It already benefits us or we wouldn’t be doing it. Whether the foreign country gets anything out of it is beside the point.
That’s right, defense spending is always about fattening those pockets. Never about anything meaningful. :rolleyes:
Certainly not never, but also certainly sometimes. Why do you think we had a navy base in Orlando, 65 miles from the coast? It’s not like that is an isolated occurrence either.
Everything has meaning, what are you talking about? Meaningful how?
Do you have a cite for that? It seems like a worthwhile fact to have available. Danke.
Global warming. Someone believes. 
When I was USAF back in the heyday of the Soviet Union I was stationed in Phoenix for awhile and dated a USN officer also stationed there.
When I’d introduce her to people they’d often ask what the Navy was doing in Phoenix. She’d say “Seen any Commie subs around here recently?” “Well, no, not really.” “Doin’ a heck of a job aren’t I?” 
She was actually a recruiter not a desert sub hunter. Though her mad ASW skillz were enough to prevent any unwanted pregnancies
Dude, you should call and ask them to lower your limit!
Naaah. If you’re gonna walk on a debt, make it a doozie!
[spoiler] So, there’s this couple I know who are in a horrible financial situation. Their mortgage is way past due, they got a cash advance on one credit card to pay the minimum due on two others, utilities are constantly being shut off or restarted, meals are coming from a local food-bank, etc.
I ran into them recently and it looks like everything is fixed! They told me they are going on a vacation soon, for the first time in years. They bought me a few beers so that we could do toasts to “good times”.
Curious, I asked how they were able to turn everything around so quickly (I assumed a lottery win or some massive inheritance).
Nope. They’re giving up. They are going to file bankruptcy and walk away from the house. But now that they’ve made the decision they have all sorts of cash since they are no longer struggling to pay their creditors and bills. I truly don’t get it. [/spoiler]
/hijack
Mostly, yes. We certainly don’t need to spend half the world’s military budget for defense.
Don’t get the morals or don’t get the economics?
If the latter … They’re now trying to spend every bit of their savings so it won’t go down the bankruptcy black hole. They will be surprised to learn the Court and creditors have both heard of that trick and one of the debts they’ll be left with is replenishing the extra money they wasted on the vacation, your beers, etc.
It’s what companies do every day and they consider it a good business decision - many even get a tax break for it; it allows them to restructure and start over; your friends have found a way to enjoy their life. Why hold people to a higher standard when they don’t get nearly the benefits and it can destroy them from the inside out?
No, mostly the morals. That and how they can be open and cheerful about what they are doing. I’ve been in debt. I worked my way out.
The very moment I declared my bankruptcy, my attorney told me to stop paying anything on any of my debts. That is standard procedure. So yeah, suddenly I had a bit of money instead of drowning. I ate well for the first time in long time where I paid for it. I was happy and cheerful because this huge fucking depressing weight was lifted off of me and I could see a way out.
There’s a huge difference between troublesome debt and 'I can never hope to get out from under this" debt, which very quickly becomes soul crushing.