Wednesday, July 11, 2018

NATO Spending Details

CNN NATO Spending Graph  This is pretty interesting...

32 comments:

Anonymous said...

Trump's stuff here is for domestic consumption. The question I have is does he doing anything besides running for reelection? Does he actually have something in mind?

--Hiram

Sean said...

Today, he suggested that NATO countries go to 4%, not 2%, which can only be interpreted as sticking the thumb in the eye of our allies. He's not even acknowledging that many countries have increased their spending since he's come into office. It's pretty inescapable at this point that he's seeking to weaken the alliance.

Anonymous said...

Trump was shocked to learn when he moved to Washington that no on there worked for him. Now it's being explained to him nobody in Europe works for him either. He is impervious to both messages. Certainly is ugly American on the loose act makes it virtually impossible for the leaders of other countries who are forced to witness it ta actually go along with his proposals.

So what does Trump have in mind, assuming he has a mind. No one knows. This is what makes him so hard to negotiate with. How can you give someone what they want if you have know idea what they want?

--Hiram

John said...

Sean,
The graph I linked to shows that our partners are still at about 1%...

And this link indicates that Germany is making little progress

"No comment was immediately available from the Defence Ministry about the report, the latest of several to raise alarms about the Bundeswehr’s readiness for combat after decades of spending cuts.

Merkel last week said she would continue pushing for increased military funding after years of cutbacks, and pledged Germany would be spending 1.5 percent of GDP by 2024."

And when one of the leading economic forces in Europe and a major competitor to US firms does not pay their bill. That is a problem.

Sean said...

Two comments:

* What needs are going unfulfilled currently that require essentially a doubling -- or based on today, a quadrupling -- of military expense from our allies?

* Are we going to cut back our expenses if they get up to 2%? I'm certainly not hearing that from Trump or anyone else.

John said...

Some other real slackers are Spain, Belgium, Canada, Netherlands, Italy, Denmark.

Laurie said...

Guess Who Benefits From Republican Tax Cuts?

I could pay $1,000 more in taxes if we repealed all the tax cuts.

John said...

I don't know about you, but I think it would be nice if the EU could stand on it's own more if the Russians do invade. Rather than the majority of the burden and risk being carried by the USA.

Or in helping to protect the shipping lanes from pirates. (ie playing world police)

Or dissuading China from seizing control of the South China sea.

Or if the DEMs ever do get back in power and start cutting our military budget...

Sean said...

"Or if the DEMs ever do get back in power and start cutting our military budget..."

The military budget during the Obama administration was -- even adjusted for inflation -- the highest ever. So please stop with the ignorant scaremongering.

Sean said...

"And when one of the leading economic forces in Europe and a major competitor to US firms does not pay their bill. "

It should also be pointed out that Germany has taken in 1 million refugees that fled Middle East conflicts that we are largely responsible for, while we have largely ducked those consequences.

John said...

Sean,
The reality is that Obama and the DEMs only controlled the purse for ~2 years and that was in the middle of a recession. After that the GOP controlled the house and budget.

So I really don't know what the DEMs would do about the US military if the new further Left DEMs had full control. Would they strive to lower it to the levels of their idyllic countries like Canada, Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Germany and Sweden? They sure

Here is some historic data.

I am not trying to scare anyone. Personally I am fine cutting the military budget some. My guess is that they are bloated like most bureaucracies. Or they could possibly get countries like S Korea and Japan to pay more of the bill for the security we provide.

John said...

If you think the US started the Middle Eastern mess, we will have to agree to disagree with what triggered the Syrian civil war... And likely what is causing so many people to flee sub-Saharan Africa.

I seem to remember a guy named Saddam Hussein who attacked our allies.
And a group named the Taliban who supported Terrorists that attacked the USA.

And long ago there was a group called the Ottomans who chose the wrong side in a World War.

To me it seems causation is pretty complex.

John said...

One more note.
US Population History

German Population History

For Germany the rush of educated Syrians may have been a benefit given their stagnant population numbers. They must have had a pretty tough immigration policy before...

Or people just did not want to move there? :-)

Sean said...

"The reality is that Obama and the DEMs only controlled the purse for ~2 years and that was in the middle of a recession. After that the GOP controlled the house and budget."

President Obama presented his own budget proposals every year. Did he ever propose significant cuts? (Answer: Nope) So don't give me this "I don't know what the Democrats would do" nonsense. It's ignorant bullshit.

And to think you're the guy who complains about liberals always looking for bad stuff to say about Trump and conservatives. What standing do you have to make that complaint, when you say nonsense like this?


John said...

One more link regarding Forbes Death Spiral Demographics

I think that President Obama was a pretty good moderate after the whole ACA thing. For the most part I thought he was an okay President.


Please remember what I wrote...

"So I really don't know what the DEMs would do about the US military if the new further Left DEMs had full control. Would they strive to lower it to the levels of their idyllic countries like Canada, Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Germany and Sweden?"

Sean said...

"So I really don't know what the DEMs would do about the US military if the new further Left DEMs had full control. "

Once again, you -- a non-Democrat -- is making up fantasies about what actual Democrats would do. Let's take a time warp back to 2016. Hillary Clinton proposed baseline spending $50B higher than that of Obama plus removing the sequester caps.

Meanwhile, the socialist in the race proposed no substantive cuts other than eliminating waste, duplication, and fraud.

So stop making up nonsense about Democrats rolling back the defense budget to Dutch levels. Because it ain't true.

John said...

Actually I never made up or claimed anything... You seem to be the only one here willing to predict the future... "So stop making up nonsense about Democrats rolling back the defense budget to Dutch levels. Because it ain't true." Sean


Please remember I was just providing possible answers...

"Or if the DEMs ever do get back in power and start cutting our military budget..."

And said I did not know what the highly progressive DEMs would support.

"So I really don't know what the DEMs would do about the US military if the new further Left DEMs had full control. "

To your questions...

"* What needs are going unfulfilled currently that require essentially a doubling -- or based on today, a quadrupling -- of military expense from our allies?

* Are we going to cut back our expenses if they get up to 2%? I'm certainly not hearing that from Trump or anyone else."

Some more interesting links from the Left
The Nation DEMs Need New Way To ...

World Beyond War

CPC Budget for the People

"Spending cuts would come in the form of replacing sequestration cuts to the Defense Department with similarly sized, but longer-term, cuts that would slow the growth of defense spending."



John said...

Common Dreams While Exploding Military Spending, Trump Budget Eviscerates Funding for Education, Healthcare, and More

CounterPunch What do Progressives Stand for?

"How do you prevent big corporations, billionaires and military budgets from sucking the wealth out of a modern industrial system, thus impoverishing the vast majority of the citizenry? The consensus among progressive groups seems to be to increase taxes on the rich (BLM,Democrats, the Greens and CPC), raise the minimum wage, and change trade policy in some form, while cutting military budgets — although only Black Lives Matter really attacks this problem."

John said...

I think the biggest question is can the Progressives ever get to the point where they have the power to control the budgets and taxes. From my perspective, hopefully not...

Laurie said...

we are a long way off from far left dems having control. If the dems were to take back congress and win the presidency we would only get budgets and policy that the moderates would support. Remember the year and a half that it took to pass Obamacare and the power that was held by moderates.

In the last election Hillary tried to stay a bit more realistic than Bernie as to what might actually get done-

John said...

That was why I wrote...

"Or if the DEMs ever do get back in power and start cutting our military budget..."

:-)

But one never know given how incompetent and questionable Tribe GOP is...

Sean said...

"Please remember I was just providing possible answers..."

You were just making stuff up. None of your links envision major cuts to defense. The "People's Budget" pushed by the most liberal members of the House just slows the rate of growth in the defense budget. And some of the folks you've linked to I've never heard of, so they aren't exactly driving the debate on the liberal side.

John said...

Please remember that "slowing the rate of growth" of something is what Liberals often call a cut when the concept is applied by the GOP to Social Services, Education, Health Services, etc.

I am not sure how much the Defense portion of our budget would decrease if the Progressives get control, however I am certain it would fall and the domestic spend would grow.

That is all I was pointing out. No scare mongering intended.

John said...

I was going to post regarding the gullibility of the Trump True Believers but I don't have time to do it well...

Do they really believe him today that his tirade made any immediate difference?

I am sure they do... :-)

Sean said...

"I am not sure how much the Defense portion of our budget would decrease if the Progressives get control, however I am certain it would fall"

It's fun to live in a fantasy world! Don't let the facts get in the bubble, pal.

John said...

So you honestly think that the CPC would not transfer funds from Defense to Social services, Healthcare, Welfare, Education, etc?


Even given the number of times progressives rail about:
- The US spend vs Other Nations
- The underfunding of Domestic programs
- The US should not intervene in other countries
- etc

Sean said...

The very budget of their that you posted doesn't indicate that to be the case. You can continue to believe something else, I suppose, if it makes you feel better.

John said...

Thank you very much for your permission. :-)

Laurie and Moose,
What do you think? Would you like to see the...

Military budgets cut and the money used to add funding for schools, health care, welfare and other domestic programs?

Anonymous said...

We don't need to cut the military budget to pay for single payer health care. That can be completely covered elsewhere with perhaps no raise in taxes.

We could also stop subsidizing our terribly unhealthy food system and subsidize real food. As of July 31, SNAP recipients won't be able to buy fresh produce at farmers markets. That's absurd.

Moose

John said...

Moose,
So you are supportive of the current military spending level?

No desire to raise or lower it relative to the domestic activities you value?

No desire to eliminate the Industrial Military Complex?

Anonymous said...

I think our military spending is excessive.

Any idea what the ROI is on Domestic vs. Military spending? I don't.

The Military Industrial Complex is corrupt.

Moose

John said...

Then please state the truth...

You agree with me that Progressives would support reducing the military spend and raising the domestic spend.

Agreeing with me once in awhile will not cause you that much pain. I don't think. :-)