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NATO is out-moded as it was formed to stop Russia in the Cold War. It no longer serves anyone's interest and especially not the interest of the USA. It might make sense to develop some alliance with a couple of European countries but not the whole lot.
There is only one way to wean the Europeans off the teet...LEAVE EUROPE. There is no other way. They are unyielding and know that Americans are suckers that are addicted to military power and huge defense budgets. They know that if they refuse to pay for their own defense, we'll do it for them.
You're all suckers. It's not your fault that you're suckers...you were born into it. You've been told all of your lives that we're the most powerful nation on Earth and how important it is to maintain that power. Nearly all of us were born during the Cold War. Many of us were born during the absolute height of the Cold War. We bought into our indoctrination and we just can't shake the notion that the Cold War is long over. That's why so many people just won't face the fact that IT'S OVER!! They still defend ridiculous defense budgets based on enemies that no longer exist. These are the same people that will argue you down about how we still need to be in Japan, Korea and Germany. They still ramble on about how we've gotta stop the Chinese from doing this or that. Or how we've still gotta protect Taiwan even though Taiwan is nothing to us.
Face it, we Americans talk a good game, but in truth, you guys don't really wanna give up the American role as the world's policeman. You don't really care how much it costs because you've been indoctrinated into thinking that it's a necessity.
Now if i ask any of you for a dollar raise in your property taxes, you'll go ape**** and scream about how you're being taxed to death already.
NATO is out-moded as it was formed to stop Russia in the Cold War. It no longer serves anyone's interest and especially not the interest of the USA. It might make sense to develop some alliance with a couple of European countries but not the whole lot.
If we need to form an alliance with nations in Europe AFTER saving the continent twice in that last century, then we've failed.
The EU has been working towards it's own military long before Trump was elected.
NATO isn't going away.
Do you not know that social security, and medicare/medicaid make up over 50% of the federal budget, and military/homeland security make up only 16%?
The social programs dwarf military spending.
Its your right wing friends who claim that great stuff for the American people can not be afforded because we spend so much on the military to defend the world. Its just a line served to the gullible by Fox News. And quite a lot swallow it hook, line and sinker. No serious analysis can reach such a conclusion. Any increase in military spending by the rest of the world will not be met with a reduction of the US military industrial complex.
Let the Germans re arm. There goes your Russia problem.
This could be taken in different ways but if you mean German arms will solve the problem or any European nations arms will solve the problem of Russia you are most likely not up to date and definitely not historically educated on the matter.
I do think Europeans can solve the Russia problem though. Most of them know that Russia is not an enemy anyway.
The U.S. also spends the highest proportion of its GDP on defense: 3.61%. The second biggest NATO spender in proportional terms is Greece, at 2.38%, according to NATO.
Spending $650 billion on defense PER YEAR is absurd. When we spend that much, its inevitable that we are going find ourselves in messy foreign entanglements. How many billions could we save if we focused on American DEFENSE rather than OFFENSE? Is providing a security umbrella for rich countries like Germany, Japan, South Korea and Saudi Arabia really in our interests? Of course not.
Republicans talk about federal waste and they are correct that it is rampant. But they almost always exclude the Pentagon and intel agencies. Why should we assume that they are anymore efficient than the other executive agencies? Its highly likely that they are actually less efficient since they don't have to fight for funds to the same extent that a department like HUD or Education does.
We need to take the ax to all federal agencies - that should include defense, intel and homeland insecurity. It doesn't take $650B a year to keep the 50 states safe.
The Europeans will need to buy technology... they haven't developed significantly in military technology themselves... I wonder who they are going to buy it from? Win-win! The US doesn't spend money and people on NATO saves billions... The US doesn't have to get into conflicts that are right next to the EU anymore... The US can cut down on military bases... billions upon billions upon billions AND we make billions on selling low-level military hardware! The military spending by these countries will then turn more of their population into fiscal conservatives and liberals are dead in Europe as well... That's a Trump WIN!
I'm not an expert on the subject, but I do know for certain that Spain produces military equipment.
We have decreased the number of military bases in Europe. Keep in mind that not having bases over there means we cannot fly in their air space. That puts serious limits on our reach/range.
Spending $650 billion on defense PER YEAR is absurd. When we spend that much, its inevitable that we are going find ourselves in messy foreign entanglements. How many billions could we save if we focused on American DEFENSE rather than OFFENSE? Is providing a security umbrella for rich countries like Germany, Japan, South Korea and Saudi Arabia really in our interests? Of course not.
Republicans talk about federal waste and they are correct that it is rampant. But they almost always exclude the Pentagon and intel agencies. Why should we assume that they are anymore efficient than the other executive agencies? Its highly likely that they are actually less efficient since they don't have to fight for funds to the same extent that a department like HUD or Education does.
We need to take the ax to all federal agencies - that should include defense, intel and homeland insecurity. It doesn't take $650B a year to keep the 50 states safe.
We need to close military bases in the continental US. Some of these bases exist to provide a living for the locals. It's welfare and they cost the fed. government a lot of money.
These are the same people that will argue you down about how we still need to be in Japan, Korea and Germany.
The bases in Germany are almost exclusively there for the US' own interest (FOBs for operations in the Middle East) and have little to do with defending Europe.. Up until 12 months ago, the heaviest US ground forces in Europe were a brigade of Strykers.
This is a Stryker - a fine piece of hardware as infantry combat vehicles go, but let's not pretend they'd last an afternoon against a unit that fields actual tanks.
We need to close military bases in the continental US. Some of these bases exist to provide a living for the locals. It's welfare and they cost the fed. government a lot of money.
Florida alone has 22 military installations.
I hear you on this living in military base heavy NC.
However Trump is going to increase military spending so
no hope for closing bases.
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