Quote Originally Posted by earcutter View Post
Yes to getting leaders into power. Propaganda machine works well. And really you only have two choices.

Absolute no as to what makes it in the form of a Bill! Which is all that matters.
Well, the bills are made by the elected officials (or the unelected staff they appoint). Of course, the politicians are not experts and don't know how to solve the problems, but their job is to find those experts and not allow vested interests to create bad policies. That's exactly where they fail, but they do not get punished for making bad policy. They get punished for failing to run a good propaganda machine, especially when they advocate for good policy.
But it is still the voters who provide the feedback, so America is exactly what America wants (the majority of it). Reelection rate in congress is still at essentially 90%, and hasn't dipped under 85% for ages.
It is a systemic problem therefore it isn't going to change anytime soon - the last populist movement was the teaparty and it failed miserably, due to what it looks like rigid ideology which means incompetence.

Quote Originally Posted by OCDshaver View Post
I understand what you are saying. And national defense IS necessary. But when I say that it's a lost opportunity, it's simply that it doesn't directly bring us goods and services at better prices.
It is lost opportunity only when it is disproportionate. That's where opinions vary, but I don't think anybody here can do the necessary calculations to show which is the case.

You have to compare whether the 'looting' that the US military dominance allows is more than the cost of that dominance. I am using the word 'looting' loosely mostly because it parallels the historical analogues. These days it's not done in the crude old ways, but there certainly is no mistake that the economic dominance in the world of US is propped by its military dominance.
You can't change the world order overnight either, otherwise it would be a disaster which at this point may lead to the end of humans, so things would continue they way they are for quite some time.