The World’s Top 10 Military Spenders
1. United States (FY08 budget), $623 billion
2. China (2004), $65 billion
3. Russia, $50 billion
4. France (2005), $45 billion
5. United Kingdom, $42.8 billion
6. Japan (2007), $41.75 billion
7. Germany (2003), $35.1 billion
8. Italy (2003), $28.2 billion
9. South Korea (2003), $21.1 billion
10. India (2005 est.), $19 billion
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
Data source: TomDispatch.com
Stop talking out of your asses, ALL OF YOU!
This is ridiculous, America spends the most because we wish to continue to be a hegemon. We have military bases all over the world, that cost a lot in upkeep and only perpetuate the idea of an American Empire. The Only solution VOTE PAUL or OBAMA
when it gets down the to nitty gritty… I think U.S. is laying a secure foundation in power. Other countries might have the resources and the money, but they don’t have the raw, brute force that we can unleash in a fraction of the effort.
It is a matter of priority, if China stops selling us products or the middle east doesn’t sell us oil (much so like Iraq), in a short amount of time we’ll be in there and disturb everything.
So, it is security, and an odd form of business racketeering. It’s either that or give up all of your luxuries, which none of us are too keen on doing
uh, funny how Canada is just as free as the US, and isn’t on that list.. eh? conservative idiots can stop pretending they know best.
Kevin, Canada doesn’t have a strong military because they don’t need one with the US to the south.
Dylan, I’m Canadian. Canada doesn’t have a “large” military because we only have 65 million citizens despite our large size. Compared to your 360 million… As to our military not being “strong” I might point out we’re as actively engaged on the ground in Afghanistan as you are in Iraq. Only difference is the UN and international community supports us there whereas the Iraq occupation is illegal.
And yes, calling us less free than you makes us laugh. Laugh hard.
Did you know:
That America spends over $5.6 billion dollars a month in Iraq, which is more Federal aid than any current state is receiving. At $5.6 billion dollars, we could pay every Iraqi $215 a month,which is ten times their current average income.
Jack that is hilarious! In just two statements you completely contradicted yourself. We are the freest nation. Liberal (People who fight for civil liberties) can leave. It’s people like you that assure that your country becomes one of the most suppressed nation in the world!
“Dissent is the highest form of patriotism”
Thomas Jefferson
Jack. While I can appreciate that you clearly feel a sense of obligation to prove the perception of the rest of the world that Americans are ignorant savages, you DON’T (notice that “don’t” contains an apostrophe) speak for all of us. Approximately half of the country IS liberal, and quite frankly we’d prefer that there were fewer ignorant conservatives voting our freedoms away. Unfortunately, there aren’t so we are stuck trying to find solutions to the problems you create. Honestly, I don’t want you or your ignorant brethren to leave, I want you to educate yourselves. Please. The U.S.A. spends more on its military than any other country on the planet because our economy is based on military spending to a large degree (thanks to gems like Reagan and both Bushes). President Eisenhower once said “In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.” Guess what? That rise of misplaced power is happening right before your eyes. What are you doing about it?
Jack, you intolerable fool, on what planet do you think America is the freest nation?
Here in Canada I have all the same rights and freedoms as you do, plus a few extra.
Gavin Hudson pointed out the fact of phone taps and he’s right.
Free? HA!
As for your comment about liberal “dumbasses” I encourage you to back up your statement by explaining what part of wanting the same rights for everyone and fighting for that right makes one a “dumbass”.
Jack, do you seriously have any idea what you are saying? The USA is not the freest nation in the world no matter what any drone pseudo-reporter at FOX will try to tell you. It’s like Gavin Hudson said, that’s why so many other countries think we are ignorant: because we go around saying we are the best damn nation ever when in reality if you look at the facts modern day America is terrible compared to other countries.
Have you ever heard of the Military Commissions Act of 2006? Read it. It allows the government to arbitrarily name anyone an “enemy combatant” and removes Habeas Corpus rights from said person. What ever happened to the fifth, sixth, and ninth amendments? With this law in place, the government can legally take any person, American or not, take them to an undisclosed location and hold them there for as long as they want without telling anyone else that the said person is with them. I won’t speculate too much as I am trying to remain firmly grounded in fact, but if nobody knows where you are, and nobody knows who has you, what is to stop torture or even murder from occurring?
Torture has already been carried out by the “greatest democracy in the world”. Here is the report by Amnesty International. There goes amendment eight. I should not have to elaborate on this one, it is despicable no matter the situation.
Surveillance is another crime against the people that is being carried out every day through the Patriot Act. With this bill the government can monitor what you take out of the library, what websites you visit, your phone calls, etc. There goes amendment four.
As for the amendments that have not been obliterated, one, two, three, and ten, the only ones which have not been attacked are three and ten. One has not been attacked because it does not need to be. Those few enlightened people who have read Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman will know what I am talking about. If you have not read that book then perhaps you at least watched the presidential debates recently. If you listened carefully you realized the top candidates are saying absolutely nothing. It’s comical. When the audience stands up and claps I want to scream at my TV, “What are you clapping for? All he just said was that he thinks America should change! For all you know he could mean that we should change our colors from red, white and blue to green and purple!” Voters don’t consider real facts anymore, reporters don’t ask real questions. Once you have seen something like this happen from an enlightened perspective it is incredibly distressing and funny at the same time. It’s like watching a gorilla try to pick up a tiny marble, but it can’t because it’s fingers are too big. Americans, Republicans and Democrats, really don’t grasp many of the issues as a whole, and that is why Bush was elected to a second term. The President’s intelligence reflects the people’s intelligence.
Republicans and Democrats are equally ignorant and at fault in this area. One must admit that this is the only thing the two parties have in common seeing as Democrats at least have half a brain and are trying to pick up that metaphorical marble while the Republicans are just standing there with their heads in the sand, or someplace else…
So to all the people like jack, I assure you that you are 100% wrong and need to have a serious reality check. Everyone else needs one too judging by our decision in the last presidential election, or I might be moving to Europe to get away from all the stupid pills everyone seems to be taking these days.