Great point that some Americans think of some military spending as foreign aid. However, even if we include that while using the most generous assumptions, the average American’s numbers are still way off. I added something about this to the article, and I’ll leave this comment here so readers know I made a change.

I disagree with your assessment of Iran. Not because your facts are wrong, but because nuclear weapons are so much more valuable than cash. Even a lot of cash.

Some of that money surely went to Iran’s military, and some helped Hezbollah. From an American perspective, that’s not good. But nuclear weapons would make Iran — and by extension, Hezbollah — so much more powerful than some conventional missiles, shaped charges, etc. And a nuclear Iran could set off a cascade, prompting Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt to acquire their own bombs, greatly increasing the probability of disaster in the world’s most volatile region.

I’m happy to trade away some money to head all that off.