In a late afternoon vote that garnered very little attention in the corporate media—and predictably didn't spark any of the handwringing about costs that pundits typically apply to social programs for the poor and working class—40 Democrats and Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) joined nearly every Senate Republican on Wednesday to send a $717 billion military spending bill to President Donald Trump's desk...

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Well, someone has to pay for the defense of Norway and the rest of NATO

Works for me. Gotta get money for that Space Force so the eventual fight with Godzilla will make sense. Only way we'll be able to build a mechangodzilla and Weapon X

Well at least it helps keep people in the defense industry employed.

As if they really had a choice...

Either spend a month fighting it and the budget gets passed or spend a year fighting it and the budget gets passed, either way... you lose. Why not lose quicker you know?

That’s their job. It’s not the federal governments job to feed you, give you a basic income or rock you to sleep. Raid Canada’s border, that would be my advice. They couldn’t hold back all of you lefties at once.

And it seems that the U.S is pressuring its close allies in the region for doing the same. Australia is set to increase military spending to 50bn per year by 2025 which is insanely stupid for its tiny population of 25m.

You have to consider the role the US military. It functions as a security force for all of North America, South Korea, Japan, EU, etc. It's easy to be snarky about US defense spending when your own country doesn't have to spend much due to the US protecting your shit and maintaining world peace.

Two points:

1. Have any terrorists hijacked airplanes and flown them into buildings of any of those other 7 closest countries?

2. If ever a terrorist group got their hands on a WMD - i.e. a stash of nerve gas, or bio weapon, or some plutonium and made a dirty bomb,would they be more likely to set it off in one of those 7 countries or in the USA?  To a terrorist, what's a more inviting target? NYC or Beijing? Washington DC or Riyadh?

Seems like the democrats in power hate Trump less than they voters.