Is wasteful Defense spending as bad as healthcare ?

[clb10]

Originally Posted by EinsteinsGhost

USA accounted for 48% of world defense spending, a whopping $711B in 2008. By comparison, China spent only $122B. Japan, a lot less than that. No wonder these two countries own America.

I can't understand why so many Americans would rather pay HUGE amounts of money to major corporations for the purpose of building useless billion-dollar killing machines than to those dedicated to feeding America's poorest children.

[banjomike]

Military spending is much worse.
Very few military developments can be used in civilian life or for peaceful purposes.

Health care is all about keeping people healthy and alive. The military is only concerned with killing people.

[InformedConsent]

Originally Posted by banjomike

Military spending is much worse.
Very few military developments can be used in civilian life or for peaceful purposes.

Hmmm...

9 Things Invented For Military Use That You Now Encounter In Everyday Life | Mental Floss

And, of course, there are many more than that.

[Roadking2003]

Originally Posted by aneftp

Obama says there's a lot of waste in healthcare. He's probably right.

But what about the part of the budget that makes up to 20% of our yearly spending: Defense..

Yes. Not only is there billions in waste, but the entire defense budget should be severely downsized. We should close all foreign bases or make them profit centers. I would feel quite safe with a defense budget cut in half.