If you ever need to buy a Nimitz class aircraft carrier, you will need to spend a large amount of money. For instance, in 2001 the US Navy had such a need, and immediately ordered the construction of the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77). This piece of ship cost a reported $6.3 billion USD to get out the yard.
 
The thing can travel at an impressive 30+ knots, will spot you approaching on radar at the incredible distance of 2000 km, has two meters of steel armour, multiple nuclear reactors, and is over one thousand feet long.

If you go to the airport, you will see that jet powered aircraft take a long time to get off the ground, and all that deck space will house, launch and capture some very dangerous jet powered aircraft. Each of those will cost in excess of $30 million USD, if you're lucky.

Since aircraft carrier captains fear the dark and never travel alone, the US Navy never actually just buys the aircraft carrier, but has to spend money on all the supporting ships, aircraft, submarines, bullets, missiles, foaming agents, Special Forces operators, mines and bombs.

Some of this gear is used in fire suppression, and the US Navy hopes they never have to do any of that. The rest is used to lay down suppressing fire, and you should hope that you never have to receive any of that.

All of this usually puts to sea in what navies see as a flotilla. But if this assemblage is coming your way in anger, all you will see is a bad moon rising.

The US Navy already owns nine of these Nimitz class mobile warzones, each of which cost more than the last to build.

One has to wonder how they pay for all that.

At this juncture, I'd like to direct your attention to the all important business of following the money.

There used to be a saying that money doesn't grow on trees. That may be so, but Time magazine is reporting that out in California, money actually grows on weeds.

The weed in question is variously known as cannabis, sensi, pot, skunk, reefer, mary jane and dope. Cannabis is valued the world over for its superb psychoactive effects, and the ease with which it may be converted into cash and other valuables. It's also totally illegal in all 50 United States and some parts of Canada.

Despite the costly efforts of the US Drug Enforcement Agency, wherever it is grown, cannabis tends to count as one of the biggest cash crops growing, after you finish counting all the cash.

For instance, Time Magazine would have us believe that cannabis contributes $14 billion USD to California's gross domestic product, 'dwarfing' the state's second largest agricultural commodity - milk and cream, which counts for only $7.3 billion per year.

Because cannabis is easily grown in national forests, converted dwellings and even among the potted plants out back, one can reasonably assume that pot contributes billions of dollars to the gross domestic product of each of the 50 United States. But because it is completely illegal to possess, grow, purchase or distribute this common plant, none of that money becomes taxable income, and is therefore unavailable for use in purchasing aircraft carriers, and the nuclear fuel rods to power them.

Support for and consumption of cannabis varies across the political spectrum.

But now politicians in sunny California are offering up a dope solution to the vexing problem of how to pay for the state's schools, hospitals, and the US Navy's ability to achieve air superiority at random GPS coordinates.
 
Read it for yourself, but I can tell you that by the time the US Navy gets around to buying CVN-420, the question will be long settled, and the solution is sure to be interesting.

This is your economy.

 

This is your economy on dope.

Any questions?