This is only a snapshot of 1 year’s funding, but still…

Vietnam 1974:

Congress cut funding to South Vietnam for the upcoming fiscal year from a proposed 1.26 billion to 700 million dollars.

Iraq 2006:

[Congress] voted for a bill which went into effect on Oct. 1 that appropriated $70 billion… [There is a new bill that] some are now estimating as an additional $160 billion for the war in Iraq, bringing the total for the fiscal year to $230 billion.

One year of Vietnam = $1.26 Billion
One year of Iraq = $230 Billion

Is it just inflation?

Let’s see, if you bought a brand new car in 1974 for $1260 (not feasible, but for the sake of transparent, easy math) , then a comparable car today would cost about $230,000.

Somebody’s getting the shaft- and it ain’t the military-industrial complex.