this post was submitted on 20 Oct 2023
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[–] regul@lemm.ee 78 points 1 year ago (4 children)
[–] Infamousblt@hexbear.net 29 points 1 year ago

Why provide healthcare when we can provide death and destruction instead!

[–] TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world 21 points 1 year ago

You can have 3 free COVID vaccines, as a treat.

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[–] finickydesert@lemmy.ml 67 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Can’t forgive student debt can’t pay for healthcare yet we can have war, ffs

[–] dmonzel@lemm.ee 20 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

The government actually has infinite money

Not that I'm saying we should throw money into these wars, but rather that we should have no issue taking care of healthcare and student debt.

[–] knfrmity@lemmygrad.ml 6 points 1 year ago

Sort of. The US government has created the extraordinary privilege of dollar hegemony, which lets them issue money ad nauseum at the expense of the rest of the world. This privilege ends when the rest of the world stops underwriting this debt, as is slowly happening under the broad name of dedollarization.

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[–] GnuLinuxDude@lemmy.ml 34 points 1 year ago

"defense" industry lapdogs absolutely drooling at the steak Genocide Joe's dangling over their heads

[–] Cold_Brew_Enema@lemmy.world 32 points 1 year ago (4 children)

How about helping your own fucking citizens first?

[–] Omega_Haxors@lemmy.ml 9 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Sorry, sweaty, they need to fund a genocide in the middle east

[–] knfrmity@lemmygrad.ml 2 points 1 year ago

This helps the citizens which Congress is there to help.

[–] EpicFailGuy@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Great, let's ask them for 200 and help fight homelessness and help student loan debt

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[–] neglector0669@lemmy.ml 31 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (4 children)

While I'm openly in favor of supporting Ukraine, it's important to note that the vast majority of this type of military aid is provided in kind.

So really, it's a proposal to give US Defense contractors $100b+ to replenish and restock the DOD with new kit and munitions for the old kit and munitions that we're providing to Ukraine. Which then get into the use accounting tricks e.g. depreciation values, etc.

The annual military aid to Israel is a little different, it's more like a loss leader coupon: give Israel money that they have to spend with US Defense contractors, which then also incentivizes them spending their own budget on complementary systems that can be integrated with those systems, munitions, support contracts, etc.

Although in this case, I believe it's primarily munitions and other kit that the DOD already has in warehouses.

This is oversimplified, but I just see these headline figures always being confused for pallets of cash.

[–] TokenBoomer@lemmy.world 27 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (8 children)

I don’t live in Ukraine. I need healthcare now. Let Blackrock and Vanguard fund Ukraine.

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[–] Trudge@lemmygrad.ml 17 points 1 year ago

Yes, the correct nuanced take is pallets of cash to arms dealers and pallets of weapons to allies and puppets.

[–] Ram_The_Manparts@hexbear.net 14 points 1 year ago (5 children)

While I'm openly in favor of supporting Ukraine

How about Palestine?

[–] masquenox@lemmy.ml 8 points 1 year ago

If the Palestinians had received a quarter of what Ukraine has received in the last three years Israel would be no more. I certainly don't have a problem with that.

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[–] glimse@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Sweet! So it'll help the rich get richer and won't help any of us who don't work on the defense industry. Love it!

[–] neglector0669@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I'd try to explain the geostrategic and humanitarian benefits to helping one of the world's largest bread baskets defend against imperial conquest by an mafia run gas station, or do a deeper dive into Putin's desire to reconquer the old USSR satellite states, or the associated risks if he was successful, but I don't think you really care to have you opinion shaped by analysis and the realities of great power poltics, so I'ma leave you be.

[–] glimse@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I fully support giving aid to Ukraine. Just not so sure about funding the destruction of Palestine by a country with one of the world's strongest economies

[–] neglector0669@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I never said I supported funding Israel's military, I don't. I just added that mini explainer because it's a different method of military aid than we provide Ukraine, and the proposal is bundled together.

[–] glimse@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

Sorry, this is on me - I should have been more clear in my first reply. I just think it's fucked up that we're spending all this money to support genocide when "we couldn't afford" to spend on US citizens. Defense contractors make a shit ton of money from war and the rest of us won't have anything to show for it. Again, speaking strictly about the middle east. Russia is a significant threat to the world so I'm fine with my tax dollars are going toward stopping their bullshit.

[–] davel@lemmy.ml 25 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Remember when we used to make fun of parliamentary governments when they became “without a government.”

Well joke’s on us right now with a Speakerless House.

[–] TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Well joke’s on us right now with a Speakerless House.

Sounds like an issue for Republicunts.

[–] davel@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 year ago (3 children)

And people who want to fund death, which is a shockingly large number of Democrats.

[–] TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)
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[–] Melkath@kbin.social 25 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Reading half of the comments in this thread, I officially hate America.

[–] Omega_Haxors@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 year ago

Welcome to the right side of history.

[–] b9chomps@beehaw.org 13 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I can understand the funds for Ukraine 100%. They are fighting a giant aggressor that has superior numbers.

But doesn't Israel have a pretty huge and well equipped army considering their population? Especially compared to Hamas that is a guerrilla force.

Also the fighting is limited to a area that is fenced in by them, Egypt and the Mediterranean. What kind of new military equipment worth 14 billion would be needed?

It's also ironic to support a conflict with 14 billion and on the other side plan 9 billion for humanitarian aid to combat the misery needed because of it.

[–] masquenox@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 year ago

Maintaining a settler-colonialist state in the face of people who aren't just armed with spears takes a lot of money, I guess.

[–] PupBiru@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago

it’s possible that $14bn is just what’s needed to get republicans to the table to send the rest to ukraine

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[–] DagonPie@kbin.social 8 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I wonder what a poll in the US would look like if they let the people vote on this. But its an all or nothing vote. Like we vote to give both countries aid or neither.

[–] Melkath@kbin.social 8 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Why?

Why do we need to fund a genocide to stop a genocide?

Just why?

[–] Squizzy@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago (2 children)

The worst part about being pro Ukraine and pro Palestine is realising Ukraine supports Israel.

[–] HuddaBudda@kbin.social 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Ukraine's funding disappeared as one of the concessions for the 45 day funding bill while republicans pick a new speaker.

I think Zelensky is trying to play this smart because it ties something he needs (military funding) to something republicans need to support (Israel)

Whether or not he agrees with it doesn't matter, because as a leader this is the best move for him to get funding back.

[–] PupBiru@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

100% this… words are cheap, and he needs to do everything he can for his country… supporting palestine or staying silent gets him nothing, and potentially loses quite a bit in retaliation

it really doesn’t matter what he thinks is fair or just

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[–] towelie@lemmy.today 7 points 1 year ago

What happens when we can no longer move balances around and dish out money to maintain the global status quo

[–] autotldr@lemmings.world 3 points 1 year ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:


Some Republican lawmakers have grown skeptical of the need to fund Ukraine's war with Russia, and have threatened to halt government altogether to put an end to chronic U.S. budget deficits and fiscal spending fueled by $31.4 trillion in debt.

"The world is watching and the American people rightly expect their leaders to come together and deliver on these priorities," said Biden's budget director, Shalanda Young, in a letter to acting House Speaker Patrick McHenry.

She also told Congress of plans to submit another request for funding to deal with natural disasters, high-speed internet, child care and wild-land firefighter pay "in coming days."

Some $14.3 billion of Friday's funding request for the 2024 fiscal year would be dedicated to Israel, much of it to support the country's air and missile defense systems and other weapons purchases.

The request includes billions to replenish the country's military equipment, and would provide economic and security aid and support for refugees in the United States.

"The unwavering bipartisan support for Ukraine in the United States is incredibly encouraging for all of our warriors and for our entire nation," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wrote on Friday on social media.


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