Cut Defense Spending to Help Balance the Budget

[Christos Anesti]

Why is it that nations on the same landmasses as their enemies, some of them with nearly as much land to defend as the US, can defend themselves effectively with such incredibly small defense budgets compared to the US ? The US also has the luxury of being separated by oceans from all the other major military powers.

The United States, with a budget of $636 billion annually, spends more on defense than the next sixteen nations combined.

List of countries by military expenditures - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Maybe we could start with cuts here instead of cutting education and the programs that help that poor?

 

[Umaro]

People here are just going to say "they can spend less because our military protects them," but I could only really buy that line of reasoning if we were actually defending people, and not just using guns to change other nations politics to ones we like better.

 

[NotreDame]

Why is it that nations on the same landmasses as their enemies, some of them with nearly as much land to defend as the US, can defend themselves effectively with such incredibly small defense budgets compared to the US ? The US also has the luxury of being separated by oceans from all the other major military powers.

The United States, with a budget of $636 billion annually, spends more on defense than the next sixteen nations combined.

List of countries by military expenditures - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Maybe we could start with cuts here instead of cutting education and the programs that help that poor?

Probably going to need to make cuts to all of them, defense, assistance to the poor, education, and entitlement reform, to make a considerable difference in the debt and defict, absent of raising taxes to appropriate levels.

 

[Christos Anesti]

I don't think we are defending China and Russia either. They both have a lot of land to defend but they seem to be doing it effectively on much less. Heck Russia has a smaller defense budget than the United Kingdom.

 

[chaz345]

I've got no problem with cutting defense speding, but EVERYTHING else will need to be cut too. Entitlements eat many times the amount that defense does and when looking for cuts, the largest items make the biggest difference while at the same time suffering the least based on the percentage of their current total.

 

[Christos Anesti]

Why is it that the elected officals who are cutting social programs never even mention the possiblity of cutting defense spending? I think Ron Paul might have but he is an exception to the general rule.

 

[chaz345]

absent of raising taxes to appropriate levels.

Define "appropriate levels".
And you do realize that accompanying the large cuts in the upper tax rates from the 70% or so they used to be down to where they are now, many loopholes were closed.

That and then there's the fact that no matter what we do to the tax rates, revenue will never be all that much more that 18% of GDP. It never has been. And spending is currently 26% of GDP. The harsh reality is that cuts must be the primary means by which the problem is solved on any sort of lasting basis.

 

[craigerNY]

Why is it that the elected officals who are cutting social programs never even mention the possiblity of cutting defense spending? I think Ron Paul might have but he is an exception to the general rule.

Because a lot of folks have their favorite version of large, wasteful government. What you hear from one side as an opportunity to cut waste is embraced by the other as off limits to cuts and so on. For the most part politicians and even citizens to some extent that talk about being against waste are just parroting talking points. Anyone that follows through with such claims consistently is pretty much the exception.

 

[Forrest GOP]

Of course, it is always wise to cut defense spending right in the middle of two hot wars and in the middle of a global war on terror, and while Iran is developing nuclear weapons, while North Korea is testing more nuclear weapons, and China is increasing its defense spending exponentially. What a brilliant plan.

While we're at it why don't we give Gitmo to Castro, cut the South Koreans loose, tell the Japenese their own their own if the Chinese ever get fiesty, and generally let everything go to hell in a handbasket. Its definitely a plan worthy of a Liberal.

 

[Staccato]

Of course, it is always wise to cut defense spending right in the middle of two hot wars and in the middle of a global war on terror, and while Iran is developing nuclear weapons, while North Korea is testing more nuclear weapons, and China is increasing its defense spending exponentially. What a brilliant plan.

And this is the dichotomy the military industrial complex frames to keep people afraid of stepping outside their front doors and the contracts rolling in.

The wars in the Middle East are supposedly winding down (with the realisation being that our presence there is not an indefinite solution), the global war on terror will not be won by building more aircraft carriers, North Korea has no reliable delivery method that could reach Japan let alone the US (and how would more defence spending stop them from these tests?) and Chinese defence spending would have to increase seven-fold to equal our budget.

The notion that we must keep our defence spending at current levels or even increase it or face destruction from a world on the brink is simply laughable.

While we're at it why don't we give Gitmo to Castro, cut the South Koreans loose, tell the Japenese their own their own if the Chinese ever get fiesty, and generally let everything go to hell in a handbasket. Its definitely a plan worthy of a Liberal.

"I have no answer, so here is some hyperbole".

No mention of a resurgent Russia though, so you lose some GOP fear points there.

 

[circa02]

While we're at it why don't we give Gitmo to Castro, cut the South Koreans loose, tell the Japenese their own their own if the Chinese ever get fiesty, and generally let everything go to hell in a handbasket. Its definitely a plan worthy of a Liberal.

I like all of those ideas, but I'm not a liberal. Like most Americans, I don't vote. And yes, I'm serous about liking all of those ideas.

 

[Conservativation]

And this is the dichotomy the military industrial complex frames to keep people afraid of stepping outside their front doors and the contracts rolling in.

The wars in the Middle East are supposedly winding down (with the realisation being that our presence there is not an indefinite solution), the global war on terror will not be won by building more aircraft carriers, North Korea has no reliable delivery method that could reach Japan let alone the US (and how would more defence spending stop them from these tests?) and Chinese defence spending would have to increase seven-fold to equal our budget.

The notion that we must keep our defence spending at current levels or even increase it or face destruction from a world on the brink is simply laughable.
"I have no answer, so here is some hyperbole".

No mention of a resurgent Russia though, so you lose some GOP fear points there.

Funny

His is hyperbole, and you say the "military industrial complex" makes people afraid to go out their front doors. Mmm K.

 

[laconicstudent]

Why is it that nations on the same landmasses as their enemies, some of them with nearly as much land to defend as the US, can defend themselves effectively with such incredibly small defense budgets compared to the US ? The US also has the luxury of being separated by oceans from all the other major military powers.

The United States, with a budget of $636 billion annually, spends more on defense than the next sixteen nations combined.

List of countries by military expenditures - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Maybe we could start with cuts here instead of cutting education and the programs that help that poor?

After we slash the defense budget, can we devote some more of those funds to basic research? Since, you know, the National Science Foundation's budget is something like 1% of the defense budget and some of us think that's rather twisted

 

[Conservativation]

And this is the dichotomy the military industrial complex frames to keep people afraid of stepping outside their front doors and the contracts rolling in.

The wars in the Middle East are supposedly winding down (with the realisation being that our presence there is not an indefinite solution), the global war on terror will not be won by building more aircraft carriers, North Korea has no reliable delivery method that could reach Japan let alone the US (and how would more defence spending stop them from these tests?) and Chinese defence spending would have to increase seven-fold to equal our budget.

The notion that we must keep our defence spending at current levels or even increase it or face destruction from a world on the brink is simply laughable.
"I have no answer, so here is some hyperbole".

No mention of a resurgent Russia though, so you lose some GOP fear points there.

Its not so laughable as a very young man tossing out statements about what the "military industrial complex" is doing.

I mean I realize a history or poli sci prof. , shoot these days a biology prof would weigh in, may have loved tossing that expression around, and raving against it, that's what they did in the 60's man. I can tell by the "fashion" that thats all very fashionable again. Declaring something laughable is not a very convincing counterargument for serious people on a serious topic. It does sell well to captive university students, believe it or not it sold equally well when I was 22 in the early 80's and hearing the same tune older songbook. I'm glad I was apathetic along with how ignorant i was right after college, or I'd have embarrassed myself.

By the way, I havent even addressed the topic per se in this reply.....just sayin, in case you have been inferring.

 

[Conservativation]

Cutting defense is a good thing. Asking why we need X budget while another country needs Y budget is a silly question. We dont base our budget on anything but our needs and those are not defined by the needs of other countries. Having said that, we can and should cut defense budget I agree. AND all the other things too, where cuts still mean slowing growth, not real cutting. First, make cutting MEAN cutting.....then start cutting.

Its a silly argument. You can stand in front of me, and tell me I MUST cough up XYZ $ for this and that. If I have zero money....you'd look like an idiot. So do those demanding more from a country with no money....its idiotic no matter how you or I FEEL about it. How can intelligent adults discuss a broke entity, and if you are allocating actual resources. The whole paradigm is jacked up. The question should be framed "what do we need to keep borrowing in order to sustain?"...its a VERY different question.

 

[laconicstudent]

Its not so laughable as a very young man tossing out statements about what the "military industrial complex" is doing.

I mean I realize a history or poli sci prof. , shoot these days a biology prof would weigh in, may have loved tossing that expression around, and raving against it, that's what they did in the 60's man. I can tell by the "fashion" that thats all very fashionable again. Declaring something laughable is not a very convincing counterargument for serious people on a serious topic. It does sell well to captive university students, believe it or not it sold equally well when I was 22 in the early 80's and hearing the same tune older songbook. I'm glad I was apathetic along with how ignorant i was right after college, or I'd have embarrassed myself.

By the way, I havent even addressed the topic per se in this reply.....just sayin, in case you have been inferring.

I love it when the people with their age hidden attempt to condescend to people who have their age showing on the basis that they are just young, ignorant whippersnappers.

 

[Conservativation]

I love it when the people with their age hidden attempt to condescend to people who have their age showing on the basis that they are just young, ignorant whippersnappers.

As expected....

Actually, not exactly as you say.

My age is 48 incidentally and I stated clearly when i was in university, early 80's.

I know well considered folks at 22 yrs old. But i can spot someone parroting something they heard somewhere pretty easily. Im sorry, but a 22 year old casually invoking "military industrial complex" is not highly credible. There is n EXPERIENCE reservoir except the echo chamber of academia from which to draw....note i confessed exactly the same issues when i was the same age.

Its not an insult, its a fact. We have lost all stratification of respect in the west anyway. Age isnt correlative with intelligence. It CAN be with wisdom. And Im not suggesting anything about ideology, left/right...thats irrelevant. Im simply saying its a bit big for britches to have a college senior or recent grad making comments that a certain set of beliefs on defense are "laughable" . The humor would come from the juxtaposition of the idea being compared, and some experience derived other idea to compare it to....he lacks that experience derived idea, so there can be no "laughable" juxtaposition.

I had vim and vinegar at 22 too, and was considered equally impetuous. Im no stranger to it.

 

[Gawron]

Like someone said here on another thread, we don't need a standing military. Just get rid of the whole thing, all we need is that "well regulated militia" to defend the nation. Of course, that "well regulated militia" will be completely unarmed, if liberals get there way with gun control.

There is a liberal utopia.

 

[Forrest GOP]

QFT

Of course, it is always wise to cut defense spending right in the middle of two hot wars and in the middle of a global war on terror, and while Iran is developing nuclear weapons, while North Korea is testing more nuclear weapons, and China is increasing its defense spending exponentially. What a brilliant plan.

While we're at it why don't we give Gitmo to Castro, cut the South Koreans loose, tell the Japenese their own their own if the Chinese ever get fiesty, and generally let everything go to hell in a handbasket. Its definitely a plan worthy of a Liberal.

 

[Grizzly]

QFT

I believe that's the first time (in 9 years of posting here) that someone actually gave their own post a QFT follow-up post. Thank you. I was growing worried that I had seen it all.