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Is the budget for the military in the US bloated?

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bongsaway

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Why do we need to give the military so much money every year? Are we at war with anyone besides our own citizens? Are we expecting an invasion? People who watch what Ukraine is doing to Russia with their drone usage, I'm not so sure big anything, other than a sub, can withstand a big drone attack, a swarm of a hundred or so drones.
 
bongsaway said:
Why do we need to give the military so much money every year? Are we at war with anyone besides our own citizens? Are we expecting an invasion? People who watch what Ukraine is doing to Russia with their drone usage, I'm not so sure big anything, other than a sub, can withstand a big drone attack, a swarm of a hundred or so drones.
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We're talking about one of US largest exports. Notice that no other county puts tariffs on military goods. It might have to do with them really needing/wanting them.
 
The US militry (with the exception of the VA) is hugely bloated with an annual budget more than that of the next 10 "big military" countries COMBINED.

At the same time, we are behind in drone R&D and even basic stuff like manufacturing artillery shells.
 
Of course it is. The military is the most socialist institution in any government. But it does provide a very important public good, so we have to tolerate the waste, corruption, nepotism, and pork-barrel politics that come with it - at least until someone invents a private navy that can repel foreign invasions at a profit.
 
dmpi said:
We're talking about one of US largest exports. Notice that no other county puts tariffs on military goods. It might have to do with them really needing/wanting them.
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Are you saying the military is an arms dealer?
 
aociswundumho said:
Of course it is. The military is the most socialist institution in any government. But it does provide a very important public good, so we have to tolerate the waste, corruption, nepotism, and pork-barrel politics that come with it - at least until someone invents a private navy that can repel foreign invasions at a profit.
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Trying to put your national defense in the hands of mercenaries is a terrible idea. That hasn’t been a workable concept for multiple centuries.
 
aociswundumho said:
Of course it is. The military is the most socialist institution in any government. But it does provide a very important public good, so we have to tolerate the waste, corruption, nepotism, and pork-barrel politics that come with it - at least until someone invents a private navy that can repel foreign invasions at a profit.
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And then that private navy can impose a fee on every ship that wants to pass through their area of control, but don’t call that a tax or the AnCaps will cry.
 
aociswundumho said:
Of course it is. The military is the most socialist institution in any government. But it does provide a very important public good, so we have to tolerate the waste, corruption, nepotism, and pork-barrel politics that come with it - at least until someone invents a private navy that can repel foreign invasions at a profit.
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And yet we feed it more and more every year.
 
Tigerace117 said:
Trying to put your national defense in the hands of mercenaries is a terrible idea. That hasn’t been a workable concept for multiple centuries.
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@aociswundumho doesn't believe in nations. He wants to world to be made up of fiefdoms owned by rich people protected by their privately owned armies.
 

Is the budget for the military in the US bloated?​


yes.

..
 
Tigerace117 said:
Yeah, because the U.S. uses hero worship of military equipment as a way of distracting people from their basic needs not being met.
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Where do you suppose this hero worship comes from while ignoring the needs of we the people?
 
aociswundumho said:
🤷‍♂️ No different from education budgets or the budgets for local police.
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Tell you what. How about we take the budgets you mention and swap those with the military budget for next year. I would venture to say the local police would love it and the teachers, they would be over the moon with joy.
 
bongsaway said:
Where do you suppose this hero worship comes from while ignoring the needs of we the people?
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Rome, probably?

It’s not exactly a new concept. The U.S. is just a place where it’s become especially blatant.
 
Tigerace117 said:
Trying to put your national defense in the hands of mercenaries is a terrible idea.
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I'm not talking about mercenaries, which we already have. What do you think Blackwater is?

We already have private security firms, which work for the people, not the state. In fact, in the US, there are more people working in private security than there are cops.
 
aociswundumho said:
I'm not talking about mercenaries, which we already have. What do you think Blackwater is?

We already have private security firms, which work for the people, not the state. In fact, in the US, there are more people working in private security than there are cops.
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Nothing about Blackwater indicated they would be in any way capable of carrying out national defense. They didn’t do a particularly good job in the limited role they did have

“Private security firms” do not roll around with tanks or surface to air missiles.
 
aociswundumho said:
Of course it is. The military is the most socialist institution in any government. But it does provide a very important public good, so we have to tolerate the waste, corruption, nepotism, and pork-barrel politics that come with it - at least until someone invents a private navy that can repel foreign invasions at a profit.
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Have I got the solution for you: Somalian pirates. They are already familiar with the style of government you want and they have the seafaring expertise.
 
aociswundumho said:
I'm not talking about mercenaries, which we already have. What do you think Blackwater is?

We already have private security firms, which work for the people, not the state. In fact, in the US, there are more people working in private security than there are cops.
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Private security don’t work for “the people”. They work for their employers, aka rich assholes.
 
Always a perpetual sore point.
 
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