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World War II | EVENT

 

World War II, or the Second World War (often abbreviated WWII or WW2), was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all of the great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. The war involved the mobilization of over 100 million military personnel, making it the most widespread war in history. In a state of "total war", the major participants placed their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities at the service of the war effort, erasing the distinction between civilian and military resources. Over seventy million people, the majority of whom were civilians, were killed, making it the deadliest conflict in human history.

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Pauline Harvey, 77, the sister of Reginald Earnshaw, known as Reggie, the youngest British serviceman to die in the Second World War aged 14, places a wreath on his grave, during a formal ceremony at Edinburgh's Comely Bank Cemetery. Friday Feb. 5, 2010. The sister of the youngest British serviceman to die in the Second World War made an emotional visit to his grave Friday, nearly 70 years after his death. Officials say Earnshaw, who was 14 and had lied about his age to join the Merchant Navy, was killed in 1941, under enemy attack aboard the SS North Devon. His remains were buried in an unmarked grave in Edinburgh, Scotland, for decades until a fellow shipmate launched an investigation that led to him being identified and given a headstone.

Pauline Harvey, 77, the sister of Reginald Earnshaw, known as Reggie, the youngest British serviceman to die in the Second World War aged 14, places a wreath on his grave, during a formal ceremony at Edinburgh's Comely Bank Cemetery. Friday Feb. 5, 2010. The sister of the youngest British serviceman to die in the Second World War made an emotional visit to his grave Friday, nearly 70 years after his death. Officials say Earnshaw, who was 14 and had lied about his age to join the Merchant Navy, was killed in 1941, under enemy attack aboard the SS North Devon. His remains were buried in an unmarked grave in Edinburgh, Scotland, for decades until a fellow shipmate launched an investigation that led to him being identified and given a headstone.

AP 

This image made available in London, Friday Feb. 5, 2010, by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, shows Reginald Earnshaw, who has been identified as Britain's youngest World War II casualty. Officials say Earnshaw, who was 14 and had lied about his age to join the Merchant Navy, was killed in 1941, under enemy attack aboard the SS North Devon. His remains were buried in an unmarked grave in Edinburgh, Scotland, for decades until a fellow shipmate launched an investigation that led to him being identified and given a headstone.

This image made available in London, Friday Feb. 5, 2010, by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, shows Reginald Earnshaw, who has been identified as Britain's youngest World War II casualty. Officials say Earnshaw, who was 14 and had lied about his age to join the Merchant Navy, was killed in 1941, under enemy attack aboard the SS North Devon. His remains were buried in an unmarked grave in Edinburgh, Scotland, for decades until a fellow shipmate launched an investigation that led to him being identified and given a headstone.

AP 

This image made available in London, Friday Feb. 5, 2010, by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, shows a copy the death certificate of Reginald Earnshaw, who has been identified as Britain's youngest World War II casualty. Officials say Earnshaw, who was 14 and had lied about his age to join the Merchant Navy, was killed in 1941, under enemy attack aboard the SS North Devon. His remains were buried in an unmarked grave in Edinburgh, Scotland, for decades until a fellow shipmate launched an investigation that led to him being identified and given a headstone.

This image made available in London, Friday Feb. 5, 2010, by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, shows a copy the death certificate of Reginald Earnshaw, who has been identified as Britain's youngest World War II casualty. Officials say Earnshaw, who was 14 and had lied about his age to join the Merchant Navy, was killed in 1941, under enemy attack aboard the SS North Devon. His remains were buried in an unmarked grave in Edinburgh, Scotland, for decades until a fellow shipmate launched an investigation that led to him being identified and given a headstone.

AP 

WASHINGTON - FEBRUARY 01:  Senate employees use mechanical dollies to carry copies of U.S. President Barack Obama's FY2011 Budget past dozens of journalists and into the Senate Budget Committee hearing room on Capitol Hill February 1, 2010 in Washington, DC. The budget will swell the deficit to $1.6 trillion despite Obama�s proposal to freeze domestic discretionary spending at current levels for three years and let the Bush Administration�s 2001 and 2003 tax breaks for the wealthy expire. This is the largest budget deficit since World War II and would equal almost 11 percent of the gross domestic product.

WASHINGTON - FEBRUARY 01: Senate employees use mechanical dollies to carry copies of U.S. President Barack Obama's FY2011 Budget past dozens of journalists and into the Senate Budget Committee hearing room on Capitol Hill February 1, 2010 in Washington, DC. The budget will swell the deficit to $1.6 trillion despite Obama�s proposal to freeze domestic discretionary spending at current levels for three years and let the Bush Administration�s 2001 and 2003 tax breaks for the wealthy expire. This is the largest budget deficit since World War II and would equal almost 11 percent of the gross domestic product.

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WASHINGTON - FEBRUARY 01:  A Senate staff member carries a copy of U.S. President Barack Obama's FY2011 Budget proposal after it was released to the Senate Budget Committee on Capitol Hill February 1, 2010 in Washington, DC. The budget will swell the deficit to $1.6 trillion despite Obama�s proposal to freeze domestic discretionary spending at current levels for three years and let the Bush Administration�s 2001 and 2003 tax breaks for the wealthy expire. This is the largest budget deficit since World War II and would equal almost 11 percent of the gross domestic product.

WASHINGTON - FEBRUARY 01: A Senate staff member carries a copy of U.S. President Barack Obama's FY2011 Budget proposal after it was released to the Senate Budget Committee on Capitol Hill February 1, 2010 in Washington, DC. The budget will swell the deficit to $1.6 trillion despite Obama�s proposal to freeze domestic discretionary spending at current levels for three years and let the Bush Administration�s 2001 and 2003 tax breaks for the wealthy expire. This is the largest budget deficit since World War II and would equal almost 11 percent of the gross domestic product.

Getty Images 

WASHINGTON - FEBRUARY 01:  A Senate employee uses a mechanical dolly to carry copies of U.S. President Barack Obama's FY2011 Budget past dozens of journalists and into the Senate Budget Committee hearing room on Capitol Hill February 1, 2010 in Washington, DC. The budget will swell the deficit to $1.6 trillion despite Obama�s proposal to freeze domestic discretionary spending at current levels for three years and let the Bush Administration�s 2001 and 2003 tax breaks for the wealthy expire. This is the largest budget deficit since World War II and would equal almost 11 percent of the gross domestic product.

WASHINGTON - FEBRUARY 01: A Senate employee uses a mechanical dolly to carry copies of U.S. President Barack Obama's FY2011 Budget past dozens of journalists and into the Senate Budget Committee hearing room on Capitol Hill February 1, 2010 in Washington, DC. The budget will swell the deficit to $1.6 trillion despite Obama�s proposal to freeze domestic discretionary spending at current levels for three years and let the Bush Administration�s 2001 and 2003 tax breaks for the wealthy expire. This is the largest budget deficit since World War II and would equal almost 11 percent of the gross domestic product.

Getty Images 

WASHINGTON - FEBRUARY 01:  A Senate staff member carries a copy of U.S. President Barack Obama's FY2011 Budget proposal after it was released to the Senate Budget Committee on Capitol Hill February 1, 2010 in Washington, DC. The budget will swell the deficit to $1.6 trillion despite Obama�s proposal to freeze domestic discretionary spending at current levels for three years and let the Bush Administration�s 2001 and 2003 tax breaks for the wealthy expire. This is the largest budget deficit since World War II and would equal almost 11 percent of the gross domestic product.

WASHINGTON - FEBRUARY 01: A Senate staff member carries a copy of U.S. President Barack Obama's FY2011 Budget proposal after it was released to the Senate Budget Committee on Capitol Hill February 1, 2010 in Washington, DC. The budget will swell the deficit to $1.6 trillion despite Obama�s proposal to freeze domestic discretionary spending at current levels for three years and let the Bush Administration�s 2001 and 2003 tax breaks for the wealthy expire. This is the largest budget deficit since World War II and would equal almost 11 percent of the gross domestic product.

Getty Images 

WASHINGTON - FEBRUARY 01:  A Senate staff member carries a copy of U.S. President Barack Obama's FY2011 Budget proposal after it was released to the Senate Budget Committee on Capitol Hill February 1, 2010 in Washington, DC. The budget will swell the deficit to $1.6 trillion despite Obama�s proposal to freeze domestic discretionary spending at current levels for three years and let the Bush Administration�s 2001 and 2003 tax breaks for the wealthy expire. This is the largest budget deficit since World War II and would equal almost 11 percent of the gross domestic product.

WASHINGTON - FEBRUARY 01: A Senate staff member carries a copy of U.S. President Barack Obama's FY2011 Budget proposal after it was released to the Senate Budget Committee on Capitol Hill February 1, 2010 in Washington, DC. The budget will swell the deficit to $1.6 trillion despite Obama�s proposal to freeze domestic discretionary spending at current levels for three years and let the Bush Administration�s 2001 and 2003 tax breaks for the wealthy expire. This is the largest budget deficit since World War II and would equal almost 11 percent of the gross domestic product.

Getty Images 

WASHINGTON - FEBRUARY 01:  A Senate staff member carries a copy of U.S. President Barack Obama's FY2011 Budget proposal after it was released to the Senate Budget Committee on Capitol Hill February 1, 2010 in Washington, DC. The budget will swell the deficit to $1.6 trillion despite Obama�s proposal to freeze domestic discretionary spending at current levels for three years and let the Bush Administration�s 2001 and 2003 tax breaks for the wealthy expire. This is the largest budget deficit since World War II and would equal almost 11 percent of the gross domestic product.

WASHINGTON - FEBRUARY 01: A Senate staff member carries a copy of U.S. President Barack Obama's FY2011 Budget proposal after it was released to the Senate Budget Committee on Capitol Hill February 1, 2010 in Washington, DC. The budget will swell the deficit to $1.6 trillion despite Obama�s proposal to freeze domestic discretionary spending at current levels for three years and let the Bush Administration�s 2001 and 2003 tax breaks for the wealthy expire. This is the largest budget deficit since World War II and would equal almost 11 percent of the gross domestic product.

Getty Images 

WASHINGTON - FEBRUARY 01:  Senate Budget Committee Staff Assistant Samm Armocido (L) stacks copies of U.S. President Barack Obama's FY2011 Budget proposal in the committee's hearing room on Capitol Hill February 1, 2010 in Washington, DC. The budget will swell the deficit to $1.6 trillion despite Obama�s proposal to freeze domestic discretionary spending at current levels for three years and let the Bush Administration�s 2001 and 2003 tax breaks for the wealthy expire. This is the largest budget deficit since World War II and would equal almost 11 percent of the gross domestic product.

WASHINGTON - FEBRUARY 01: Senate Budget Committee Staff Assistant Samm Armocido (L) stacks copies of U.S. President Barack Obama's FY2011 Budget proposal in the committee's hearing room on Capitol Hill February 1, 2010 in Washington, DC. The budget will swell the deficit to $1.6 trillion despite Obama�s proposal to freeze domestic discretionary spending at current levels for three years and let the Bush Administration�s 2001 and 2003 tax breaks for the wealthy expire. This is the largest budget deficit since World War II and would equal almost 11 percent of the gross domestic product.

Getty Images 

WASHINGTON - FEBRUARY 01:  Senate Budget Committee Staff Assistant Samm Armocido (C) opens boxes containing copies of U.S. President Barack Obama's FY2011 Budget proposal in the committee's hearing room on Capitol Hill February 1, 2010 in Washington, DC. The budget will swell the deficit to $1.6 trillion despite Obama�s proposal to freeze domestic discretionary spending at current levels for three years and let the Bush Administration�s 2001 and 2003 tax breaks for the wealthy expire. This is the largest budget deficit since World War II and would equal almost 11 percent of the gross domestic product.

WASHINGTON - FEBRUARY 01: Senate Budget Committee Staff Assistant Samm Armocido (C) opens boxes containing copies of U.S. President Barack Obama's FY2011 Budget proposal in the committee's hearing room on Capitol Hill February 1, 2010 in Washington, DC. The budget will swell the deficit to $1.6 trillion despite Obama�s proposal to freeze domestic discretionary spending at current levels for three years and let the Bush Administration�s 2001 and 2003 tax breaks for the wealthy expire. This is the largest budget deficit since World War II and would equal almost 11 percent of the gross domestic product.

Getty Images 

WASHINGTON - FEBRUARY 01:  Senate Budget Committee Staff Assistant Samm Armocido (L) stacks copies of U.S. President Barack Obama's FY2011 Budget proposal in the committee's hearing room on Capitol Hill February 1, 2010 in Washington, DC. The budget will swell the deficit to $1.6 trillion despite Obama�s proposal to freeze domestic discretionary spending at current levels for three years and let the Bush Administration�s 2001 and 2003 tax breaks for the wealthy expire. This is the largest budget deficit since World War II and would equal almost 11 percent of the gross domestic product.

WASHINGTON - FEBRUARY 01: Senate Budget Committee Staff Assistant Samm Armocido (L) stacks copies of U.S. President Barack Obama's FY2011 Budget proposal in the committee's hearing room on Capitol Hill February 1, 2010 in Washington, DC. The budget will swell the deficit to $1.6 trillion despite Obama�s proposal to freeze domestic discretionary spending at current levels for three years and let the Bush Administration�s 2001 and 2003 tax breaks for the wealthy expire. This is the largest budget deficit since World War II and would equal almost 11 percent of the gross domestic product.

Getty Images 

WASHINGTON - FEBRUARY 01:  Members of the news media crane to photograph copies of U.S. President Barack Obama's FY2011 Budget proposal inside Senate Budget Committee hearing room on Capitol Hill February 1, 2010 in Washington, DC. The budget will swell the deficit to $1.6 trillion despite Obama�s proposal to freeze domestic discretionary spending at current levels for three years and let the Bush Administration�s 2001 and 2003 tax breaks for the wealthy expire. This is the largest budget deficit since World War II and would equal almost 11 percent of the gross domestic product.

WASHINGTON - FEBRUARY 01: Members of the news media crane to photograph copies of U.S. President Barack Obama's FY2011 Budget proposal inside Senate Budget Committee hearing room on Capitol Hill February 1, 2010 in Washington, DC. The budget will swell the deficit to $1.6 trillion despite Obama�s proposal to freeze domestic discretionary spending at current levels for three years and let the Bush Administration�s 2001 and 2003 tax breaks for the wealthy expire. This is the largest budget deficit since World War II and would equal almost 11 percent of the gross domestic product.

Getty Images 

WASHINGTON - FEBRUARY 01:  Senate Budget Committee Staff Assistant Samm Armocido (C) opens boxes containing copies of U.S. President Barack Obama's FY2011 Budget proposal in the committee's hearing room on Capitol Hill February 1, 2010 in Washington, DC. The budget will swell the deficit to $1.6 trillion despite Obama�s proposal to freeze domestic discretionary spending at current levels for three years and let the Bush Administration�s 2001 and 2003 tax breaks for the wealthy expire. This is the largest budget deficit since World War II and would equal almost 11 percent of the gross domestic product.

WASHINGTON - FEBRUARY 01: Senate Budget Committee Staff Assistant Samm Armocido (C) opens boxes containing copies of U.S. President Barack Obama's FY2011 Budget proposal in the committee's hearing room on Capitol Hill February 1, 2010 in Washington, DC. The budget will swell the deficit to $1.6 trillion despite Obama�s proposal to freeze domestic discretionary spending at current levels for three years and let the Bush Administration�s 2001 and 2003 tax breaks for the wealthy expire. This is the largest budget deficit since World War II and would equal almost 11 percent of the gross domestic product.

Getty Images 

WASHINGTON - FEBRUARY 01:  Senate Budget Committee Staff Assistant Samm Armocido (L) stacks copies of U.S. President Barack Obama's FY2011 Budget proposal in the committee's hearing room on Capitol Hill February 1, 2010 in Washington, DC. The budget will swell the deficit to $1.6 trillion despite Obama�s proposal to freeze domestic discretionary spending at current levels for three years and let the Bush Administration�s 2001 and 2003 tax breaks for the wealthy expire. This is the largest budget deficit since World War II and would equal almost 11 percent of the gross domestic product.

WASHINGTON - FEBRUARY 01: Senate Budget Committee Staff Assistant Samm Armocido (L) stacks copies of U.S. President Barack Obama's FY2011 Budget proposal in the committee's hearing room on Capitol Hill February 1, 2010 in Washington, DC. The budget will swell the deficit to $1.6 trillion despite Obama�s proposal to freeze domestic discretionary spending at current levels for three years and let the Bush Administration�s 2001 and 2003 tax breaks for the wealthy expire. This is the largest budget deficit since World War II and would equal almost 11 percent of the gross domestic product.

Getty Images 

World War II veteran Milton Christian, 84, of Derry, N.H., gets a kiss from his wife, Charlotte, 76, after Christian was presented the Bronze Star Medal by U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, back facing center, during a ceremony in Derry, N.H., Monday, Feb. 1, 2010. Christian had been previously awarded a number of military service awards, including the Purple Heart, but until today had not received the Bronze Star Medal. Since Christian's military records were destroyed in a fire, Shaheen and her staff worked with Christian to produce documentation of his service and to obtain the long overdue award.

World War II veteran Milton Christian, 84, of Derry, N.H., gets a kiss from his wife, Charlotte, 76, after Christian was presented the Bronze Star Medal by U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, back facing center, during a ceremony in Derry, N.H., Monday, Feb. 1, 2010. Christian had been previously awarded a number of military service awards, including the Purple Heart, but until today had not received the Bronze Star Medal. Since Christian's military records were destroyed in a fire, Shaheen and her staff worked with Christian to produce documentation of his service and to obtain the long overdue award.

AP 

U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, left, and Col. James Moody, right, prepare to present World War II veteran Milton Christian, 84, of Derry, N.H., middle, with the Bronze Star Medal during a ceremony in Derry, N.H., Monday, Feb. 1, 2010. Christian had been previously awarded a number of military service awards, including the Purple Heart, but until today had not received the Bronze Star Medal. Since Christian's military records were destroyed in a fire, Shaheen and her staff worked with Christian to produce documentation of his service and to obtain the long overdue award.

U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, left, and Col. James Moody, right, prepare to present World War II veteran Milton Christian, 84, of Derry, N.H., middle, with the Bronze Star Medal during a ceremony in Derry, N.H., Monday, Feb. 1, 2010. Christian had been previously awarded a number of military service awards, including the Purple Heart, but until today had not received the Bronze Star Medal. Since Christian's military records were destroyed in a fire, Shaheen and her staff worked with Christian to produce documentation of his service and to obtain the long overdue award.

AP 

U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen presents, right,  World War II veteran Milton Christian, 84, of Derry, N.H., center, with the Bronze Star Medal during a ceremony in Derry, N.H., Monday, Feb. 1, 2010. Christian had been previously awarded a number of military service awards, including the Purple Heart, but until today had not received the Bronze Star Medal. Since Christian's military records were destroyed in a fire, Shaheen and her staff worked with Christian to produce documentation of his service and to obtain the long overdue award.

U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen presents, right, World War II veteran Milton Christian, 84, of Derry, N.H., center, with the Bronze Star Medal during a ceremony in Derry, N.H., Monday, Feb. 1, 2010. Christian had been previously awarded a number of military service awards, including the Purple Heart, but until today had not received the Bronze Star Medal. Since Christian's military records were destroyed in a fire, Shaheen and her staff worked with Christian to produce documentation of his service and to obtain the long overdue award.

AP 

Gov. Jim Douglas looks at the new license plates for veterans in Montpelier, Vt., Thursday, Jan. 28, 2010. The state of Vermont is going to offer six new license plates for military veterans from World War II through the present conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The plates will honor veterans from World War II, the wars in Korean, Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Gov. Jim Douglas looks at the new license plates for veterans in Montpelier, Vt., Thursday, Jan. 28, 2010. The state of Vermont is going to offer six new license plates for military veterans from World War II through the present conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The plates will honor veterans from World War II, the wars in Korean, Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf, Iraq and Afghanistan.

AP 

Serbian Army soldier remove snow from a monument in World War II Nazi concentration camp Sajmiste in Belgrade, Serbia, where some 48,000 Jews, Serbs and Gypsies perished in the 1940's, Wednesday, Jan 27, 2010. The international Holocaust remembrance day marks the liberation of the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz on Jan. 27, 1945.

Serbian Army soldier remove snow from a monument in World War II Nazi concentration camp Sajmiste in Belgrade, Serbia, where some 48,000 Jews, Serbs and Gypsies perished in the 1940's, Wednesday, Jan 27, 2010. The international Holocaust remembrance day marks the liberation of the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz on Jan. 27, 1945.

AP 

Pauline Harvey, 77, the sister of Reginald Earnshaw, known as Reggie, the youngest British serviceman to die in the Second World War aged 14, places a wreath on his grave, during a formal ceremony at Edinburgh's Comely Bank Cemetery. Friday Feb. 5, 2010. The sister of the youngest British serviceman to die in the Second World War made an emotional visit to his grave Friday, nearly 70 years after his death. Officials say Earnshaw, who was 14 and had lied about his age to join the Merchant Navy, was killed in 1941, under enemy attack aboard the SS North Devon. His remains were buried in an unmarked grave in Edinburgh, Scotland, for decades until a fellow shipmate launched an investigation that led to him being identified and given a headstone.

Pauline Harvey, 77, the sister of Reginald Earnshaw, known as Reggie, the youngest British serviceman to die in the Second World War aged 14, places a wreath on his grave, during a formal ceremony at Edinburgh's Comely Bank Cemetery. Friday Feb. 5, 2010. The sister of the youngest British serviceman to die in the Second World War made an emotional visit to his grave Friday, nearly 70 years after his death. Officials say Earnshaw, who was 14 and had lied about his age to join the Merchant Navy, was killed in 1941, under enemy attack aboard the SS North Devon. His remains were buried in an unmarked grave in Edinburgh, Scotland, for decades until a fellow shipmate launched an investigation that led to him being identified and given a headstone.

AP 

This image made available in London, Friday Feb. 5, 2010, by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, shows Reginald Earnshaw, who has been identified as Britain's youngest World War II casualty. Officials say Earnshaw, who was 14 and had lied about his age to join the Merchant Navy, was killed in 1941, under enemy attack aboard the SS North Devon. His remains were buried in an unmarked grave in Edinburgh, Scotland, for decades until a fellow shipmate launched an investigation that led to him being identified and given a headstone.

This image made available in London, Friday Feb. 5, 2010, by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, shows Reginald Earnshaw, who has been identified as Britain's youngest World War II casualty. Officials say Earnshaw, who was 14 and had lied about his age to join the Merchant Navy, was killed in 1941, under enemy attack aboard the SS North Devon. His remains were buried in an unmarked grave in Edinburgh, Scotland, for decades until a fellow shipmate launched an investigation that led to him being identified and given a headstone.

AP 

This image made available in London, Friday Feb. 5, 2010, by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, shows a copy the death certificate of Reginald Earnshaw, who has been identified as Britain's youngest World War II casualty. Officials say Earnshaw, who was 14 and had lied about his age to join the Merchant Navy, was killed in 1941, under enemy attack aboard the SS North Devon. His remains were buried in an unmarked grave in Edinburgh, Scotland, for decades until a fellow shipmate launched an investigation that led to him being identified and given a headstone.

This image made available in London, Friday Feb. 5, 2010, by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, shows a copy the death certificate of Reginald Earnshaw, who has been identified as Britain's youngest World War II casualty. Officials say Earnshaw, who was 14 and had lied about his age to join the Merchant Navy, was killed in 1941, under enemy attack aboard the SS North Devon. His remains were buried in an unmarked grave in Edinburgh, Scotland, for decades until a fellow shipmate launched an investigation that led to him being identified and given a headstone.

AP 

WASHINGTON - FEBRUARY 01:  Senate employees use mechanical dollies to carry copies of U.S. President Barack Obama's FY2011 Budget past dozens of journalists and into the Senate Budget Committee hearing room on Capitol Hill February 1, 2010 in Washington, DC. The budget will swell the deficit to $1.6 trillion despite Obama�s proposal to freeze domestic discretionary spending at current levels for three years and let the Bush Administration�s 2001 and 2003 tax breaks for the wealthy expire. This is the largest budget deficit since World War II and would equal almost 11 percent of the gross domestic product.

WASHINGTON - FEBRUARY 01: Senate employees use mechanical dollies to carry copies of U.S. President Barack Obama's FY2011 Budget past dozens of journalists and into the Senate Budget Committee hearing room on Capitol Hill February 1, 2010 in Washington, DC. The budget will swell the deficit to $1.6 trillion despite Obama�s proposal to freeze domestic discretionary spending at current levels for three years and let the Bush Administration�s 2001 and 2003 tax breaks for the wealthy expire. This is the largest budget deficit since World War II and would equal almost 11 percent of the gross domestic product.

Getty Images 

WASHINGTON - FEBRUARY 01:  A Senate staff member carries a copy of U.S. President Barack Obama's FY2011 Budget proposal after it was released to the Senate Budget Committee on Capitol Hill February 1, 2010 in Washington, DC. The budget will swell the deficit to $1.6 trillion despite Obama�s proposal to freeze domestic discretionary spending at current levels for three years and let the Bush Administration�s 2001 and 2003 tax breaks for the wealthy expire. This is the largest budget deficit since World War II and would equal almost 11 percent of the gross domestic product.

WASHINGTON - FEBRUARY 01: A Senate staff member carries a copy of U.S. President Barack Obama's FY2011 Budget proposal after it was released to the Senate Budget Committee on Capitol Hill February 1, 2010 in Washington, DC. The budget will swell the deficit to $1.6 trillion despite Obama�s proposal to freeze domestic discretionary spending at current levels for three years and let the Bush Administration�s 2001 and 2003 tax breaks for the wealthy expire. This is the largest budget deficit since World War II and would equal almost 11 percent of the gross domestic product.

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