Courtesy of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation (Click the picture see more)
Can’t touch this
GoinsReport
I run my own blog The Goins Report. My intellectual interests are New Perspective Theology (NP on Paul; NP on Jesus) and the life and teachings of Jesus in his original cultural and linguistic settings, Political Theory, the literature of John Updike, Austro-Libertarianism, Satire in the Bible, and the Christian anarchist tradition of Jacques Elul and Leo Tolstoy. I am a member of the Ludwig Von Mises Institute and my reportorial work has been published in prominent newspapers in the Washington DC area. All opinions are my own and they do not represent views of the Charleston Tea Party. Ron Paul is my homeboy! Follow me on twitter @GoinsReport
I would never argue that the US defense budget isn’t bloated with bureaucratic corruption, waste and so on, but DoD waste as a percentage of total spending, is probably no more than all other federal departments with their “spend it or lose it” mentalities, lack of accountability, jobs for life, etc. And I agree that the wars in the middle east have dragged on for too long, are a fiscal drain and need to be wrapped up as soon as practical.
I think that attempting to compare USA defense spending with other countries is a silly and pointless exercise at best. What’s the point? Might there be a more meaningful (if there is one) basis….like dollars per square mile of territory protected? How about comparing spending on entitlements? USA’s growth in Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid have accounted for most of the increases in government spending since the 1960s. That is more worrisome in my book.
People across the planet hate us for various reasons. They want to —- and have tried to —- bring us down; at the same time, others can hardly wait to get here and take advantage of our freedoms and to “pursue their happiness”. For an “exceptional” country that’s undertaken this historical experiment in establishing and maintaining a democratic republic for 230+ years, I submit that the USA has more to lose than any other country, and is justified —- and ought to be —- spending more on defense than any other country.
So, I’m all for our government doing everything reasonable to defend and protect my freedoms, while at the same time staying out of my way and letting me as an individual pursue my own happiness. I’ll hold politicians accountable for how well or poorly they do that, and fire them come election time if I disagree with their actions. Other than that, I don’t really care how much Russia and China and France and all the rest are spending.
BTW, thanks for posting the video. I still like that particular MC Hammer piece and there was once a day when I could boogie to it (to the embarrassment of my daughters) without my knees giving out. Never cared much for the “Hammer Pants”, though.
I think this music video best describes my personal views on defense spending…. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9r0haVPDAo