As far as defense spending, can we ever have a calm honest discussion about this?
For example, our defense spending has long included defense of other countries, not just our own. Those countries in Europe have spent very little on defense, because we were the bulwark, with NATO and other alliances, against the Soviets in the cold war.
Comparing our defense spending to other countries is apples and oranges for various reasons.
I am all for spending on the nuclear deterrent and a strong navy and air force. But I fear deployments and interventions that subsidize socialism for our allies and help our allies settle regional scores. We would be better off, both financially and security-wise, with a much smaller army deployed at home. And if conservatives do not start to worry about the long-term health of the nation and the threat posed by the military-industrial complex, we will leave the field to people like Miss Ocasio-Cortez.