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The (primarily) American 'need' for a huge military.

IanExMachinaIanExMachina
edited 2011-11-07 19:47:34 in General
I am Dr. Ned who is totally not Dr. Zed in disguise.
The size of the American military and it's spending is obscene and seemingly overkill.
The people defending the huge size to me come off as hugely paranoid, especially when they justify the military in case people start shit.
Nuclear weapons have pretty much made it entirely suicidal to attack a nuclear nation, that nuclear nation doesn't really need so many aircraft carrier fleets for defence.

The only argument for having such a huge military that holds water is for 'control' and strong-arming other countries.

(I say primarily as I tend to see this position mainly coming from Americans, the only other people are some crazy Brits who want the empire back.)


Comments

  • MalkavianMalkavian
    MORONS! I'VE GOT MORONS ON MY PAYROLL!
    My favorite are the people who defend it but think that we need to slash education and social services to balance our budget. 
  • IanExMachinaIanExMachina
    I am Dr. Ned who is totally not Dr. Zed in disguise.
    Haha.
    As the thing America needs most is cuts to Education and Welfare.
  • RedEyedAbyssRedEyedAbyss
    But you see, it keeps Big Government away so that corporations can assert their dominance do the job so much better.
  • IanExMachinaIanExMachina
    I am Dr. Ned who is totally not Dr. Zed in disguise.
    ^
    *laughter*
  • GelzoGelzo
    edited 2011-11-07 22:23:59
    Pony Sleuth
    Yeah, our country is as a whole governed poorly. Dunno what there is to do about it. Too many stupid people.

    I think the U.S. might have more fundies than any other sufficiently developed nation. It's certainly more conservative among that group of countries, anyway.
  • MalkavianMalkavian
    MORONS! I'VE GOT MORONS ON MY PAYROLL!
    I'm not sure if we have more, but ours certainly are louder.
  • All NinesAll Nines
    Has friends besides tanks now
    I'd still like to know how/why we have so many morons running for President.
  • GelzoGelzo
    Pony Sleuth
    It's because the Republican party doesn't have an incumbent.
  • MalkavianMalkavian
    MORONS! I'VE GOT MORONS ON MY PAYROLL!
    or a solid platform of solutions.
  • IanExMachinaIanExMachina
    I am Dr. Ned who is totally not Dr. Zed in disguise.
    Yeah America is definitely more conservative, your left wing is roughly Europe's centre/centre right.
  • CommandoDudeCommandoDude
    edited 2011-11-08 09:40:29
    CRIMINAL SCUM!
    ^^^^ Republicans lack ethics and will dump their principles at the drop of a hat if it means they can win. Expect every single dirty trick in the book.

    Frankly, it reflects worse on the voting base.
  • ChagenChagen
    [tɕagɛn]
    "^^^^ Republicans lack ethics and will dump their principles at the drop of a hat if it means they can win. Expect every single dirty trick in the book."

    And then they project their flaws onto the democrats.

    As for the OP, America doesn't really need a fuckhuge military given how basically no one would try invading us.

    However, remember, many modern-day inventions we know of today--including the internet itself--came from military applications. It certainly spurs technology, if nothing else.
  • Wicked223Wicked223
    We Played Some Open Chords and Rejoiced, For the Earth Had Circled the Sun Yet Another Year
    Nuclear weapons are a failsafe against war, certainly, but the prevalence of national missile defense systems by the U.S. and others might change this.
  • captainbrasscaptainbrass

    The Chinese and the Russians also spend stupid amounts on their military. Admittedly, one's not a democracy and the other barely qualifies, and neither of them are in any way run with the welfare of their population as the main goal. They've also not been as badly affected by the world recession as the US.


    The same is true of most other countries that go in for heavy military spending e.g. Saudi Arabia or Cuba.

  • FrodoGoofballCoTVFrodoGoofballCoTV
    edited 2011-11-08 19:49:16

    Interestingly, I sometimes hear americans complain about other countries having small militaries, "because if our allies had more, we wouldn't have to fight their wars for them."  Interestingly, in Libya, the U.S. for the first time in quite a while, took a secondary role in a fight.

    I think a big part of it is that the U.S. is currently pretty much dependent on foreign imports - not only oil, but manufactured goods from China, etc., and we have allies like Israel who are either not well liked or their other "friends" are not necessarily friendly to the U.S.  As a result there's a sense that the U.S. military must remain the best in the world or the rest of the world will completely disrespect us.

  • PrincessApricotPrincessApricot
    edited 2011-11-08 21:27:49
    Give them pleasure - the same pleasure they have when they wake up from a nightmare.
    IJBM: America.

    *slams head into desk repeatedly and cries*

    Aaaaanyhow

    FY2009 federal piechart




    Dat money
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