[ Source -- One Billion Dollar (Most Expensive Artwork Ever) - infosthetics.com ]
Behind door number one, you could fund the ever-increasing food stamp needs of those going hungry in America:
Republicans Eye Splitting Farms, Food Stamps for Measure
by Derek Wallbank & Alan Bjerga, bloomberg.com -- Jun 27, 2013
[...]
The House, which refused to take up the Senate bill last year, voted down a $939 billion re-authorization of U.S. Department of Agriculture programs on a 195-234 vote on June 20. Democrats opposed a 2.5 percent cut in food-stamp spending [...] while more than one-quarter of the Republicans deserted their leadership over objections to its cost.
[...]
Mounting federal debt has brought fresh scrutiny to both types of aid, as agriculture profits are projected to reach a record $128.2 billion this year and food-stamp costs more than doubled from 2008 to $78.4 billion last year.
And behind door number two, if you had $75 Billion Dollars in mad-money (and you were Congress), you could probably fund the ever-increasing data needs of those starving for better information
on Americans:
What the NSA costs taxpayers
by Jeanne Sahadi, CNNMoney, money.cnn.com -- June 7, 2013
[...]
The NSA is one of at least 15 intelligence agencies, and combined the total U.S. intelligence budget in 2012 was $75 billion, said Steve Aftergood, director of the government secrecy program at the Federation of American Scientists, a nonpartisan think tank that analyzes national and international security issues.
The intelligence budget includes funding for both classified and unclassified activities.
[...]
Aftergood estimates about 14% of the country's total intelligence budget -- or about $10 billion -- goes to the NSA.
[...]
Priorities, priorities, you make your choices -- you take your chances.
But what would you choose if you were trying to build a better world?
More Food or more Intelligence? [See the Poll below]
... assuming we were actually given a choice in the matter.
You'd think with all that integrated "intelligence" they'd invent/discover/find a way to keep all our Citizens well-fed and gainfully employed.
You'd think that -- but you'd be wrong. The Office of the Director of the National Intelligence has a decidedly different reason to exist ... as it tries to make sense of those 15 different intelligence agencies, all searching the ether in their own special ways ...
Mission -- Director of the National Intelligence -- DNI.gov
Mission
-- Lead Intelligence Integration.
-- Forge an Intelligence Community that delivers the most insightful intelligence possible.
Vision
-- A Nation made more secure because of a fully integrated Intelligence Community.
Goals
-- Integrate intelligence analysis and collection to inform decisions made from the White House to the foxhole.
-- Drive responsible and secure information-sharing.
-- Set strategic direction and priorities for national intelligence resources and capabilities.
-- Develop and implement Unifying Intelligence Strategies across regional and functional portfolios.
-- Strengthen partnerships to enrich intelligence.
-- Advance cutting-edge capabilities to provide global intelligence advantage.
-- Promote a diverse, highly-skilled intelligence workforce that reflects the strength of America.
-- Align management practices to best serve the Intelligence Community.
Funny how "food, jobs, economy," and even "education" are no where to be found in the mission statement, vision, or goals of,
-- THE Intelligence agency of Intelligence agencies. Funny how that works out.
Hardly seems "smart" at all. But hey, who needs a growing economy, when we got a growing warehouse of angst-laden data instead:
"Look at all those emails applying for work. That's got to be 'a cover' for something ... Hmmm? ... More data please ... Must. have. answers!