Yes. Period. No elipses. Just period.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/japanusmilitarydiplomacyrally#mwpphu-container

We aren't wanted in Japan or its territories, Korea, The Azores, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, Italy, Iceland and most of the other countries in which we have maintained a presence since the end of WWII. So redeploy. Fifty percent of the discretionary budget is military programs and foreign aid. Fuck those countries. When the PRC increases its naval presence in the area to "protect its shipping interests" DON'T CALL US WE DON'T CARE. When DPRK tanks roll into Seoul, DON'T CALL US, WE DON'T CARE. When the Somali pirates menace everyone from Sri Lanka to Madagascar, DON'T CALL US WE DON'T CARE. When Argentina decides they want the Maldives back again DON'T CALL US, WE DON'T CARE. Drug interdiction missions? FUCK YOU NANCY REAGAN.

All these troops should be doing their job, indiscriminately killing Muslims in the middle east anyway, right?

We could eradicate poverty, hunger and homelessness, and fix our economy in America if we'd just let go of whiny bitches  and let them solve their own fucking problems.

I really liked this site: http://www.nationalpriorities.org/taxday2010

26.5 cents of every tax dollar goes to military spending directly.
An additional 5.4 cents goes to the debt service on previous military spending.
Another 3.5 cents goes to veterans benefits.

That 35% of every dollar.  I've seen estimates that are as much as 50%, once you break out other parts of government spending that are really military support spending under different branches. 

I think that's pretty disgusting and indefensible. 

So by the graphic on that page, 100% of US income taxes, plus one cent of every dollar is BORROWED just to pay our defense budget. Everything else required to run the government is part of a spending deficit and is borrowed. Did I get that right?

A USA without problems is a problem for everybody.  Lets keep things how they are.

Good thread, although I'm pretty sure the bases in japan are funded by the Japanese government. Maybe that model could be expanded?

I wonder what if that 35% was true before 9/11. It very well may have been

You should check again. If it were that easy they'd be protesting Parliament to drop funding and boot us out.

The fact is that pretty much EVERYWHERE we (Americans) PAY for the privilege of protecting people who don't need our protection.

Borrowed, yep.

Who gets the interest, not us.

I've had a lot of Japanese folk bitch at me about footing the bill, are official stats published anywhere?

You need the japan bases to keep China in check.

Every country is different based on it's status of forces (SOFA) agreement. In Japan it's apparently a shared expense, Japan pays $5B US and the US pays the rest. Considering the expense, that's probably about 15%.

As far as China is concerned, that was kind of my point. The Japanese citizen pays a pittance for our occupation, but consider the alternative. If parliament promised to build new facilities OFF Okinawa (which they DID), and close Futenma and Atsugi so that the very valuable real estate they sit upon can be developed (and make no mistake, that's what this is about, not Marines raping little girls, and NOT helicopter noise pissing people off) then the citizens of Okinawa, who have historically been shit upon by the mainland, should hold PARLIAMENT'S feet to the fire.

I don't wear a uniform anymore and don't truly give a shit. I just think it's funny that foreign governments want US bases to protect them, invite us in, and then complain to their citizenry that we are looting their nation. Diego Garcia and Masan, Kyrgyzstan are the latest examples.

That's hardly surprising, though, since the only widely popular thing about the servicemen that come with those bases is their money.  The rise in crime that has been shown to accompany many bases, as well as SOFA that prevent prosecution for those crimes, makes them flash points...and easy targets to score political points.

Just saw this on Maher, fuckin' right!

http://videos.mediaite.com/video/Bill-Maher-New-Rules-U-S-Defici

I don't know what player they are using but it won't play for me.

Haha that was great.
Spot. On.

Speaking of evil empires, did anyone catch what's been going on in the Ukraine recently? It seems that Russia is also maintaining its empire irrespective of the fact that it already lost the Cold War. The Ukrainians had an extremely controversial vote yesterday about whether or not to extend Russia's lease over their naval port in the the Crimean Peninsula. The vote passed by a hair so Russia gets to keep its naval base.

Here's the footage of the Ukrainian Parliament engaged in a tables-ladders-and-chairs debate over the issue.
Ukraine fight over Black Sea vote

Russia lost nothing in losing the Cold war... only a bunch of crazy muslim majority republics it couldnt keep in check any longer, and a system of government that no longer worked.
It still has considerable power over the "lost states" of Ukraine, Belarus and Georgia without having to maintain them.

Hardly a loss. I dare say that if it wanted to rebuild what was the former USSR, there'd be tanks rolling all over those crazy central Asian nations and there'd be fuck all anyone could do about it.