Military Spending Is Already Bankrupting America

Nah. As compared to GDP?

But in the end, don't be afraid. Just don't screw with us.

 

Agreed.

Looking back, my post was rather hateful towards americans, didnt mean that. Just my thought on what are the consequences of empire'ing, mainly bringing hate towards you.

I mentioned, 'my country' was bombed by americans. I didnt mention that the soviet invasion afterward was alot worse.
It it wasnt you or the Soviets, it would have been someone else or my countrymen doing it. Human nature.

 

I'm curious to know just how big is big enough for the left. What should our military budget be and what should the military do. Should we shrink it to no more than is necessary to defend our borders or is even that too much?

 

Dont fool yourself, you dont defend the borders of the US, you are expanding the border of the empire.
No budget is big enough for it.

 

Didn't answer my question. How big should our military be and should it only be big enough to guard our borders or is even that too big?

 

My impression, as a foreigner, is that is not big enough for your plans. The actual spending is as perfect as it can be, considering all.
I also consider a big mistake if you cut down the army.

An army can erase everything. Even debt.

 

Still no answer to my question.

 

Capitalism is the only moral economic system, and the only moral justification for a military.

All else is tyranny and wholesale slaughter.

For example: Capitalism, Hong Kong; Socialism, Cambodia’s killing fields.

 

I believe my answers were on topic, not sure why you think otherwise.

Probably what caused the confusion was the base of the question, defend the border. You are past defending, and the the borders of the empire is the distant military bases. What the military should do and does, and the budget, reflects the above.

 

America is the first world power not to conquer and hold territory or we would own Japan and half of Europe so your premise is flawed.

 

But you did conquer, control and own these lands, minus the unification part. It controls these nations by various surrogates till this day.


I know why we cant agree, you dont consider america an empire, semantics issues I hope. Once you consider that it might be one, the military and the budget...everything falls in line.

 

Yeah we really control Germany and Japan. Lol

 

Maybe in the militarized police forces that the big, authoritarian, progressive government will use against him, while abusing his first, second and fourth amendment rights

 

https://dod.defense.gov/News/News-R...od-releases-fiscal-year-2018-budget-proposal/

As you can see, personnel costs are more than procurement by a wide margin. Though in point of fact operations in 2018 will make up the largest portion of the defense budget.

 

I've thought from the start that destabilizing the U.S. economy by weakening it through expansive military spending and just downright graft and corruption within the cabinet has been the plan from day #1. That's why Trump turned a blind eye to the thievery of men like Tom Price and Scott Pruitt and others like Ryan Zinke and Wilbur Ross. Then there all the violations of the emoluments clause by Trump and his family. Our country's democracy has been attacked on many sides including the detachment of the U.S. from our longstanding EU allies.

If there could be a master plan to destroy this country, it would follow the path Trump has led us down. Not only has democracy been weakened it's been punched right in the face.

 

Actually it says 146 billion for personnel out of an over 600 billion budget. And much of that goes for retiree benefits. And many knowledgable experts say the real spending on defense if monies hidden elswhere are included is over a trillion.

 

I've never seen a credible claim that defense spending is over a trillion dollars a year aside from those idiots who try to claim veterans benefits from decades ago or decades in the future should be considered part of the defense budget or even worse suggest that interest on deficits (supposedly caused by defense spending) should be considered part of defense spending as well.

Interesting they never consider interest paid on the parts of the deficit caused by social spending (which is far more than defense spending) as part of those programs spending as well. .

 

The scope of your knowledge isn't my problem. But glad you are accepting the small percentage of the military budget that actually goes to personnel.

 

It is considerably larger than "procurement". You know what "procurement" is don't you? It is the portion of the defense budget that goes to those (supposedly) corrupt and greedy defense contractors.

 

.g. "pie"
pro·cure·ment
/prəˈkyo͝ormənt/
noun

1. the action of obtaining or procuring something.
   "financial assistance for the procurement of legal advice"
   • the action or occupation of acquiring military equipment and supplies.
     "defense procurement"
     
     And now you know, doesn't include research, development, hiring of outside contractors, etc, etc

And just incidently this was your original statement:

" You should know that the largest portion of the U.S. defense budget is for pay, benefits, and quality of life for soldiers and their families. "

 

A substantial part of the budget under "operations" includes personnel costs as that is where you have the costs for housing and support of troops in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria at.

Why don't you believe me? Intent on believing that the Defense budget is mainly for the benefit of the EVIL defense contractors??

 

How do you define control? Control as in do bidding? In that sense, yes, I believe you do control both.

Do you consider America an empire?

 

More on welfare than on defense but imo both need to be reigned in.

 

If you think America controls Japan and Germany you haven't been paying attention.

 

As big as our annual Defense Budget is the INTEREST on our National Debt will now exceed it!!!