Current Events — HabitableZone

Current Events » in reply to Just saying no

Canada is free to do what it wishes
Larry J — (archived)

I just get tired of countries on the one hand lecturing us about spending too much on our military and on the other hand mooching off of us because their own military is so weak. As an example, France loves to tweak our noses over all sorts of issues. At the same time, they've had to use our Air Force C-141 transport planes to deploy French Foreign Legion paratroops to hot spots.

My contention is that our military wouldn't have to be so large and expensive if other countries grew up and shouldered the responsibility for their own defense. Why should we continue to have some 130,000 military personnel stationed in Europe all these years after the end of the Cold War? If there is no military threat to Europe anymore, then they don't need us. If there is a threat, then why aren't they building their own military forces to address it? Why should we continue to pay tens of billions of dollars every year for the protection of a bunch of ingrates?

We could well reduce our military to a tiny fraction of its current size and cost if other countries shouldered their own defense expense. Europe in particular is playing us for suckers. I spent two years over there and saw the situation firsthand.

Canada can choose to build or buy more transport planes to meet their military needs. Or, they can pay us to lease our planes on an as-needed, as available basis. It really doesn't matter to me. They know that our military poses no threat to their country, so I rather doubt they're worried about it.

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