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To: Poet who wrote (3026)	10/24/2002 7:24:28 PM
From: TimF	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 7689

Poet defense is one of the most basic functions of government. If you have no defense or law enforcement eventually you have no government (or in reality you get absorbed by a neighboring government). You can certainly argues about how much should go to defense but do you really think you can do without it? Tim

To: Poet who wrote (3026)	10/24/2002 7:43:44 PM
From: Lazarus_Long	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 7689

Because it's the right thing to do. Your opinion. WHY is it the "right thing to do"? The fact is that there are many "right things to do" and only limited resources to do them. We must pick and choose. And I can hardly think of a less necessary choice. May I point out that almost all of the great literature of the Western world was written without gov't funding? How many gov't grants did Shakespeare get? How many great works have come out of the National Endowment for the Arts? Why should defense get public tax money? Because national defense is a necessary and legitimate function of a national gov't. One of the basic reasons people organize such gov'ts is to protect them from marauding hordes from other nations. If a gov't does not protect itself from other nations, it will soon cease to exist. And you will still be paying taxes to support a national army. Someone else's national army. Would you prefer that every centi-millionaire build and order about his own army? They will unless a supervening power prevents them from doing so and also protects them. Is this what you wish? Bill Gates vs. Larry Ellsion with small nukes?