I do not worship the ground our military walks on

[Lydia Leftcoast]

333. What the rah-rah military supporters forget is that

the Soviet Union fell apart partly because it devoted all its resources to military spending and trying to maintain an empire.

Those who haven't traveled much (or only to Third World resorts) have no idea how far behind we are with respect to the countries that do not feel compelled to maintain a large military establishment.

Note that Norway and the UK both have North Sea oil. Britain thinks deep down that it still controls or ought to control 1/3 of the world and maintains the world's fourth largest military with the world's 22nd largest population, and despite its many charms, its public infrastructure, inequality, percentage of children in poverty, (and lack of social mobility) are among the worst in Europe. Norway maintains a small military for defensive purposes and devotes its North Sea oil money to enhancing the quality of life domestically. It shows.