this post was submitted on 16 Nov 2023
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[–] Viking_Hippie -1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

defense companies

You mean mercenaries and arms dealers. The only thing they're defending is their profits.

[–] FlyingSquid -3 points 11 months ago (2 children)

I can't believe how many people on Lemmy of all places are defending massive defense budgets.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 11 months ago

Si vis pacem, para bellum.

[–] hydrospanner -3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I'm not saying there's no waste, but being against wasteful spending is a completely different thing, to me, than being against wasteful spending.

I'm completely okay with spending inordinate gobs of the tax base on defense because at this point, the US defense budget is, in effect, the premium we pay yearly for "Global Nuclear War Insurance".

It's as much as investment in psychological warfare as practical. That is: we lead the race by such a huge lead that nobody else even bothers to attempt to rival us. This prevents open/total war between superpowers, and also has a suppressive effect even on larger non-superpower nations.

And if you think our defense budget is inflated now, heaven help you if a near peer conflict actually would break out.

Basically we pay a lot, year in and year out so that we don't have to deal with war time spending...and of course all the death and destruction as well.

You're free to not like that, of course, but like I said, I'm 100% good with it.

[–] Viking_Hippie 3 points 11 months ago

the US defense budget is, in effect, the premium we pay yearly for "Global Nuclear War Insurance".

That's as true as the one about billionaires being "job creators" 🙄

This prevents open/total war between superpowers, and also has a suppressive effect even on larger non-superpower nations.

More ridiculous propaganda. The US military prevents war in the same way as tornados prevent strong winds.

And if you think our defense budget is inflated now, heaven help you if a near peer conflict actually would break out

So what you're saying is that spending as much as the 20 next countries wouldn't be enough to fight ONE of those? Sounds awfully wasteful.

Basically we pay a lot, year in and year out so that we don't have to deal with war time spending

Something like a single decade total HASN'T been war time for the 250 years the country has existed.

and of course all the death and destruction as well.

Except for those millions of pesky foreigners that of course have it coming 🙄

You're free to not like that, of course, but like I said, I'm 100% good with it.

Because you've swallowed their lies hook, line and sinker.