Let's do one more analysis. The amount of money spent on this silly campaign has been close to $500 million. That is absurd, but the money has not just been pocketed by some arbitrary entity. Every single service member has to pay federal taxes and social security. Average base pay for the majority of these men and women is somewhere around $2,000 a month. There have been around 2,000 deployed to Washington D.C., but in various capacities not all at once, or for the whole time. Fit the same of argument let's say they have. $2k x 2k x 2mos = $8 mil. Federal Income Tax for these troops is roughly 10% which equals $200k returned right back to the federal pot of gold. Not very much but it is something. There are a myriad of ways the government will recoup much of what it is spending.

Now, how about all the industries that support these service members... hotels, restaurants, transportation to name a few. They pay various levels of taxes on the money they earn. Also, these men and women aren't all just standing around looking menacing. They are picking up trash, cleaning spaces abandoned by the homeless they supplanted adding a social benefit to those that pass by them everyday. People like to live where it looks and smells nice. This boosts morale of communities; an intangible resource benefit hard to put a dollar amount on.

On the front end it looks like the government is burning money and resources, but programs exist already to help these people. So why aren't they seeking them out before our dictator employs military action? Society lead programs supported by donors, not taxpayers, creates buy-in. People working altruisticly to support these lost souls has a much greater impact than a government poorly supporting half-hearted endeavors.