Chu 1

uCalvin Chu

Professor Broadbent

Writing 39C

14 April, 2018

Money Problems

“Expenditure on military goods and services is a form of

consumption requiring resources that could otherwise

have been used in civilian society.”

The United States has been the frontrunner in military strength ever since its inception,

but at what cost? Experts examining the US defense budget have reported that efforts to lessen

wasteful military spending have not been taken, yet the government continues to perpetually

increase the defense budget. Although increasing military spending carries short-term positive

effects, such as tax reform or job creation, all benefits will inevitably be overshadowed by the

long-term consequences of a deteriorating standard of living as well as the compounded effects

of America’s debt.

Military spending became a serious threat to America after the 1970s recession ended the

postwar growth of World War II. Olof Palme, “Military Spending: The Economic and Social

Consequences,” acknowledged how military spending in a time of economic tragedy would

likely overtax their resources, ending in an overall loss of budget. Palme recognized both

benefits, such as “spin-off” or “Keynesian increased employment,” as well as the cost of

 Chu 2

allocating immense resources towards the military, eventually concluding, “… present economic

and military circumstances are likely to maximize costs and minimize benefits.”

Although Palme was referring to current circumstances present in the 1980s, parallel obstacles

can be traced to the present. In the present world, threats such as global warming and the energy

crisis should already be the

forefront of concern. Despite the

possibilities of depleting Earth of

its resources and endangering the

continuation of human life,

President Trump remains set on

depleting resources from other

departments in order to advance his

militant agenda.
 Chu 3

Carey, Peter. “Americans Favor Cutting Defense Spending, Not Adding Billions More, New

Survey Finds.” Salon, Salon.com, 23 Mar. 2017, www.salon.com/2017/03/23/the-public-

favors-cutting-defense-spending-not-adding-billions-more-new-survey-finds_partner/.

 This source contains information about Trump’s proposed budget for 2018 as well as

information about the public opinion on trump’s budget proposal.

Gallup, Inc. “Military and National Defense.” Gallup.com, news.gallup.com/poll/1666/military-

national-defense.aspx.

 Contains graph that has information on how the public feels about military spending.

RepublicanViews.org. “Home.” Republican Views, 1 Mar. 2015,

www.republicanviews.org/democratic-views-on-military-spending/.

 This source provides information about how the Democratic party views the topic of

military spending, how the public views the same topic, and what the Democratic party

generally support in terms of decreasing or increasing military spending.

RepublicanViews.org. “Home.” Republican Views, 1 Mar. 2015,

www.republicanviews.org/republican-views-on-military-spending/.

 This source provides information about how the Republican party views military

spending and what they generally support in relation to increasing or decreasing military

spending.

Staff, Washington Post. “What Trump Proposed Cutting in His 2019 Budget.” The Washington

Post, WP Company, 16 Feb. 2018,

www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2018/politics/trump-budget-

2019/?utm_term=.8e1ec60bef16.
 Chu 4

 This article contrasts Trump’s 2018 budget proposal and his 2019 budget proposal. This

article is significant because not only did Trump increase military spending in 2018, he

also plans to increase it more in 2019. Trump is planning to contribute to the problem of

military overspending by taking away money from other departments.

“U.S. Defense Spending Compared to Other Countries.” Peter G. Peterson Foundation, 1 June

2017, www.pgpf.org/chart-archive/0053_defense-comparison.

 Contains a graph juxtaposing the amount of money the United States spends on the

military versus other countries’ expenditure on the military.