Quote:
Originally Posted by Dean
I don't like war, but...
The total military spending for all current engagements and other areas is less than 5% of GDP.
The U.S. is the largest manufacturer and exporter of military hardware and that industrial complex employs a boat load of people, and represents a significant amount of our exports contributing to GDP, but I can't find any useful numbers.
A significant amount of innovation that eventually reaches the consumer in some manner is funded by military and related research, and it is not just better guns. Communications, water filtration, composite materials, better engines, medicine,
So, is war bad, yes, but is it taking us into a recession, nope...
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It's funny how you can use numbers to make up anything.
5% of GDP is kind of a crap number in this conversation. GDP is basically an indication of the size of the economy... so sure, when compared to the size of the economy we're not spending that much on our military.
Buuuuuut.... the military is entirely funded by the discretionary fund, which is our tax dollars... $717 BILLION of our tax dollars...
67% of the discretionary fund. That means two thirds of every tax dollar that's not going to social security coming out of your pocket goes to the military. Who cares what percentage that is of the GDP... especially when you consider we have a trade deficit in this nation... which means that the Net Domestic Product of the nation is
negative.
I'm not saying military spending is causing a recession, but massive reduction of military spending could put a bunch of money back into our pockets which does help the economy. 'Course, I've never been a fan of cutting military spending, not without guarantees for troop safety and national security. i.e. I wouldn't cut the military's budget without first getting out of the middle east and repairing our image in the world. My point is just that military spending is downright MASSIVE when compared to the rest of the gov't budget.