We spend 4.3% of our GPD on military expenses....China spends 2% of their GDP.....

[VoteProgressive]

We spend $650 BILLION.

China spends $98 Billion.

#3 on the list, the UK, spends $69 Billion.

So our largest "enemy", I assume, is China.

Would it be illogical for us to roll back military spending to $200 Billion? TWICE what China spends?

Lets face it, if China pulls any shit on us we will get support from the other USA friendly countries. It seems like DOUBLE what China spends would be enough. Besides, China makes so much money off us that they don't want to attack us!

Why does this seem so obvious but is still not addressed by any Dems?

What could this country do with $450 Billion a year?

It is insanity!

[JVS]

1. I'm interested in knowing how much the Chinese get for their money.

I have a feeling that there is no Mandarin term for "zero bid contract".

It might very well be that the Chinese could field a military more powerful than ours with less money.

[VoteProgressive]

2. If China attacks then we spend the money to ramp up like in WWII......

The money spent now is being wasted. Hundreds of bases in other countries. For what?

I see your point but I think spending 7 times their amount is overkill.

[Cali_Democrat]

10. Both China and the US have nukes

China attacks us, we drop nukes and vice versa.

There will be no direct Chinese-American war just like there was no Soviet-American war during the Cold War.

Howver, proxy wars remain a possibility.

[hughee99]

3. How much of those "military expenses" are spent in someone's congressional district?

Besides, China doesn't have to spend nearly as much in military R&D because after we figure out HOW to build something, we eventually send them the plans to make it for us.

Yes, it's still overkill, but there will be virtually NO political will to change it

[VoteProgressive]

4. True!! n/t

[FormerDittoHead]

9. I have the will to change it. Everything else being same, I'll VOTE for one to cut the budget...

Now if SOMEONE (outside of fucking kooks) will run promising (and I'm talking a campaign promise, not an "Obama promise") to cut them and like by 50 fucking percent.

pardon my french.

[hughee99]

12. Even when everyone agrees that the budget should be cut by 50%

when it ends up in the hands of the politicians, we find that everyone disagrees on whose 50% to cut, and it doesn't get done.

[former9thward]

5. I agree our military spending is far out of control.

But to compare it with China may not be accurate. We know what China says they spend on the military but we don't know what they actually spend. They don't exactly have a budget that is open to inspection. Also China uses their military in far different ways that we do. Their military helps with agriculture production and takes the role of our National Guard in disasters. Also they don't have hundreds of bases all over the world. We shouldn't either but neither party wants to touch that.

[VoteProgressive]

7. I wish I knew why we are afraid to touch it.

[PDJane]

6. Not to mention that the US military is the single largest

polluter in the world.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

8. The military is America's very own Untouchable Sacred Cow. And, here's why...

“The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.” H.L. Mencken

[Scuba]

11. China is our ally. If they attacked us, they'd lose their largest market.