Right, but it's not the governments job to create jobs. It doesn't matter if it's a defense contractor, or a school teacher, or a soldier, or a construction worker. Yes, infrastructure projects need to be completed, roads need to be maintained, soldiers need to be employed to keep the borders safe etc. But we've gotten to the point where our government creates permanent jobs just to say they've done something. Spending money just to spend money is not the right answer. Throwing money around willy nilly at infrastructure projects without actually looking to see if they make sense is not the answer. That is the approach that Congress took when they passed the stimulus package and it did nothing. They spent a trillion dollars and my roads are still full of potholes. My hometown took the stimulus money and created ugly black brick islands in the middle of the road leading into town that serve no one because the road is too busy to walk across anyway.AussieReaper wrote:
You already spend enough on education, but to spend more on the military is justified?Jay wrote:
We already spend enough on education. Throwing more money at the problem hasn't produced better students or teachers, just wealthier teachers. It sounds good and makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside to believe that increasing education spending is a good thing, but it has almost zero impact on output. Whenever you hear a politician talking about increasing education spending, he'll talk about the skills gap or how we're falling behind in math and science etc. It's a sop to the teachers unions and a way to buy their vote. They're a special interest just like everyone else.AussieReaper wrote:
Defense contractors are job creators...
Why not invest in education? Why not build domestically rather than destroy internationally?
Forget education. How about public works and infrastructure? Defense isn't the only program that can create jobs, the problem is what do you then do with all the military equipment? Let it sit in the output yard?
Domestic spending is an investment you'll see a return on into the future when you improve roads, bridges, internet, sanitation, etc
I'm not saying that all government spending is bad, but the vast, vast majority of it is wasteful. Jobs that can be done by the private sector without undermining the foundation of the purpose behind a government should be privatized. If you break it down to a basic level, the sole reason we formed governments in the first place was to set up a common defense and a justice system to keep people from stealing and murdering each other without repercussion. That's our base, beyond that, let's talk about privatization. It's not nearly as evil as people think it is.
Last edited by Jay (2012-10-11 20:18:17)
"Ah, you miserable creatures! You who think that you are so great! You who judge humanity to be so small! You who wish to reform everything! Why don't you reform yourselves? That task would be sufficient enough."
-Frederick Bastiat
-Frederick Bastiat
