This site makes extensive use of JavaScript.
Please enable JavaScript in your browser.
Live
PTR
10.2.7
PTR
10.2.6
Beta
Its odd...
Post Reply
Return to board index
Post by
TheMediator
People whine about their tax money being spent to help out the poor, etc. etc., but how often have you seen those same people get uppity about how probably millions of dollars of equipment are wasted by soldiers just messing around?
Its god damn ridiculous that I can browse youtube and video after video of soldiers just firing their guns off into the desert and other such nonsense. The only rational explanation is that those people simply argue against certain government expenditures because they're told that's what's best for them, and those people telling them what's best for them are the type of people who have contracts with the military. Every bullet fired out of a soldier who is getting "his lawls" is money out of your pockets and into theirs, but you don't think about that because they don't tell you to.
Ughh... its just stupid.
Post by
569307
This post was from a user who has deleted their account.
Post by
149406
This post was from a user who has deleted their account.
Post by
Heckler
Yeah, I find fiscal conservatives hard to take seriously if they won't admit the military is the largest source of 'waste.' (especially after having spent 6 years in the Navy).
Post by
Squishalot
Who whines about money being spent on the poor? America doesn't have nearly as great a welfare culture as some other developed nations....
Post by
MyTie
Yeah, I find fiscal conservatives hard to take seriously if they won't admit the military is the largest source of 'waste.' (especially after having spent 6 years in the Navy).
I agree with this. However, it must also be added that the military is a necessity. Obviously it needs to reign in spending by leaps and bounds, but it has its uses. I would think that we could use our military to secure our borders, crush drug cartels, and gang violence.
Give the marines 20 minutes in any major city and they could quell any gang, if the legislature would approve and the justice department would allow it.
Post by
606467
This post was from a user who has deleted their account.
Post by
Heckler
Who whines about money being spent on the poor? America doesn't have nearly as great a welfare culture as some other developed nations....
By far, the largest complaint among 'fiscal conservatives' is that the government spends so much on social programs and foreign aid (but they don't want you to touch medicare, the military, or the VA). If you look at these relative percentages on a pie chart... it's a lawl-worthy argument.
I agree with this. However, it must also be added that the military is a necessity. Obviously it needs to reign in spending by leaps and bounds, but it has its uses.
Yeah, I'm not saying we should abolish it... I just don't know if we really need 10 Nuclear Powered Aircraft Carriers, considering how many the next-most Country in the world has (as an example) -- as you said, leaps and bounds, but not abolition.
Give the marines 20 minutes in any major city and they could quell any gang, if the legislature would approve and the justice department would allow it.
Somehow I doubt they would (approve that is), Martial Law isn't a very popular idea. xD (and given the number of Civilian deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan -- I can understand why).
Post by
Squishalot
By far, the largest complaint among 'fiscal conservatives' is that the government spends so much on social programs and foreign aid (but they don't want you to touch medicare, the military, or the VA). If you look at these relative percentages on a pie chart... it's a lawl-worthy argument.
Interesting. In Australia, at least, the first target is the inefficiency of government employees and beauracracies and government-sponsored programs. For example, they wouldn't necessarily criticise the amount being spent on hospitals and health care, but they would target the "$500M being spent on constructing 30 super-clinics", because they can clearly identify wastage.
Post by
Heckler
Interesting. In Australia, at least, the first target is the inefficiency of government employees and beauracracies and government-sponsored programs. For example, they wouldn't necessarily criticise the amount being spent on hospitals and health care, but they would target the "$500M being spent on constructing 30 super-clinics", because they can clearly identify wastage.
You probably wouldn't get much argument out of me if you claimed that Australia had a generally smarter populace than America.
Post by
204878
This post was from a user who has deleted their account.
Post by
TheMediator
However, it must also be added that the military is a necessity.
Of course. If anyone really believed that a country could manage without a military, I'd like to tell them about a certain Nigerian prince. My point is that we need MUCH more oversight into military spending, since it makes up a such a huge portion of government spending. It isn't necessarily about budget cutting (as people who defend the bloated military budget would suggest), it is about budget control. In any successful private business, there is someone who is watching where the money is going and how it is being spent. While I'm sure there is some degree of oversight, there obviously isn't enough.
On the other side of that same coin, the government is paying for services from contractors who are doing poor jobs or equipment that is often faulty, simply because they want to get the bill as small as possible, even if that means that they're not getting much for the cost.
The most important aspect that needs to be examined is how much is being spent compared to how well objectives are being achieved. That's how every rational person operates, in terms of costs and benefits, but since the government is playing around with your money, they don't care how WELL it is spent, only really how much is spent, since all you see at the end of the day is the bill, not necessarily how well the job is done (since there are so many factors that cloud our perception of "success" in a military setting).
I've got no problem with the military budget being large, as long as that translates to large success. Its only when large amounts of money are being spent and nothing is being achieved that I begin to question why so much money is being spent.
Post by
204878
This post was from a user who has deleted their account.
Post by
Squishalot
If anyone really believed that a country could manage without a military, I'd like to tell them about a certain Nigerian prince.
What about these countries?
Most of those have military defense agreements with the US and other countries.
Post by
TheMediator
If anyone really believed that a country could manage without a military, I'd like to tell them about a certain Nigerian prince.
What about these countries?
Yes, I realize that certain countries actually don't have military forces (just played MGS: PW, the whole plot revolves around the fact that Costa Rica doesn't have a military). Most of those countries have forces that are employed for the defense of the nation, I would consider those armed forces, even if they are constitutionally banned from taking offensive strikes against other countries. Even those that lack that barest level of protection are under the wing of "big brother" nations (if you don't have a gun but your dad does, you're still protected by a gun, even if you aren't the one using it). History has shown us that without protection of some sort, hostile takeover by those that are willing to take up arms is bound to occur. If peace without deterrence were possible, then I highly doubt that Africa would have nearly the instability that it does.
Post by
Aratheras
I think a lot of countries could abolish a lot more of their military power. I'm mostly thinking about the higher developed countries, when saying this. The reason I think this, is because I don't think it would be tolerated, for one of those countries to go to war against another of them, in todays society.
Post by
Squishalot
I think a lot of countries could abolish a lot more of their military power. I'm mostly thinking about the higher developed countries, when saying this. The reason I think this, is because I don't think it would be tolerated, for one of those countries to go to war against another of them, in todays society.
That didn't stop America and the Axis of 'Good' from doing so, and for the (brainwashed proportion of the) American public from cheering them on.
It also wouldn't stop lesser developed countries from invading said higher developed unprotected countries.
Post by
Aratheras
I think a lot of countries could abolish a lot more of their military power. I'm mostly thinking about the higher developed countries, when saying this. The reason I think this, is because I don't think it would be tolerated, for one of those countries to go to war against another of them, in todays society.
That didn't stop America and the Axis of 'Good' from doing so, and for the (brainwashed proportion of the) American public from cheering them on.
It also wouldn't stop lesser developed countries from invading said higher developed unprotected countries.
Hmm... You speak many truths. Lets sit down and discuss society over a good pipe.
Post Reply
You are not logged in. Please
log in
to post a reply or
register
if you don't already have an account.