Obi Wan Kenobi

And if you take away from defense to spend lavishly on multiple free cell phones for the indigent, subsidizing alarmist propaganda video games, studying ways to seize lands from farmers while simultaneously paying them to not grow things, supporting artists to display bodily wastes, giving money to countries who regularly betray us in the UN... and on, and on - then there will be no defense worthy of the name. And no need to, since we will have degenerated to a point not worth saving. I agree with your point, though; compare the GNP of China, Russia, NK, Cuba, Iran et. al. to their expenditures on military toys. See if maybe you can get them to listen - good luck.

ok... and perhaps I missed something...

List by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
2016 Fact Sheet (for 2015)[1]
SIPRI Military Expenditure Database[3] List by the International Institute for Strategic Studies
Top 15 Defence Budgets 2015[4]
Rank Country Spending
($ Bn.) % of GDP
World total 1,676.0 2.3
1 United States United States 596.0 3.3
2 China China[a] 215.0 1.9
3 Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia[b] 87.2 13.7
4 Russia Russia 66.4 5.4
5 United Kingdom United Kingdom 55.5 2.0
6 India India 53.6 2.3
7 France France 50.9 2.1
8 Japan Japan 40.9 1.0
9 Germany Germany[a] 39.4 1.2
10 South Korea South Korea 36.4 2.6
11 Brazil Brazil 24.6 1.4
12 Italy Italy 23.8 1.3
13 Australia Australia 23.6 1.9
14 United Arab EmiratesUnited Arab Emirates 22.8 5.7
15 Israel Israel 16.1 5.4
16 Turkey Turkey 15.2 2.1
17 Canada Canada 15.0 1.0

You missed quite a bit, actually. But this isn't the space to try to fill you in. Let it suffice to say that throughout history, weapons in the hands of the good have done Good; weapons in evil hands have been used for evil. But to (roughly) quote Tolkien: "We have learned that those without swords can still die upon them. "

Free cellphones? How old were you in 1985? https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/99/hr151

I dunno. What is this "cell-phone" of which you speak? (Also, I was speaking of the far more recent Obama giveaways. Video exists from reliable sources of people in the 'hood lining up to get one, and then going around again to get several more, to use, sell, barter...) But I still have my tin cans on a string, and they work just fine. (Except internationally - string tends to drop transoceanic calls.)

Plus, there's plenty of non-government charities--Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity, churches, etc.