6 ms·

> Are we the baddies? Yes, we are the baddies. This is where a large portion of our tax dollars go instead of providing the people in the US with universal hea

> Are we the baddies? Yes, we are the baddies. This is where a large portion of our tax dollars go instead of providing the people in the US with universal healthcare, public housing, high-speed rail, etc. Instead of building a better life for all the people, the US destroys the lives of others for some very small amount of people to become filthy rich. Now on to the next manufactured conflict with China [0][1] and repeat what we have been doing for decades and well through the 20th century [2]. [0]: https://mobile.twitter.com/wearytolove/status/1430959562652192769?s=20 https://mobile.twitter.com/wearytolove/status/14309595626521... [1]: https://www.vox.com/2014/6/16/5814270/the-successful-70-year-campaign-to-convince-people-the-usa-and-not https://www.vox.com/2014/6/16/5814270/the-successful-70-year... [2]: https://monthlyreview.org/product/washington-bullets/ https://monthlyreview.org/product/washington-bullets/

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
ethbr0 5y ago
> where a large portion of our tax dollars go instead of providing the people in the US with universal healthcare, public housing, high-speed rail, etc. 23.4% of the FY2022 DoD budget is for direct payments to personnel. Including health insurance for military members and their families. 1.2% in family support programs: child care, schools, etc. With about 1/3 of total funding going to some sort of job or benefit. > Instead of building a better life for all the people Like the 0.5% dedicated to DARPA, which among other things funded research in 2013 into rapid development of novel vaccines using mRNA platforms under the ADEPT program? ... I won't say 100% of the DoD budget is morally pristine. Or even most of it. But it's a huge budget, and it funds a ton of good work that wouldn't otherwise be palatable to the legislative branch, but magically becomes so "because military." So as the quip goes, American defense spending is as much about social welfare and foreign aid as it is about bombs and bullets.
- tata71 5y ago
  > American defense spending is as much about social welfare and foreign aid So all the headlines regarding missing piles of cash and appeasements being given to local child-abusing warlords etc was just a one-time thing, or fake, or...
  - ethbr0 5y ago
    What do you think warlords do with piles of cash? Sit on them? Foreign aid essentially forever has amounted to delivering money to the least bad options, so that some of it trickles out to the people who actually need it. You may find that morally reprehensible, but what's your proposed alternative?
refurb 5y ago
This is such a sheltered take and ignores all the nuances of geopolitics. Not to say the US hasn’t done bad things, but “High speed rail”? Really?
- lapinot 5y ago
  I agree with you that parent's post is lacking context and a bit crude on arguments, but i believe the message is pretty clear: it's bad doing violent and one could say anti-social politics instead of pro-social politics (whatever they are, let's not get into details). I fully believe that: yeah sure your opponents hide as civilians somehow because that's an effective tactic, so you have to admit you've lost: you cannot use force, because you're not able to (because you're too far, you're not understanding what's happening etc). Just stop doing wars you should have no business in. Eg in which your only business is just defending some aspect of your current power (some times completely unrelated to the proxy).
  - refurb 5y ago
    So you’re saying the US should just look at ISIS and say “not our problem”? Should the US have done that in WW2? Korea?
    - deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]
    - kingofpandora 5y ago
      ISIS emerged because the US decided to topple the governments of Iraq in the 200s and Syria in the 2010s.
      - refurb 5y ago
        Believe it or not, the Arab world can develop their own home grown terrorists just we we can. Don’t lay the blame of every social I’ll on the west. The Arab governments themselves have been fighting domestic terrorists for decades.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

ethbr0 5y ago

> where a large portion of our tax dollars go instead of providing the people in the US with universal healthcare, public housing, high-speed rail, etc. 23.4% of the FY2022 DoD budget is for direct payments to personnel. Including health insurance for military members and their families. 1.2% in family support programs: child care, schools, etc. With about 1/3 of total funding going to some sort of job or benefit. > Instead of building a better life for all the people Like the 0.5% dedicated to DARPA, which among other things funded research in 2013 into rapid development of novel vaccines using mRNA platforms under the ADEPT program? ... I won't say 100% of the DoD budget is morally pristine. Or even most of it. But it's a huge budget, and it funds a ton of good work that wouldn't otherwise be palatable to the legislative branch, but magically becomes so "because military." So as the quip goes, American defense spending is as much about social welfare and foreign aid as it is about bombs and bullets.

tata71 5y ago
> American defense spending is as much about social welfare and foreign aid So all the headlines regarding missing piles of cash and appeasements being given to local child-abusing warlords etc was just a one-time thing, or fake, or...
- ethbr0 5y ago
  What do you think warlords do with piles of cash? Sit on them? Foreign aid essentially forever has amounted to delivering money to the least bad options, so that some of it trickles out to the people who actually need it. You may find that morally reprehensible, but what's your proposed alternative?

refurb 5y ago

This is such a sheltered take and ignores all the nuances of geopolitics. Not to say the US hasn’t done bad things, but “High speed rail”? Really?

lapinot 5y ago
I agree with you that parent's post is lacking context and a bit crude on arguments, but i believe the message is pretty clear: it's bad doing violent and one could say anti-social politics instead of pro-social politics (whatever they are, let's not get into details). I fully believe that: yeah sure your opponents hide as civilians somehow because that's an effective tactic, so you have to admit you've lost: you cannot use force, because you're not able to (because you're too far, you're not understanding what's happening etc). Just stop doing wars you should have no business in. Eg in which your only business is just defending some aspect of your current power (some times completely unrelated to the proxy).
- refurb 5y ago
  So you’re saying the US should just look at ISIS and say “not our problem”? Should the US have done that in WW2? Korea?
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  - kingofpandora 5y ago
    ISIS emerged because the US decided to topple the governments of Iraq in the 200s and Syria in the 2010s.
    - refurb 5y ago
      Believe it or not, the Arab world can develop their own home grown terrorists just we we can. Don’t lay the blame of every social I’ll on the west. The Arab governments themselves have been fighting domestic terrorists for decades.