Defense Spending

By Jan B. Tucker

We need to spend for Peace to insure world stability

One priority for peace spending is to insure that whole regions of the world do not become destabilized due to non-military related problems. As an example, America needs to respond to the crisis of HIV/AIDS in Africa and other parts of the third world not only with humanitarian assistance, but also with conscious regard for the implications of trade issues.

African nations have been so hard hit by the HIV/AIDS crisis that estimates conclude that up to 50% of the populations of some countries may be dead within about ten (10) years unless drastic action is taken to reverse the trend. One such action would be to relax normal international patent restrictions on the manufacture and sale of drugs designed to combat HIV/AIDS so that they can be made en masse and cheaply.

Failure to do so will be to allow holocaust by neglect. What are the implications of mass death for the orphans families will leave behind and the economic future of countries who lose one of every two of their citizens through this catastrophy? Destabilization, and likely, armed conflict.

I agree that our existing armed forces need to pay decent wages and benefits as they continue to be the nations greatest work training program. But a new emphasis on peace in the world should also cause us to shift military spending to more civilian programs which take over the de facto job training functions of the military.