Guns vs. Butter?

[ellisonz]

Guns versus butter model

In macroeconomics, the guns versus butter model is an example of a simple production possibility frontier. It demonstrates the relationship between a nation's investment in defense and civilian goods. In this example, a nation has to choose between two options when spending its finite resources. It can buy either guns (invest in defense/military) or butter (invest in production of goods), or a combination of both. This can be seen as an analogy for choices between defense and civilian spending in more complex economies.

The "guns or butter" model is generally used as a simplification of national spending as a part of GDP. The nation will have to decide which balance of guns versus butter best fulfill its needs, with its choice being partly influenced by the military spending and military stance of potential opponents. Researchers in political economy have viewed the trade-off between military and consumer spending as a useful predictor of election success.[1]

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United States President Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society programs in the 1960s is an example of the guns versus butter model. While Johnson wanted to continue New Deal Liberalism, he was also in the arms race of the Cold War, and Vietnam War. These put strains on the economy, and hampered his Great Society programs.

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

What say you - guns or butter, or do you think you can have both?

[moriah]

1. I have Gun Butter, so yes, I can have both. ;)

(It's a great gun lubricant.)

However, I need butter (in the metaphorical sense) far more than I need a gun. If people want our country to have both, they're going to have to pay for both. If they are only going to pay for one, I vote butter..

[pinboy3niner]

6. Butter guns...

Lots of shooting, but nobody gets hurt. A little slippery, maybe...and you're always ready to sauté something.

[ellisonz]

8. Ohhh...

...my poor coronary arteries, just at the thought there was a pang!

[JonLP24]

2. Butter of course

With guns you have less people here producing butter, creating jobs for the rest of us. You probably can have both but with guns, you have people that could be here being firefighters, manufacturers, teachers, etc but can't because they are on a base somewhere or in deployments.

[JVS]

3. We could save some money by switching to I Can't Believe It's Not Guns, then we could afford butter.

[Ichingcarpenter]

4. We can take all the butter you want

when you have enough guns.

[Dead_Parrot]

5. There's a butyric acid joke in here somewhere

[HopeHoops]

7. You can't make a stir fry with a gun.

Just sayin'.

[REP]

9. Has anyone even read "Major Barbara"?

I get tired of seeing "guns and butter" - a term coined by a Socialist - misused.

Guns AND butter. But I read the damned thing.