The budget problem in the US is caused by the fact that people want a lot of the services that the government provides but don’t want to pay for them. That great economic genius Donald Trump knows how to solve this: tax other countries!
It’s quite astonishing that no one has thought of this simple solution before.
Brilliant!
You have to admit that if Trump became president -- he would definitely keep things interesting.
And, I do agree with him. If we (America) are to play the part of the cop/protector of other countries, then we should be paid for the service we provide.
Michael,
That argument would not apply to China.
The US keeps troops in other countries mainly for its own interests. In many cases, it strong arms the governments who have to go against their own people to allow US troops (see the periodic protests in Japan) and in other cases it suits the needs of the governments of some other countries as well, so they go along with it. So it is not like we are doing them a favor.
Mano,
I agree totally with you about China and Japan.
But what about Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Kuwait. In those countries, the relationships are at least mutually beneficial. The US gets the military bases it wants and the other country gets protection from it’s “outer” enemies. Would those countries be as secure without the US? Would South Korea or Kuwait exist today were it not for the US?
We pay rent for leasing the bases. We must bring in a lot of money into the local economies. So I think in some cases that -- Yes, we are doing them a favor.
FYI -- Japan and South Korea pay the U.S. for the military that is stationed there. Both countries cover the wages, rent, and misc expenses of the bases.
This is the link for the Japan SFA:
http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/n-america/us/security/agree0009.html
Article III of that agreement states that training areas are ‘granted’ to the U.S. A 2010 article in Japan Today put the cost of Japan hosting the U.S. troops at 2 Billion dollars. (AP writer Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo.)
In addition, Germany and Japan have some troops (I think this is still true) housed here in the U.S. at Ft. Bliss.
I’m don’t know much about status of forces agreements with other countries but at least a few are paying their share.
Henry,
Thank you for your informative post. I was not aware that Japan and South Korea paid the rent, wages, and expenses of our bases on their soil.
I was also unaware that American wages and rent was paid for by Japan and South Korea for the bases we have there. I feel that it is time maybe to call in some debts though, where we have protected nations and had no pay back for years!
Carole --
Which nations that we’ve “protected” do you suggest we call in the markers for? Germany (and most of our bases in western Europe) in which our base serves far more as a supply & personnel station for other operations than it does actual combat duty?
Or perhaps somewhere in the Middle East, where if you ask most citizens of the countries we’re “protecting,” their description of our protection will read similar to that of the Mafia -- unwanted, unasked for, and hazardous to their health.
You could argue that the US provides the vast majority of NATO materiel, but I think most sane people would agree that NATO is a relic of the Cold War, and the need for defense against Soviet missiles isn’t quite as acute as it once was.
Taiwan probably welcomes us, but at this point, our military influence with China is dwarfed by our economic influence.
In short, the only places on the planet where our protection is wanted and valued are Japan and South Korea, who already pay us to protect them from North Korea.
I think Donald Trump should be president.
First of all, hes a business genius.
Second, he did business with so many people from other countries that he can be considered the smartest in this filed and I think only he can really make America benefit without war.
Not to say, war never benefits the US.
Trump gave an interview where he said the US is the laughing stock of the world now. I wouldn’t say that myself but I do fear that the days of us going around controlling world peace and trade are coming to an end. Maybe he would be a better republican candidate then a certain Alaskan woman.