NationStates Jolt Archive

Say your Government has decided that it could use its money more wisely if it didn't have to pay for the Military. It cuts nearly all spending to the military, it reappropriates some of those funds, but the majority goes back to the citizens in terms of tax cuts.

Now, suppose the only way the military now has to make funds is for them to send people round to knock on doors and ask for donations. Assuming you now pay $£1,000 in taxes, about $£400 would go to the military. Would you pledge that same amount to the person at your door? Would you pledge more? Would you pledge less? What if the person knocking on your door was decorated? What if he had a kick-ass scar?

What if you are a pacifist? Would you just turn him down? What if you a cheapskate? Would you pretend to be a pacifist?

We currently spend £400 out of £1000 on the military? I don't think so. Probably closer to £20.

The Government cuts the budget all the time. I can't really see the military knocking door to door, though; they'd have a little more dignity than that. They're generally experts at making money stretch as far as possible; it's amazing how effective our military still is given how little money it gets.

And no, to answer the question, I wouldn't give them money at the door. I somehow doubt that the 50p I find in my pocket is going to keep the Ark Royal sailing for very long. It would be far better to campaign to get them proper funding from the Government.

Say your Government has decided that it could use its money more wisely if it didn't have to pay for the Military. It cuts nearly all spending to the military, it reappropriates some of those funds, but the majority goes back to the citizens in terms of tax cuts.

Now, suppose the only way the military now has to make funds is for them to send people round to knock on doors and ask for donations. Assuming you now pay $£1,000 in taxes, about $£400 would go to the military. Would you pledge that same amount to the person at your door? Would you pledge more? Would you pledge less? What if the person knocking on your door was decorated? What if he had a kick-ass scar?

What if you are a pacifist? Would you just turn him down? What if you a cheapskate? Would you pretend to be a pacifist?

I would tell him bluntly that I wasn't put on this Earth to prop up his fantasy life, and then I'd close the door.

Say your Government has decided that it could use its money more wisely if it didn't have to pay for the Military. It cuts nearly all spending to the military, it reappropriates some of those funds, but the majority goes back to the citizens in terms of tax cuts.

Now, suppose the only way the military now has to make funds is for them to send people round to knock on doors and ask for donations. Assuming you now pay $£1,000 in taxes, about $£400 would go to the military. Would you pledge that same amount to the person at your door? Would you pledge more? Would you pledge less? What if the person knocking on your door was decorated? What if he had a kick-ass scar?

What if you are a pacifist? Would you just turn him down? What if you a cheapskate? Would you pretend to be a pacifist?

Would I give money to the government for anything?

Hmmm....

Considering how wasteful, inefficient, and ineffective our government is when given money and the power of law, I'd say I wouldn't give them money for ANYTHING.

We currently spend £400 out of £1000 on the military? I don't think so. Probably closer to £20.
The UK spent £36.9bn on the military last year. That's £615 for each person in the country.

But that assumes the annual salary of the average Britisher to be at about 1500 or so.

Hmmm, I would find it hard to part with that money. So I don't think they'd get the full amount.

The UK spent £36.9bn on the military last year. That's £615 for each person in the country.

Assuming that the only money the government gets is compulsory tax payed by everyone, as well as assuming everyone pays an equal amount of tax.

If we assume that we're talking about the US, I think the money might be better spent on schools, from what I heard here (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=503944)

Say your Government has decided that it could use its money more wisely if it didn't have to pay for the Military. It cuts nearly all spending to the military, it reappropriates some of those funds, but the majority goes back to the citizens in terms of tax cuts.

Now, suppose the only way the military now has to make funds is for them to send people round to knock on doors and ask for donations. Assuming you now pay $£1,000 in taxes, about $£400 would go to the military. Would you pledge that same amount to the person at your door? Would you pledge more? Would you pledge less? What if the person knocking on your door was decorated? What if he had a kick-ass scar?

What if you are a pacifist? Would you just turn him down? What if you a cheapskate? Would you pretend to be a pacifist?

My govt spends less compared to the hostile neighbors in our region (Pak and China), so actually I favor more military spending. If there are no hostilities, I would favor reducing military budget to nominal levels.

So, yes, I would pledge the amount necessary to keep the military reasonably good in maintaining the current status quo, eventhough I am personally a pacifist and do not think that violence should be the first response or even the best solution.

Say your Government has decided that it could use its money more wisely if it didn't have to pay for the Military. It cuts nearly all spending to the military, it reappropriates some of those funds, but the majority goes back to the citizens in terms of tax cuts.

Now, suppose the only way the military now has to make funds is for them to send people round to knock on doors and ask for donations. Assuming you now pay $£1,000 in taxes, about $£400 would go to the military. Would you pledge that same amount to the person at your door? Would you pledge more? Would you pledge less? What if the person knocking on your door was decorated? What if he had a kick-ass scar?

What if you are a pacifist? Would you just turn him down? What if you a cheapskate? Would you pretend to be a pacifist?

The real problem with your premise is if we financed the military this way, the guys knocking on your door asking for money wouldnt be your US soldiers, it would be Canadian or Mexican soldiers "asking" for your money. And subtract the knocking part.

If he showed me how to kill a man with my bare hands I would donate a great deal.

Then the band kids would have to find another way to make money.

Say your Government has decided that it could use its money more wisely if it didn't have to pay for the Military. It cuts nearly all spending to the military, it reappropriates some of those funds, but the majority goes back to the citizens in terms of tax cuts.

Now, suppose the only way the military now has to make funds is for them to send people round to knock on doors and ask for donations. Assuming you now pay $£1,000 in taxes, about $£400 would go to the military. Would you pledge that same amount to the person at your door? Would you pledge more? Would you pledge less? What if the person knocking on your door was decorated? What if he had a kick-ass scar?

What if you are a pacifist? Would you just turn him down? What if you a cheapskate? Would you pretend to be a pacifist?
I would give as much as I can afford.

you see, this situation creates a whole new level of problems. if the military has to do this, then companies can buy Private armies. by supplying arms and supplies, not to mention paychecks, the military would be under the command of the donators, and there will be nothing the government can do to stop them.

National Guard? guess what, They too are funded by the military spending you just cut, so if I was rich enough, I could have my own private army. anything goes wrong, say enemy attack, on Country's interest as well as Company interest, guess where and who the soldiers will obey? the ones who left em out in the cold? or the ones who are paying them.

and who's gonna stop em. the police? a Petition? Cut back on the pennies the government is paying them with... if at all?

What if the person knocking on your door was decorated?
Only if it was a tasteful floral pattern.

Its a trueism that practically all modern militaries could do more with less if we just started shaving off the Brass. The U.S. military in particular has about 1000 times more 'Top Brass' flag officers and deptartments than it really needs, and those things take money to run and support and do nothing useful. Also, senetors on the various MIlitary oversight committees want bases in their states/districts because they bring jobs and money to their contituents. These 'pork barrel bases' however also cost money and are not at all necesary.

Just cutting those would net the. U.S. a ridiculously lean military that could operate efficiently on almost half of the curent budget.

I'd make a determined effort to get obscenely rich, move to a nice spot in the US, hire a bunch of ex-soldiers & declare the spot an independent, soverign state.

Assuming both me & my claim survived the turmoil, I'd drop the claim, leave any remaining funds & move back home again. Being able to say "I conquered the US" and "I left control of a nation to its peoples" would be worth it.

I used to debate with a free market libertarian who believed that government should be small, and people should be taxed as little as possible, instead buying all services they require. The government would exist soley as an arbiter, protecting your basic rights and so on; preventing theft, murder, exploitation, etc. However I never quite understood why he always suggested the military should be an exception to this. It seems rather arbitrary, really, in that you'd argue for someone's choice to decide how they spend their funds, yet demand they cough up to the military.

I'm not really going anywhere with that, it's just interesting to see who would actually donate voluntarily to services like the military. And with the current state of world affairs, I probably would not.

Yay for private armies!

The military can have my money if they let me drive an IFV to school/work.

The UK spent £36.9bn on the military last year. That's £615 for each person in the country.

I'm genuinely curious about that statistic. Where did you find it ? No wonder we've not much dough for the National Health Service.

I'd make a determined effort to get obscenely rich,
As opposed to your current determined effort to enter crippling poverty?

Myself, it would depend on how the military was trying to raise funds. If they did it NPR style and had prizes you could received for reaching certain donation levels (like, say, a coffee mug at $20 and a W88 Nuclear Warhead for $1 mil), I might be tempted.
If they're just selling candy, or something equally stupid, then they can fuck off.

I'd make a determined effort to get obscenely rich, move to a nice spot in the US, hire a bunch of ex-soldiers & declare the spot an independent, soverign state.

Assuming both me & my claim survived the turmoil, I'd drop the claim, leave any remaining funds & move back home again. Being able to say "I conquered the US" and "I left control of a nation to its peoples" would be worth it.

I'm sure I could find use for one or two of those well armed helicopters that would have become white elephants for the military. I'd be happy to hire the crew too.


Assuming I was incomprehensibly wealthy of course.

I'd make a determined effort to get obscenely rich, move to a nice spot in the US, hire a bunch of ex-soldiers & declare the spot an independent, soverign state.

Assuming both me & my claim survived the turmoil, I'd drop the claim, leave any remaining funds & move back home again. Being able to say "I conquered the US" and "I left control of a nation to its peoples" would be worth it.

Not sure why you'd want to go to the USA with Blackwater guards etc.
Even Der Shrubben Fuhrer is getting his bunker ready :
http://www.vunet.org/bush/1161180988-Bush_Paraguay_Land_Grab_Incites_Unease_.txt

Its a trueism that practically all modern militaries could do more with less if we just started shaving off the Brass. The U.S. military in particular has about 1000 times more 'Top Brass' flag officers and deptartments than it really needs, and those things take money to run and support and do nothing useful. Also, senetors on the various MIlitary oversight committees want bases in their states/districts because they bring jobs and money to their contituents. These 'pork barrel bases' however also cost money and are not at all necesary.

Just cutting those would net the. U.S. a ridiculously lean military that could operate efficiently on almost half of the curent budget.

If you assume that the military is mainly for defense, then those who serve now are not the army. The real army are the millions who will be drafted when a real war is expected to start, and the ones currently in the military are the officers and the old hands who will teach the new recruits their place in the organisation.

If you assume that the military is mainly for defense, then those who serve now are not the army. The real army are the millions who will be drafted when a real war is expected to start, and the ones currently in the military are the officers and the old hands who will teach the new recruits their place in the organisation.
Do you actually expect such war to start in the foreseeable future, given the massive nuclear power and already strong regular army?

Canada's mission in Afghanistan would be pretty disastrous.

I'd give him nothing. The state is too powerful as it is.

But I wouldn't say no to forming a democratically-run grassroots militia.

If you assume that the military is mainly for defense, then those who serve now are not the army. The real army are the millions who will be drafted when a real war is expected to start, and the ones currently in the military are the officers and the old hands who will teach the new recruits their place in the organisation.

Oh I know that, but the fact is, every time the U.S. military wants to get new chairs for the war-room they appoint a gneral, give him a staff of Col's and Lt's and a slew of receptionists and put them all in the new 'Command Capabilities Enhancment battalion' with a budget of 6 million dollars and then they keep them on with the same budget after they proce out a vairety of chairs and find that the ones we already have are the best for the money, it is beyond simply keeping expereinced officers on in case of war.

As opposed to your current determined effort to enter crippling poverty?Not crippling poverty. I tried that once. It's highly overrated. I'm not earning anywhere near the money I could though. I have better things to do with my time.Not sure why you'd want to go to the USAAs I wrote; I wouldn't stay. I just wanna be able to put "Conqueror of The United States of America" on my business card.

I'm a pacifist, so I'd flat out refuse, and encourage others to do the same. But I wouldn't steal the money or anything.

it will mean there is no war,,no conflict,and the people will finally get the fruit of their labor, a bit like now.

If he showed me how to kill a man with my bare hands I would donate a great deal.

Awesome answer.

Canada's mission in Afghanistan would be pretty disastrous.
Is it true that on Canadian tax returns they have a provision for people to pay extra, beyond that they have to? Like a donation?

Do people ever actually do that?