Why does America prefer guns and war over life?

[onecaliberal]

The hypocrisy on this issue is mind boggling. You cannot be pro life if you rail against sensible gun control and peace as opposed to war.

The same people force women into motherhood but strip healthcare food and all other forms of safety net from women and children.

[greeny2323]

1. Secret

I'll let you in on a little secret. Republican voters fantasize about shooting minorities.

[onecaliberal]

3. Maybe American soldiers too.

[Baconator]

4. Republican voters dream about shooting Soldiers?

[onecaliberal]

5. Who do you think they're worried about taking their guns.

Last edited Sun Oct 8, 2017, 12:26 PM - Edit history (1)

[Baconator]

7. What?

[onecaliberal]

8. They are worried about the government taking their guns. They hate the government.

Why do you think they stockpile guns? Who are they preparing to fight?

[Baconator]

11. I'm just trying to determine where you think American Soldiers fit into this...

You're a bit all over the place...

[onecaliberal]

17. They'll be fighting the military. It's not rocket science.

[HughBeaumont]

15. They'd love to smoke one of us legally.

Somehow, I don't think this is fiction so much . . .

[Aristus]

2. $$$

Money.

Guns and war are profitable.

Peace is not...

[NRaleighLiberal]

6. Fear

[Irish_Dem]

9. We have to face reality. We live in a violent country. Our leaders do not care about us.

The US spends $600 billion a year on the military. That is over half the federal budget. We do not enjoy the same lifestyle and protections as citizens of other industrialized countries. We lack affordable healthcare and education. There always seems to be money for war, but never for anything that would improve the day to day lives of Americans. Our leaders do not protect us; we are terrorized by the prevalent violent gun culture.

We are no longer a representative democracy because of gerrymandering, voter suppression, outright fraud, a relentless propaganda machine. We live in an oligarchy, rule by the rich and powerful. And this cabal simple does not care about the well being of American citizens. Their focus is enriching themselves and maintaining an iron grip on power.

[onecaliberal]

10. I agree with you wholeheartedly.

[Igel]

20. I can't let one statement stand.

"The US spends $600 billion a year on the military. That is over half the federal budget. "

In 2016 the military got 16% of the overall budget. Medicare/health, 27%. Social security and unemployment, 33%.

It's like the cuttlefish video where the narrator says that the cuttlefish's brain is larger than its entire body, including the brain. If 16% is over half, then the 33% spent on social security is more than the entire budget including social security ... and we haven't even considered health spending.

There's a discretionary budget that's part of the overall budget. In that portion of the budget, the military got 54%, but Social Security only got 3% or around $31 billion.

Note that $1,370 billion spent on Social Security/unemployment, not $31 billion. The $1,100 billion spent on health is still real money. And both are separately much larger than the $625 billion spent on the military. (Which also includes health and welfare spending, as well as science/research.) We need to keep clear the distinction between discretionary and total US budgets otherwise we use confusion not just as a tool against enemies but as a tool against ourselves. (I'll leave aside the idea of confusion as a licit tool for use in domestic political arguments in a free and fair society.)

In the discretionary budget the military is #3. #4 is national debt interest, #5 is veteran's benefits (arguably more social benefits, just to a select group, and largely not for wartime injuries). #6 is food and agriculture. I'm not sure if the interest on the debt is just external debt interest or also internal interest, say to the SSA.

But remember, if a cuttlefish approaches your face, cover your nose.

[Irish_Dem]

23. 2017 US budget: military spending 53%, non-military 47%.

This is discretionary spending, not mandatory.

The cost of the the Iraqi/Afghanistan war is estimated $4-6 trillion including interest
because some of the money was borrowed.

[Not Ruth]

12. Blame the military and those who volunteer, thereby pushing the narrative of aggression

No military, no AR15s.

[yuiyoshida]

13. Maybe the Roots were in the 1950s

[Willie Pep]

14. America has always been violent especially toward "underdog" groups.

Violence was used against Native Americans, against slaves, against workers trying to organize. The Right likes violence toward groups that are at the bottom of society. Punching down is a big part of conservative ideology and culture. That is why all of these militiaman groups are more likely to support a right-wing dictatorship than fight it despite their fantasy talk about using their gun collections to fight an oppressive government. They are more like the Freikorps than the Minutemen.

[renegade000]

16. It's connected, and has to do with the darker side of human (but, frankly, moreso the male) ego

Guns, like disadvantaging vulnerable groups, make people who are otherwise disempowered, feel more powerful.

[Historic NY]

18. It became that way once the NRA was hijacked.........

initially formed in 1871 to help teach weapon familiarity and shooting skills to folks. It grew out of the necessity of seeing those drawn into the military had some fundamentals. Many Civil War soldier barely knew which way to point the weapons.

http://time.com/4106381/nra-1871-history/

[MicaelS]

22. The NRA changed radically in May 1977 at the annual meeting.

It became known as the Cincinnati Revolt.

If the Gun Control activists in the 1960s/1970s had not gotten so harsh, and stated demanding the abolition of handguns, it is possible the Cincinnati Revolt might never have occurred.

[lpbk2713]

19. There's no money in living at peace.

So we are told we should be prepared to go to war or to
shoot our neighbor. A lot of money changes hands that way.

[Orsino]

21. Life is for women and other weaklings, they think.

Macho men vote for death and destruction.