All I hear about by conservatives is unfounded fear of socialism, yet this is exactly what has been going on for several decades in one huge aspect of the United States. This aspect I'm talking about, which is right at the surface, is our outrageous defense appropriations.
Defense spending is a major cash cow. Private corporations like defense contractors (haliburton) and high tech industries (boeing, lockhead, etc.) are given public subsidies and receive all the profits as private corporations. The US is the #1 defense spender (more than all countries combined!!!) and #1 arms dealer!! These two facts tell you quite clearly that the US keeps war factories running at the cost of US taxpayers. Wealthfare indeed.
2007-10-10 10:14:33 · 13 answers · asked by joe s 3 in Politics & Government ➔ Politics
Anytime you use the collective purchasing power of the people to buy or build anything for the people it is socialism. So anybody who doesn't agree that defense spending is socialism should open a dictionary.
I do have a problem with my tax dollars being used to make defense contractors rich with no bid contracts, and fraud. During WWII we had investigations into war profiteering, and people who ripped off the government were found to be traitors and were punished. Why haven't there been any hearings about fraud until the Democrats took over Congress?
2007-10-10 10:31:34 · answer #1 · answered by Damian M 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
To answer your great question specifically:
In most people's minds, there is no limit, whatsoever, that can be spent on defense spending. People that feel that defense spending is out of control, are in a very small minority. This is just the way it is, and always has been. There is paranoia and fear, that no matter how much is spent on defense, it is not enough.
Defense spending is nothing more than an euphemistic term for socialism for the wealthy.
2007-10-10 12:35:06 · answer #2 · answered by Lou B 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Haliburton is not a defense contractor, their an oil field supply company that handles logistics like food and gas for the army in Iraq, get your facts correct. I would rather see my tax dollars go toward building a plane to protect America than some non-working welfare freeloader. In case you didn't know the constitution says taxes were intended to protect the country and not wealth redistribution. I bet you thought you were on to something. And not everyone that works for Haliburton, Boeing and other companies is wealthy. You should know this. At least when the government spends money like this they create a job and not a slave.
2007-10-10 10:30:53 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
You can't be serious.
The USA has the largest defense budget in the world because it has the largest economy in the world, which is 3 times larger than second place and almost 6 times larger than China's.
The amount of money the USA spends on defense is a fraction of what the country spends on entitlements. The federal budget this year is $2.9 trillion. Only $700 billion of that will be spent on defense. More than $1.6 trillion will be spend on entitlements.
Your assumption is completely wrong.
2007-10-10 10:26:23 · answer #4 · answered by Overt Operative 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
"public subsidies"? - I think you completely misunderstand the appropriations process. The military orders something, the contractor builds it and delivers it to the military and then the military pays for it. Funny, I bought my car the same way. Did I "subsidize" the manufacturer of my car/ Or did I just pay for a product at a price we negotiated? It would be socialism if we made them provide them for cost,. however as private businesses they have a right to charge a price that allows them to make a profit.
2007-10-10 10:21:24 · answer #5 · answered by davidmi711 7 · 4⤊ 1⤋
Bush isn't the President. instead of focusing on him, why do not we ask the present President how he could nicely be dissatisfied over 100 sixty 5 million funds of wasted tax payers funds at the same time as he's has wasted 5 trillion funds in 60 days ?
2016-10-08 23:44:20 · answer #6 · answered by xie 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Don't forget, it is the nature of defense spending. A B-2 Spirit bomber (around a billion dollars) is more than its weight in gold.
A lot it is an all-or-nothing deal.
So we have to spend a lot. And it goes into research that could possibly be related to the military applications.
2007-10-10 10:25:18 · answer #7 · answered by Mitchell 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Even *if* your contention about defense contractors is true.... that isn't socialism... If you don't like defending our country find some other way to express your objection.... and learn the definition of the word "socialism"
2007-10-10 10:20:58 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 1⤋
Yes, if Democrats had their way, they would disband the Military.
They Hate it, anyway.
You are very un-informed.
Read and find out what Socialism is.
Read the Democrat Party Platform. It is Pure Socialism & Communism.
2007-10-10 10:23:48 · answer #9 · answered by wolf 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
To see how our government wastes our taxpayer's money (on defense) read this article which is just one of many examples:
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1665835,00.html
.
However, someone IS definitely profiting from it.
2007-10-10 12:39:14 · answer #10 · answered by The Wiz 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋