Loving Israel so much you misspell it.

[strigori]

Why on earth should we spend more on defense? We already spend almost as much as the next 14 put together. And more than 3 times that of China. And only Saudi Arabia spends a larger part of their GDP than us.

 

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

[lo country]

Kind of a political/world studies junkie. The threats are real. Whether you or others choose to believe this is your prerogative. Lots of open source stuff out there.

I never said that we don't face threats. We do. That said, the threats that we face are much less dangerous to our future than the threats of the 60s-80s. That's not really debatable. Do we have more diffuse enemies? Sure. Do any of those enemies wield anything like the power of the USSR? Absolutely not.

 

So why are we spending far more on the defense budget today than we did in 1980?

 

Not saying increase the defense budget, but I wouldn't cut it.

Actually . . . you did say that we should increase the defense budget.

 

Oh and I would like more on defense spending.

 

That was quite a turnaround. 24 minutes between those posts.

 

To clarify, the comments above were in relation to our current budget discussions in DC. The WH wants cuts. I do not agree with cutting the defense budget. As I posted above, the defense budget entails much more than beans and bullets. Look at the current Reduction In Force taking place to cut the budget. BS. Thanks for serving down range, but we no longer need your services. Tri-care medical coverage cut proposals etc..... It is not the "big army" that will suffer with the cuts, but the boots on the ground. I am not for cutting the defense budget to pay for other programs.

 

For the record, the threats we face now are much more grave than the former USSR. Do some research on what Fundamentalists Islamists want. How they view the US. What their ultimate goals are etc.......In the cold war, we had nuclear detente. Our current enemies could give 2 shi$$ about our nuclear arsenal or how much destruction we can bring. The USSR would have never launched a nuke. A terrorist group with a dirty bomb on US soil. Absolutely.

 

Oh, and we spend more now because it is 2012. Gas is $3.50 a gallon now. It was like .75 cents then. Why does your house cost more? Or food? Or any other commodity.

[lo country]

Why on earth should we spend more on defense? We already spend almost as much as the next 14 put together. And more than 3 times that of China. And only Saudi Arabia spends a larger part of their GDP than us.

 

http://en.wikipedia....ry_expenditures

 

Because we are used as the world's defense and police force. We are the UN. Every timet hey need troops we go. If we only had to fund interests that we wanted protective, I would like to think our budget would be much less. Look at the proposed European missile defense shield, troop in North Korea etc.... We provide a military for nations incapable of doing so themselves to a varying degree.

[carlfense]

For the record, the threats we face now are much more grave than the former USSR. Do some research on what Fundamentalists Islamists want. How they view the US. What their ultimate goals are etc.......

 

No . . . just no. I think you are completely confusing what your Fundamentalists want to do and what your Fundamentalists are actually capable of doing.

 

The former shouldn't concern you. The latter should.

[Yossarian]

The Soviets were a great threat that could be and was deterred. Muslim fundamentalists are a great threat that cannot be deterred. Follow me thus far? They are perfectly willing to die just to kill infidels. Give them access to nuclear or CBR weapons and they are an even greater threat.

 

Before 11 September 2001, few people believed that a handful of these "fundamentalists" were capable of bringing down the Twin Towers, but they did.

[carlfense]

Desire doesn't indicate capability.

 

Period.

[Yossarian]

I believe there are Muslim terrorists who are capable of bringing a dirty bomb or CBR agents into the U.S. and killing thousands if not millions. I also believe the Iranians are capable of striking U.S. forces and facilities in the Middle East. Eventually, they will be able to deliver a nuke-tipped missile.

 

Desire drives the development of or the acquisition of capabilities. Period.

[carlfense]

So something that is potentially threatening in the futures is more serious than an existential threat in the present?

 

Too funny.

 

 

Desire drives the development of or the acquisition of capabilities.

Subject of course (unlike Fox News) to the constraints of reality.

 

 

(Yos style barb FTW)

[Yossarian]

All you are doing now is trolling. Potential nuclear threat is something the U.S. plans against. look it up.

[carlfense]

Potential nuclear threat is something the U.S. plans against. look it up.

[knapplc]

Let's have an end to accusations of trolling. Keep to the topic and stop worrying about who's trolling who. Use the report feature if you truly think a person is just acting the troll.

 

That goes for everyone in this conversation, and applies to several other threads in this forum right now. We're getting too much into who says what, not focusing on what was said.

 

 

[It'sNotAFakeID]

I desire to have millions of dollars. At this current moment, I have no capability to potentially obtain those millions of dollars. Certainly I have the drive to do what needs to be done to obtain those millions of dollars, but let's say I do all of the things needed, I still might not get those millions of dollars.

 

Bolded for quick read.

[carlfense]

I desire to have millions of dollars. At this current moment, I have no capability to potentially obtain those millions of dollars. Certainly I have the drive to do what needs to be done to obtain those millions of dollars, but let's say I do all of the things needed, I still might not get those millions of dollars.

 

Bolded for quick read.

So if you desire to have more money than Mitt Romney . . . and are extremely passionate about that desire . . . who has more money at the moment?

[sd'sker]

For some, their liberal ties are stronger than blood. Apparently their race hasn't learned the lesson of what happens with an all powerful central government.

 

Let me get this straight. Not enough perceived support of Israel = all-powerful central government? Come on.

 

We are nowhere near an all powerful central government and any arguments to that effect are solely for the purpose of alarmist spin. It is the exact same thing that less conscientious environmental groups do when they start proclaiming all these doomsday propositions. Hyperbole serves no use in real discussion.

 

Also, why should the US support Israel's pre-emptive strike? (honest question).

 

In general I think the US agenda in the middle east should be for long-term peace and stability, and whether that always aligns with Israel's own agenda doesn't really matter.

 

Also, as I remember, there was nothing about not being welcomed by HuskerMax. It was more of a lot of HP members didn't want to go there.

i agree. why should israel have so much influence on american politics? it makes me sick how candidates have to pander to the aipac.

[It'sNotAFakeID]

I desire to have millions of dollars. At this current moment, I have no capability to potentially obtain those millions of dollars. Certainly I have the drive to do what needs to be done to obtain those millions of dollars, but let's say I do all of the things needed, I still might not get those millions of dollars.

 

Bolded for quick read.

So if you desire to have more money than Mitt Romney . . . and are extremely passionate about that desire . . . who has more money at the moment?

 

Mitt Romney.