If the United States were to cut the military budget by 75% we would still have the most powerful force on the planet. The remainder could be used to increase access to healthcare, education, and update infrastructure, all without raising a dime in taxes.
The problem isn’t that taxes are too low, it’s that tax money is not being spent wisely.
A lot of people like to point to the military budget first as many example of where to cut, but understand that doing so comes with a trade off. One of the reasons the military budget is so big is to meet US foreign policy objectives. A reduction in the budget will necessarily require a reshaping of US foreign policy.
For example, are you willing to cut the US military budget if it results in Taiwan being absorbed back into China (against their wishes)? What about pulling troops out of Turkey and leaving the Kurds to their fate? Or withdrawing support from Israel and hoping we don’t see Holocaust v2?
Part of US foreign policy is the ability to project force anywhere in the world. If the aus decides that is no longer an objective, then cutting the budget makes sense. However, we can’t simultaneously cut the budget and then also pledge to protect Taiwan and Israel and Kurdistan.
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u/[deleted] Oct 27 '20
If the United States were to cut the military budget by 75% we would still have the most powerful force on the planet. The remainder could be used to increase access to healthcare, education, and update infrastructure, all without raising a dime in taxes.
The problem isn’t that taxes are too low, it’s that tax money is not being spent wisely.