Yes and no. Alone you could never afford the defense of the US military. You could never afford even a single nuclear warhead or a single aircraft carrier. So

Yes and no. Alone you could never afford the defense of the US military. You could never afford even a single nuclear warhead or a single aircraft carrier. So while you can exceed your specific benefits in local government, the reality is that the pooling of resources does in fact provide you with much more than you could afford alone.