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I just want the more defense minded folks to explain why it's imperative for the U.S. to keep defending wealthy nations at great cost.....while complaining about social spending in their own country.
Forbes knocks it out the ballpark with this paragraph:
"Still, just as alcoholics hate to give up liquor, South Koreans are unlikely to give up their defense free ride. Doing without an American tripwire would mean either achieving a modus vivendi with the DPRK, which seems unlikely, or spending more to bulk up forces for both defense and retaliation, which would be politically unpopular.
Unfortunately, the American people have to pay more because Washington treats the South as an international welfare dependent. And the problem is getting worse. Despite the budget crunch at home, the Obama administration has been expanding defense aid to the South."
This is one hell of a link, considering that this is coming from Forbes.
I agree with you. S. Korea is one place we can cut foreign aid, but it is one of a great many. We can eliminate support for Egypt, get our people out of Iraq (including state department private security) and Afganistan. We also could close bases in Japan, some in Great Britian and Germany.
We should also cut out all non-military foreign aid. We gain nothing by spending millons on fighting AIDs in Africa for example. While touchy feely, it does nothing for the American taxpayer.
We're broke. Eliminating this spending would be less of a drain on the US taxpayer and get us closer to a sustainable budget.
I agree with you. S. Korea is one place we can cut foreign aid, but it is one of a great many. We can eliminate support for Egypt, get our people out of Iraq (including state department private security) and Afganistan. We also could close bases in Japan, some in Great Britian and Germany.
We should also cut out all non-military foreign aid. We gain nothing by spending millons on fighting AIDs in Africa for example. While touchy feely, it does nothing for the American taxpayer.
We're broke. Eliminating this spending would be less of a drain on the US taxpayer and get us closer to a sustainable budget.
Of course. You can add Japan, Western Europe, AND the Middle East.
How is it that nations as wealthy as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are, can't mount a decent defense of themselves?
Made me sick to see Kuwaiti's partying in Egypt during the first Gulf War.
We need S. Korea to keep investment profits up and cost of labor down. They are also a "good" reason for our support of the Forever War and the resultant above real market profits.
Location: In a Galaxy far, far away called Germany
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cletus Awreetus-Awrightus
well that's not what i'm saying. the questions are:
had we not protected south korea, would any of that exist?
if we did not continue to protect south korea, how long would any of that remain?
just from an economic standpoint, i think they are a pretty remarkable country.
Gotcha! The first question can't be answered, but the other two can. ROK is incredible in what they have accomplished. I think they can take the PRK with both hands tied behind their back. I don't think they need us outside of a trade relationship.
well, global shipping would not be the same without S. Korea's steel and shipbuilding industry. Without S. Korea we'd be paying more for energy.
Plus they are a democracy in a strategically important area.
I'm not real sure how much we spend on S. Korea, I don't know how one would calculate that, so I don't know if we get our "money's worth" or not.
According to Cato (didn't post the link because i can't verify it's age), it's somewhere between 15 and 20 billion annually. But i found something that i remember reading a few years ago that's even more remarkable:
"South Korea is not the only wealthy U.S. ally to reap the rewards of a U.S. security guarantee, while not fully opening its market to the United States. Japan and most of the European NATO allies also do the same. The foolish U.S. policy of continuing to subsidize the defense of these now rich countries — all economic competitors of the United States — allows them to reduce the drag that added defense expenditures would impose on their economies. Meanwhile, the U.S. economy has to bear the costs of defending the world."
That's just one way of looking at it. But it gets worse:
"Pulling all American troops out of Korea is reasonable, but may prove politically difficult with the dozens of South Korean paid lobbyists in Washington DC working to protect "their" bases and the resulting jobs and profits. Army combat forces are now based around Camp Humphreys near Seoul, consisting of an armored brigade, artillery brigade, and aviation brigade. These 8000 GIs are token combat forces compared to the massive, modern South Korean Army that instantly grows to a 5,000,000 man force upon mobilization."
Come on...can't be justified anymore. We're getting NOTHING in exchange for this but the tab. Americans have no business caring about the freedom of another nations more than they care about it themselves. We're being made fool's of, and i don't know how people can tolerate it in this country the way we do. Meanwhile, the sight of a food stamp in the hands of a fellow American sparks outrage.
We're getting NOTHING in exchange for this but the tab.
i don't understand how you figure that.
look at the Okinawa / Japan base issue. we want bases in asia, for strategic purposes. it isn't like we're over there solely to "protect S. Korea."
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