Search the Community

I am very interested in learning Forum participants' views on U.S. military spending (as well as any official Objectivist position, if there is such a thing). This topic: http://forum.objectivismonline.com/index.php?showtopic=23115&hl=%2Bmilitary+%2Bindustrial discusses U.S. militarism in general. But I am interested in specifics about what the federal budget should look like. I have heard that U.S. military spending is greater than the next 7 countries combined and think that is obscene. There is no possibility that that level of spending could only be about defense - obviously it is largely about aggression. I have heard numbers like a 50% reduction thrown out. I believe Ralph Nadar used this number - not sure what Rand Paul has said. This is clearly an area where a robust multi-party system could result in coalitions that move the country away from the nightmare uniformity of both major parties. I also do not know the detailed components of proposed defense reductions. Components of spending worth discussing are: advanced weaponry, foreign bases, standing army, retirement benefits. There are surely others. One last tidbit: I heard an interview with Ayn Rand where she argued that any military action against the Soviet Bloc would have been acceptable as an action of self-defense. Do folks think the threat posed by Islamic extremism is comparable?