Anti-Japan protests in China spread.

[SamuelRSmith]

mai said:

SamuelRSmith said:
You have to consider that the United States political system works very differently to most other countries. Yes, defense as percentage of Federal budget is high... but it's one of the few areas that the Federal Government is supposed to focus on. When you include state Governments, which do most of the things that most central Governments do, the numbers are different. Also, local, etc.

Maybe, not sure, but doubt that states budgets are concerned with anything but national guard or some minor things. We do have similar practices as well, regional budgets are responsible for paying various contractors that do not belong to the army structure (construction, meal, some materials etc.).

No, what I'm saying is the military spending to budget ratio will be different, because State level Governments pay for welfare programs, education, different subsidies, etc. In most other countries, those things are paid for by the central Government, so the military takes up a lower percentage of the overall budget of the central Government.