I constantly run up against claims that America has a lower standard of living than many countries in Europe because of our military. It's time to examine that claim. Or rather, claims, because there are many reasons given for why we have to have that military. Claim 1: We are funding the world's most powerful military to save the world. Debunking: Okay, assuming for the sake of argument this is true and that we are not actually funding the world's greatest military to make a handful of rich people even richer, let's just stop, shall we? Let's withdraw to within our borders until those better fed, happier, healthier, better educated European slackers take up some slack and pay their fair share into making the world a better, safer place. Claim 2: We are funding the world's most altruistic and powerful military. Debunking: No need, even the most old fashioned of rightwingers scarcely dare make this claim anymore. The internet, among other things, has made the pretense of an America that is pro human rights laughable. Claim 3: War on terror! Debunking: I know of an FBI-labeled terrorist living free in Miami, how about we go get him before the grim reaper does? His name is Luis Posada Carriles. Look him up. I guess it's only a war on terror if the terrorist isn't our terrorist. Claim 4: We are building an empire that will make us all rich and happy. I don't see this claim made very often, politicians and pundits prefer the first three utter bullcrap claims, but once in awhile, one tries this. Debunking: Who is rich and happy? A tiny percentage of Americans. The rest of us are screwed. Why should we sacrifice tax dollars and lives for an empire the majority of us will never be rich or happy in? Why flip burgers to make an empire only a few will ever benefit from? Claim 5: Cold war! Debunking: The war on terror didn't work out so well in the long run, so it looks like we're about to start scrapping with Russia again. But does anyone really believe there is much difference between Russia's oligarchs and ours? Now there is one actual reason we might get into it with Russia (and China, and in the future perhaps India, and one never knows, maybe even Europe). It's called oil. Frankly if oil really is the answer, we're all screwed. Kiss it all goodbye and wait for the extinction. But meanwhile, shouldn't we instead be pouring ever cent of funding into alternative energy research and deployment, just in case we might be able to save ourselves? Why are we instead creating yet more uneducated, unhappy, impoverished McWorkers? Are we completely insane?
The USA has a qualitty of life rating below the Richest northern European countries but higher than most European countries.You have nothing toworry about.
$1,500,000,000,000 (that's not a typo, that's 1.5 TRILLION dollars) and it can't win in a dogfight against an F-16. http://www.businessinsider.com/this-map-explains-the-f-35-fiasco-2014-8
The exact problem that the Soviet Union had before its collapse is that it was funding its military to ridiculous proportions while simultaneously ruining the impetus of its people to work and being general commie idiots. This is why Democrats need to be eradicated. - - - Updated - - - I purposely said that ham-handedly so that some moonbat would challenge that notion.
That's not saying much, because the standard of living in these rich Western European countries has been on a downward trend in the last few decades. You want to know why average standards of living are going down? Here's a hint: look at the increase in population
My theory is that the overall population level has grown faster than the growth in the economy. This puts a downward pressure on wages, causing the problem to intensify to some effect. It's not just wages. The supply of housing is also in limited supply in the regions where the job opportunities are. You increase the population too fast, housing prices are going to rise. The new generation of buyers and those who do not own is going to lose out. Average rents are much higher now than they were 50 years ago (yes, even adjusting for inflation). This substantially cuts into people's income. And of course, the higher cost of living in many regions has driven people out into the cheaper outlying areas, creating vicious job competition (not enough jobs). There is also the effect of absentee land ownership, where the economic opportunity is not where the resources are, as well as the fact that the overall economy is not as localized and self-sufficient as it once was. Cheap unskilled labor has allowed the modern economy to become more "concentrated" into certain areas, whereas formerly workers might not have been willing to tolerate these conditions without demanding more income.
Why not end our wars on crime, drugs, poverty, and terror? Only the fantastical, right wing, believes an Orwellian, warfare-State economic paradigm will solve all of our problems.
Check again http://www.usmilitary.com/1635/military-only-resort-in-the-swiss-alps/ http://www.pga.com/golf-courses/golf-buzz/military-golf-courses-come-under-fire I'm sure they are worth every penny of my hard earned money
Yeah, those trillion dollar bs wars started by the neoCons have nothing to do with it. Lol - - - Updated - - - Yeah, those trillion dollar bs wars started by the neoCons have nothing to do with it. Lol
You're initial premise is messed up. We in fact live higher on the hog than almost any other country in the world save Monaco and Luxembourg both which are where Europe's rich go to avoid the grim taxer.
I agree. But since everyone is gunnin' for us and we seem to have wanted to take on the responsibility and monopoly of global security we can't just sit on our asses and hate ourselves now and vote saboteur after saboteur into office while stuffing half our populations fat spoiled faces while we whine about former glory. Gotta step up people! I may not like the whole crew, but I'm glad to see a Trump scare the sh!t outta these sedentary and entrenched chumps... [video=youtube;pzfnfE4XW0g]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzfnfE4XW0g[/video]
