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No. I disagree with military draft for several reasons, not least that it tends to produce a belligerent force of malcontents that are much more likely to reall

No. I disagree with military draft for several reasons, not least that it tends to produce a belligerent force of malcontents that are much more likely to really fuck things up. Also, is there really any point in being cannon fodder in a nuke fight? Besides, I think your analysis is a bit mental. US troops that have for so long enabled European governments to spend money on healthcare The US government spent more on healthcare per citizen that the European governments do, even during the Bush years. You then spend a shit-ton more privately. It isn't the existence of US troops that enable European governments to provide healthcare. Providing healthcare this way is just cheaper overall.

classicsnoot 12y ago
I see your point, but i am not so sure you understand how expensive force maintenance really is. Healthcare is just one cost, as well as training, logistics, etc. By not having to maintain a standing army, there is a huge amount of available capital to spend on whatever. I think it is a good thing, by the by, i just wish more Eurofolk were aware of how intertwined our countries are. Often times, it feels as if all that ever gets talked about is the 'bad' the US does, and the loudest tend to be the biggest beneficiaries of the 'evil' empire.
- lotsofmangos 12y ago
  You have no idea what you are talking about in the slightest. The EU maintains several standing armies and has around 100,000 more active serving personnel than the US does.
  - classicsnoot 12y ago
    Typed huge response. Thought better of it. You may be right, but i do not think you are.
    - lotsofmangos 12y ago
      Here, I know it is from wikipedia which is a crap source, but the numbers are referenced: US active serving personnel - 1,369,532 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Armed_Forces http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Armed_Forces EU active serving personnel - 1,453,028 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_of_the_European_Union http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_of_the_European_Union edit - one thing to keep in mind is that although US expenditure is 2.5 times larger than the EU, much of that historically was spent on weapons rather than troops as it was directed towards trying to bankrupt the USSR by the meta-game of convincing them to play the game of arsenal oneupmanship, while having deeper pockets.

classicsnoot 12y ago

I see your point, but i am not so sure you understand how expensive force maintenance really is. Healthcare is just one cost, as well as training, logistics, etc. By not having to maintain a standing army, there is a huge amount of available capital to spend on whatever. I think it is a good thing, by the by, i just wish more Eurofolk were aware of how intertwined our countries are. Often times, it feels as if all that ever gets talked about is the 'bad' the US does, and the loudest tend to be the biggest beneficiaries of the 'evil' empire.

lotsofmangos 12y ago
You have no idea what you are talking about in the slightest. The EU maintains several standing armies and has around 100,000 more active serving personnel than the US does.
- classicsnoot 12y ago
  Typed huge response. Thought better of it. You may be right, but i do not think you are.
  - lotsofmangos 12y ago
    Here, I know it is from wikipedia which is a crap source, but the numbers are referenced: US active serving personnel - 1,369,532 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Armed_Forces http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Armed_Forces EU active serving personnel - 1,453,028 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_of_the_European_Union http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_of_the_European_Union edit - one thing to keep in mind is that although US expenditure is 2.5 times larger than the EU, much of that historically was spent on weapons rather than troops as it was directed towards trying to bankrupt the USSR by the meta-game of convincing them to play the game of arsenal oneupmanship, while having deeper pockets.