Military spending too high
In response to Robert Samuelson’s Dec. 12 rant about the military losing out to the “welfare state.” I believe there are three points to be made.
First, there is no country on earth that will ever consider invading the United States. We are too big and too isolated to manage from afar.
Second, as shown by 9/11, the military is powerless to prevent a well-organized terrorist attack on our country.
Third, the military is not defense. The military is offense, often used as a revenge tool to invade sovereign countries in order to punish them for doing things we don’t like. Defense is the Coast Guard, the Border Patrol, the Immigration Service, the Port Authority, Air Traffic Control, local police and the CIA.
While a small military may be necessary, it is my opinion that most of the money spent on the military would be more productive if it were used to repair our crumbling infrastructure, provide everyone with health care and make life better for our citizens.
Daniel J. Schaffer
Spokane