Obama would be a pariah if he didn't ramp up military spending. Because of the die cast by the Bush Administration it's very dificult to extricate ourselves from the situation we're in without looking like even worse assholes than we are now.
Now we are investing in other countries. Hopefully the return will be stable democratic states that would like to trade peacefully with their neighbors instead of train people to blow themselves up and take down as many 'unclean ones' with them as possible.
Can you really put a price on that?
Debatable. Very much so.
Also, I do like the direction that the Navy is trying to go with new ships. Especially the Litoral Combat Ships. Slightly smaller than Destroyers, and built from the keel up to be more efficient in all aspects from fuel consumption to manning. What makes them really nifty is the modular mission packs. Swap packs and it's a land-attack platform. Swwap 'em again and it's an ECM Ship! Swap again and it's a Pirate Hunter!
It's a welcome change from the seemingly dedicated focus on aircraft carriers - not that they aren't useful! I just feel that the USN shouldn't be entirely centered around that one aspect.
Let's face it: no matter what we are going to be spending more and more money with the passage of time. And I would rather have the Government spend money than try to save it. Because you know what? When the Government spends money, Americans somewhere make money. At least that's how it ideally works. There's a need for reform to make sure that money isn't being spent on people that don't need it. A certain issue with farming grants comes to mind...
Now we are investing in other countries. Hopefully the return will be stable democratic states that would like to trade peacefully with their neighbors instead of train people to blow themselves up and take down as many 'unclean ones' with them as possible.
Can you really put a price on that?
Debatable. Very much so.
Also, I do like the direction that the Navy is trying to go with new ships. Especially the Litoral Combat Ships. Slightly smaller than Destroyers, and built from the keel up to be more efficient in all aspects from fuel consumption to manning. What makes them really nifty is the modular mission packs. Swap packs and it's a land-attack platform. Swwap 'em again and it's an ECM Ship! Swap again and it's a Pirate Hunter!
It's a welcome change from the seemingly dedicated focus on aircraft carriers - not that they aren't useful! I just feel that the USN shouldn't be entirely centered around that one aspect.
Let's face it: no matter what we are going to be spending more and more money with the passage of time. And I would rather have the Government spend money than try to save it. Because you know what? When the Government spends money, Americans somewhere make money. At least that's how it ideally works. There's a need for reform to make sure that money isn't being spent on people that don't need it. A certain issue with farming grants comes to mind...