The chart from the Center On Budget and Policy Priorities report, Where Do Our Federal Tax Dollars Go? , breaks down how the Federal Government spent $2.7 trillion in fiscal year 2007. Defense, Social Security and Healthcare continue to be the 3 big tickets. The “Everything Else” category accounts for Benefits for Civilian Retirees and Veterans, Education, Scientific and Medical Research, Transportation, and Non-security International expenditures.

Andrew Sullivan also points out an interesting article on Portfolio.com about the Pentagon’s accounting problem.

“Since 2004, the Pentagon has spent roughly $16 billion annually to maintain and modernize the military’s business systems, but most are as unreliable as ever—even as the surge in defense spending is creating more room for error.”

How can you not have waste and abuse if you can’t even account for the resources you expend?