downsizing US military

[Al B. Sure!]

Countries don't maintain a global military presence for the sake of evacuating anyone the world from danger at any time. We should spend hundreds of billions of dollars on the military so that a few Americans won't get killed because their decision to move to a foreign country turned out to be a bad one? Seriously? If you have the assets, you might as well use them, but that doesn't make them a good investment.

It's one role out of many. Why do you keep harping on it as if civilian evacuation is the only thing the military does besides war? If all the military did was civilian evacuations, it would be stupid. You're trying to trap me into something...

[Sava]

this thread turned into a ****storm

[100% Wolf]

It's one role out of many. Why do you keep harping on it as if civilian evacuation is the only thing the military does besides war? If all the military did was civilian evacuations, it would be stupid. You're trying to trap me into something...

Because civilian evacuations is a bull**** excuse you trotted out to justify military spending. Of course it's insignificant compared to the millions of people who have died because of American military actions in places like Iraq and Vietnam in addition to being a really poor reason for spending so much money on shiny jet fighters.

[notyoueither]

Why the crikey **** are we sending the military across the goddamned globe for any goddamned reason whatsoever other than national defense?

Because the world does not exist in some snow globe? It has a way of biting you in the ass when you stop paying attention?

[notyoueither]

Because a military trained and equipped for war is the most cost effective means to provide humanitarian aid.

It's also the best means to avoid the really serious, ****ing nasty wars. I've seen nothing mentioned in this thread that comes close to US vs RUS or China. Those would be seriously nasty, and hey, we may get to see it on Tuesday when Putin decides what to do about Ukraine.

[Hauldren Collider]

And that is why we should have a powerful military. But we can have that and cut a fair amount of the fat away.

[notyoueither]

Yes, you can. You probably don't need to spend as much as you do. The rest of the world twice over and more (off the cuff estimate) is excessive no doubt.

But what Guy's arguing is grotesque. If the US followed his plan the loss of life would be huge. There's a reason the world follows the green back and your debt gets carried for free compared to other nations. You want to lose the hammer? Fine. Welcome to the consequences of debt that nobody gives a **** about.

[100% Wolf]

People don't value dollars because of some threat to attack them.

[OneFootInTheGrave]

It's also the best means to avoid the really serious, ****ing nasty wars. I've seen nothing mentioned in this thread that comes close to US vs RUS or China. Those would be seriously nasty, and hey, we may get to see it on Tuesday when Putin decides what to do about Ukraine.

Why would US care what Putin does about Ukraine, it is a ****ty situation, but does US have means without starting WWIII to deal with Russia or China on their home turf, ie Ukraine/Taiwan or similar.

The answer is no, and even more so - it is impossible to get there no matter how much you spend, so in the end let Russians deal with their own backyard and be happy that US will probably be ready to start WWIII if Russians invade Canada, but given how socialist you are, comparing to Russian crony capitalism which is a lot more like the US than Canadian socialism, they may prefer Russians in the north to their current neighbours anyhow.

love for guns - check
high incarceration rates - check
death penalty - check, even though they haven't executed anyone in a while
gulags/gitmo - check
religious fundies (don't like gays) - check
federally organized - check
oversized military - check
oligarchs run both countries - check
state propaganda (RT/Fox) - check
Hate foreign invaders (Mexicans/Central Asians) - check
Hate muslims - check
Share mutual distrust of China - check
Have half of the population that love/hate their own president - check

They are almost the same, except that Americans speak English as the first language and Russians as a second.

[C0ckney]

But what Guy's arguing is grotesque. If the US followed his plan the loss of life would be huge.

why?

There's a reason the world follows the green back and your debt gets carried for free compared to other nations. You want to lose the hammer? Fine. Welcome to the consequences of debt that nobody gives a **** about.

this is gibberish.

[Sava]

meanwhile, holier than thou UKers have been enjoying American protection for over a hundred years

don't be so ungrateful

[DinoDoc]

meanwhile, holier than thou UKers have been enjoying American protection for over a hundred years

Half that, but the point still stands. Most of Europe is similarly ungrateful.

[dannubis]

Why ungrateful? Because we told you that going into Afghanistan and Iraq were big ****ing mistakes?

[DinoDoc]

Why ungrateful?

Because by and large you're a bunch of useless, whiny little *****es and have been since the end of the Cold War.

[Sava]

Half that, but the point still stands. Most of Europe is similarly ungrateful.

I think something happened before 1964. It involved a loud, angry man with a funny mustache.