The NYT told readers the defense spending in the United States is equal to 4.0 percent of GDP. The Congressional Budget Office reports that it was 4.6 percent of GDP in fiscal 2009 and will be 4.7 percent of GDP in fiscal years 2010 and 2011.

–Dean Baker

Dean Baker is senior economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, D.C. He is the author of several books, including Rigged: How Globalization and the Rules of the Modern Economy Were Structured to Make the Rich Richer. Read more about Dean.