Couldn't we use a fraction of our military expendatures to fund basically any program in the US?

Question

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_military_expenditures

According to Wikipedia we dropped $532,800,000,000 in 2007 already. Thats a big number. Couldn't we shave off a few digits to fund social security or medicare or education or anything else you can dream up?

Answer 1

Just to start out. The United States spends not only $532 billion annually. This is not simply a big number, it is 51% of GLOBAL military spending. (0)

That is, the United States spends more on its military than the rest of the world combined.

While that might make you feel warm and fuzzy inside, and give you a general sense of "America! Hell Yeah!" -- keep in mind that terrorists who performed 9/11 did so with a budget several orders of power less than the cost of a single fighter jet. I'd wager that their sum-total financial investment is probably on the level of a single smart weapon deployed on those fighter jets. Weapons that we fire dozens of every week, paid for by our tax dollars.

So, where is the cost/benefit ratio there?

Especially considering that there were 16,137 homicides in the United States in 2004 (1), even a 25% reduction in that figure would stop a "9/11" every year. Then again homicide victims tend to be poor minorities in poor neighborhoods, not high paid Caucasians in the middle of Manhattan, but reducing crime is a lot more difficult than fighting terrorists, now isnt it? You can't exactly firebomb the whole neighborhood and say the civilian casualties are just "collateral damage", because you happened to also kill the gang leaders in the process. At least not on US soil you can't.

I personally would rather see the Teaching Unions abolished, the bad teachers fired, and a gout of Federal Money funneled into our incredibly horrible education system -- than see another day of war. That means leveling the playing field too -- no more local money going into local schools. Same education for everyone. How the hell can the poor underclass become more educated, when their school systems rely on the already poor neighborhoods around them for funding? That might sound a little socialist, but keep in mind that a educated working class is the staple of a capitalistic free market. We can have our cake and eat it too on this one.

Quit frankly, let the Iraqi's deal with Iraqi problems. If some nut wants to load up a plane and knock down a building, knocking down all the buildings 9000 mi away isn't going to stop them. And $532 bln in Military Spending isn't going to a damn thing to stop it, not when a mere $100,000 gets you the pilots license and box cutter needed to mount your terrorist attack for the operation in the first place.

In summary, we could slash military spending by 75%, and still be spending more than any other given country. With that enormous sum, we could fix our education system, probably invest a heatlhy sum into renewable alternative energy and stop funneling enormous sums of money into the pockets of Saudi Shieks, and maybe, just maybe, jumpstart the American Manufacturing engine again, and get some jobs back from China.

But no, we MIGHT be SLIGHTLY less secure. You know, for when the terrorists build a nuclear aircraft carrier battle group. Better keep the paranoid meters pegged people.

Answer 2

Unlike the various social programs which have grown in the Federal budget since the New Deal days, the military and national defense are among the only areas of Federal authority specifically permitted under the Constitution. Notwithstanding, Discretionary spending (welfare and the like) consumes more than 40% of the US budget whereas defense spending is limited to a paltry 6% +/-. This increase by the way is due to the creation of the War on Terror which has resulted in supplemental defense spending over and above the normal rate of about 5%.

Seems to me that if we abolish any and all spending that is not specifically permitted under the Constitution, the States and the people therein would be able to provide for their own wants and needs.

CS Lewis said it best (not verbatim): If I had to choose between a Social do-gooder and an evil tyrant, I will chose the tyrant. The tyrant’s thirst for power and misery will eventually be quenched and he may experience a change of heart. For he knows on some level that what he does is evil. But the do-gooder will torment me to no end. For he does it with the approval of his own conscience.

Answer 3

Wikipedia is a useful tool, but you would be better served by going directly to the source material for your information.

Then you need to ask how much protection is enough. We need a strong military with the ability and the motivation to protect us from foreign attack. I'm not a big fan of Bush's war, but cutting military funding won't fix that.

Could we fund other activities? Sure, but at what price? Do you want universal health care without freedom of choice? Do you want a true no child left behind educational system without traditional states rights being taken into consideration?

Answer 4

I just wanted to point out that m1a1mikegolf is either lying through his teeth or has no clue about what he's talking about regarding not having enough fighter pilots.

Fighter pilots were involved in war game activities on 9/11 (a drill involving intercepting planes used for commercial targets) and the other four left to deal with an incident were commanded to stand down. This was after Dick Cheney took command away from the Norad officers normally in charge of fighter pilots.

Don't you just love people that don't know what the hell they are talking about?

Answer 5

Well lets see,

SS is self funded, so why would we move general revenue into SS?

Medicare is self funded, so again, why would we move general revenue into medicare.

The US already spends more per student than every country on earth, except the netherlands.

So obviously money isn't the answer.

And as to the alert fighter question.

In 1999 the US had 150 fighters at 13 Air Force bases on alert status.

In janurary 2001 the US had 13 fighters on 7 Air Force bases on alert status.

Answer 6

Funding Social Security is ridiculous - particularily when illegal aliens have access to it and it's benefits in some states. It needs to be privatized.

Our education system will never be any good until public school teachers are held up to standards as private school teachers are - which Unions won't allow.

And no to the rest of your question - this is a free country, it is an individual's responsibility to take care of/provide for themselves, not mooch off of tax payers because they're lazy.

Answer 7

Yes we could.

However you need to decide what consequences you wish to accept.

In the1990s Clinton cut the military budget to the point where there were no longer enough 'ready' fighters to intercept the airliners hijacked on 9/11.

Military spending is something like having insurance on your home. It is an expensive drain until you need it - and at that point you always wish you had paid for better coverage.

Answer 8

There is a lot of pork in military spending. I think it needs a serious inquiry as to where all the money is going. It could be trimmed down some.

I noticed someone said they think Clinton is to blame for 9/11 because he cut military spending. That is total BS. The Bush Administration was the one that had to power to stop or even prevent the attacks but decided not to interfere.

Answer 9

How about save our borders plant a fence an watch it grow.
What about deporting millions that would add a few digits to social security, medicare an education.An keep our great military, might even have more to spend on them. 200 million citizens would like this plan better since we are paying for it.

Answer 10

Since the military is a Constitutional expenditure, and social security, medicare and education are not, why would anybody who believes in the Constitution want the government to spend our money unconstitutionally?