$2,000,000,000,000 defense budget?????

[Boreas]

Originally Posted by piece-itpete

I'd be perfectly fine with us pulling out of most of Europe. Why hasn't the C-in-C done it?

Oh yes, we're REDUCING troops there. Why have any? And did the German chancellor call you and tell you about it?

If we pull out of the ME gas would be $10 a gallon or more. It's be OK for us (in a horrible way), we're a rich country. Consider what that would mean to 3rd world countries. There would be mass starvation.

For some reason pointing out the reality of Pax Americana drives the isolationists crazy

How would that happen, exactly, and how does our presence there prevent it?

John

[piece-itpete]

So, to be clear, we are coming to the conclusion that the US could unilaterally withdraw from the world with no repercussions?

Pete

[piece-itpete]

If there's a sneeze of trouble oil goes through the roof. A serious interruption in ME oil would cause serious issues. Surely we agree on that.

Pete

[Boreas]

Originally Posted by piece-itpete

If there's a sneeze of trouble oil goes through the roof. A serious interruption in ME oil would cause serious issues. Surely we agree on that.

Pete

Since our global military posture has never once prevented that, you have just destroyed your own argument.

Make me work, Pete!

John

[ebacon]

Originally Posted by piece-itpete

So, to be clear, we are coming to the conclusion that the US could unilaterally withdraw from the world with no repercussions?

Pete

Jesus H Christ.

What the fuck is it with you guys taking the concept of reducing spending and then crashing it into a guardrail?

Reducing military spending by some percentage will not result in "unilaterally withdrawing from the world".

By the way, here is a chart that shows military spending percentage of personal income tax revenue over time. It shows the peace dividend up until 2000, and then the double whammy of Bush tax cuts/two wars after 2001.

The bottom line is that the military eats up all of our personal tax dollars. Remeber that that chart only shows published military spending. There is also secret spending.

[piece-itpete]

So US troops in Saudi Arabia didn't keep Saddam from invading? Alright....

So the US navy doesn't keep the supertankers moving?

The planet is basically peaceful and we're the problem?

Pete

[Boreas]

Originally Posted by piece-itpete

So US troops in Saudi Arabia didn't keep Saddam from invading? Alright....

So the US navy doesn't keep the supertankers moving?

The planet is basically peaceful and we're the problem?

Pete

Pete, this is just plain stupid. I think you know it so that's all the answer you'll get from me.

John

[ebacon]

Originally Posted by piece-itpete

So US troops in Saudi Arabia didn't keep Saddam from invading? Alright....

So the US navy doesn't keep the supertankers moving?

The planet is basically peaceful and we're the problem?

Pete

Now you are just whining like a sarcastic bitch.

Of course the US military engages enemies. No one said that didn't. But the notion that the US does everything single-handedly is simply arrogant.

Oh look. German Navy helpig with shipping lanes.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/gcaptain...alia-get-some/

Oh look. Spain helping with shipping lanes.
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics...ship-and-lose/

Oh look. Italy helping with shipping lanes.
http://news.yahoo.com/suspected-soma...115853770.html

On and on it goes.

[piece-itpete]

Unfortunately I am neither being sarcastic nor a bitch. If I was being sarcastic I would say that of course one should turn to personal attacks if their argument isn't holding up. If I was a bitch I wouldn't say it.

The Europeans have ships? I'm aghast. Warning - sarcasm alert: Thank goodness they took care of their own problems. Needs America To Operate.

To properly show percentages in income tax one needs to consider SS income, as it was being spent on general expenses. Now the it's pulling money back out the percentages are going to skew dramatically.

Pete

[ebacon]

Oh fuck it.