing stock in military contractors and 'who' doesn't exercise that freedom with the intention for profit and how could that propensity possibly have any positive affect towards finally ending the US foreign policy of regime change intervention? 

Until Americans wise up and let our so-called representatives know that their not wearing any clothes, the war theater of confusion, violence and death will never end in that part of the world.