The fact that the US is even having to think about the Ukraine crisis is absolutely embarrassing for the EU

@drymer As it turns out, you can walk AND chew gum at the same time!

@BlueVeins Although... the expression "you can walk AND chew gum at the same time!" seems like a way of saying "you can have the cake and eat it too!"... In fact, you cannot spend the same dollar in two different things, right? I know what you mean, that there should be a balance, but the reality is that there is a finite amount of money, and everyone wants more of it to be spend in their favorite sector. Until Russia invaded Ukraine, a lot of the people who now wants the West to help Ukraine military thought that military spending was a "waste of money" driven uniquely by the "military industrial complex" or something...

@drymer You can't spend one dollar on the same thing, but you can spend one dollar on one thing while also spending another dollar on another thing. And one of the big advantages of being a country like the US or France is that you got a lot of dollars to go around. Speaking in terms of the US in particular, we already waste an astronomical amount of money on shit like privatized health insurance, draconian zoning laws which raise housing prices, excessive road infrastructure which costs a shit ton of cash to maintain, automobiles that are also ludicriously expensive as a mode of transportation, and giant mansions for the wealthy.

While I don't think we should spend as much on the military as we currently do, we definitely should at least spend enough to outmuscle Russia or China, at the very least with the help of our allies (~2.5% of GDP is a good standard). The national budget at this point isn't about how much money we have, so much as where our priorities lie. We could do downright incredible things if we had the political will.