All agree that we have to get a better handle on the Federal Government budget with deficit and debt reduction being main goals. Some offer increased revenues as the way while others call for reductions in spending.
Looking at our Federal budget one sees that the USA spends way more for defense than other countries at our stage of development. The USA spends the equivalent of 4.7% of its GDP on defense while that number for the UK is 2.6%, France 2.3%, Germany 1.3% and Canada 1.4%. If the US cut its defense spending by half to say 2.4% of GDP that would save around $340 billion a year which would sharply reduce deficit spending.
Isn’t it time we thought carefully about our defense expeditures? Do we really need to station troops in Germany, Japan, the UK, and other peaceful places? Do we really need to take the lead in solving all the conflicts around the world? We could probably take care of our defense needs with a defense budget about half its current size.
I hear lots of calls to cut the costs of health care and social security benefits, the other main components of our Federal budget. I would like to hear similar comments about our defense spending.
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Leo,
Please note that the reason Germany, et.al. can spend so much less on their defense budge is because we have paid, with our tax dollars and our blood and treasure, for a powerful defense umbrella that shelter and protected not only us, but Canada and Germany and the UK and France as well as Japan and many others.
Our financed protection of those countries allowed them to use their tax dollars to built a social infrastructure that provides universal health care and other worker benefits as well as wonderful support to families, while we could not afford that luxury.
I am an army brat. I grew up on the battlefields of WWII. I can provide stories about why “Freedom isn’t free.” I say this not to beg the question of how to begin to reduce our defense spending but rather to acknowledge that it is our generosity that allowed those other countries to be safe, free and socially secure. DO NOT compare my country unfavorably to those countries.
“While we could not afford that luxury,” is precisely why I suggest we reduce our defense expenditures. Time to eliminate all those far flung bases and save some money.
I make no negative comparison, just a comparison of defense spending. I suggest that we lower our spending to the norm for all developed countries. By the way the number two economy, China, spends only 2% of GDP on defense and number three, Japan, spends only 1%.
Didn’t know you are a defense hawk.
Leo,
I will refrain from using the language that comes so easily to an army brat out of respect for the standards set here. I, however, am not a
defense hawk. I just pointed out that you were unfair in making the comparison between the defense expenditures of our country and those of the other countries who have long enjoyed the benefits of our many sacrifices.
If I were a defense hawk, I would have joined the military, not the Peace Corps. And, right now, could be enjoying a healthy government pension..perhaps sitting pretty on a foreign isle, safe and secure and criticizing my government from afar. No, on second thought, I don’t think I would ever have the stomach to do that.
Joey. My brother is a retired Air Force Colonel and we served together in Vietnam so I have a fair idea of the contribution of our military to world peace. Again, I do not criticize our defense spending but simply note that it is time to set new priorities for our government spending and defense is long overdue for reduction. And I am not alone in this, our last two Secretaries of Defense have stated this as has President Obama.
Leo,
Thank you for clarifying your position. Now all that is left is to apologize for calling me a “defense hawk.”
Absolutely agree with you, Leo. We especially need to pull back on the defense “bulge” attributable to Iraq & Afghanistan.
The problem, Gentlemen, is that defense spending was cut in the fourth quarter. There are those who argue that reduction in federal government spending was a major factor in the economy’s contraction last quarter.
The economic consequences of the Hurricane Storm Sandy are given as a second cause for the unexpected contraction in the economy.
Joanne. As a former “spin doctor” I know spin when I see it and all this clap trap ratonale for the economy contracting is just that. The economy contracted because we have still not seen a real “recovery.” Suggest you see my blog, “Gas Fuels Recovery,” for a possible way out of the miasma.