The U.S. spends more on its military than the next 10 countries combined
Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
The U.S. spends far more money on its military than any other country, more even than the next 10 countries combined. But still, some Americans want to spend even more. According to the latest Gallup poll, 28 percent of Americans want to spend more on the military, compared to 37 percent who want to spend less:
[Gallup]
The difference is most pronounced between Republicans and Democrats. Just 15 percent of Democrats think that Americans are spending too little on the military, whereas 49 percent of Republicans do:
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[Gallup]
Gallup argues that military preparedness may be a 2016 campaign issue, as military spending is currently being cut. I'm not convinced. While military spending is a big issue for Republicans, 70 percent of Independents believe military spending currently is either about right or too much.
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John Aziz is the economics and business correspondent at TheWeek.com. He is also an associate editor at Pieria.co.uk. Previously his work has appeared on Business Insider, Zero Hedge, and Noahpinion.
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