U.S. Youth Suicide Spikes as Billions Flow to Foreign Wars
The mainstream media wrings its hands over record youth suicides, a 20% jump between 2014-2024, particularly affecting Black and Hispanic men. They hint at 'economic despair' and lament drying federal mental health funding. Yet, conspicuously absent from Axios's hand-wringing (reproduced from Stateline) is the actual spending priorities of the U.S. government during this period. Over the last
decade, Washington has consistently approved massive military aid packages – like the $14 billion to aid Israel's war efforts in 2024 (HR 815) – while domestic programs for vulnerable Americans, including mental health services, are left gasping for air. One might wonder: how many therapists, school counselors, or economic relief programs could $14 billion buy? Instead, we get 'theories' about
social media and 'resistance to seeking help.' It's a classic case of identifying the symptom, then blaming the patient, all while actively starving the cure to feed the war machine. As if 'economic despair' is an act of God, not largely a consequence of policy choices that funnel vast sums away from national well-being into foreign entanglements and defense contractor profits.