Why do GOP voters support increasing the Defense Department's budget?

[ColbertWatcher]

Poll question: Why do GOP voters support increasing the Defense Department's budget?

A. because they believe all the money goes directly to the soldiers, sailors, Marines, airmen and Coast Guardsmen.

B. because they believe the money budgeted for the DoD would be better spent if it went through private channels, such as Blackwater/Xe, Halliburton, and other "defense" contractors first.

[wuushew]

1. Because they enjoy both the threat and practice of military violence

More money = more killing

[davepc]

4. That's a hell of a thing to say about 60 million Americans.

[wuushew]

8. What is your alternative theory?

Binary thinking? Ignorance? What explains the need to spend more than the rest of the world combined?

[davepc]

10. Fear, belive in the myth of America exeptionalism, nationalism...

This nation spend the better part of the last 60 years telling its citizens it was the last defense between the barbarism of Nazism and latter Stalinism, and past that Islamic Fanaticism.

It shouldn't be surprising that a large number of people have bought in to the myth and those who keep perpetrating it.

Thats a far cry from thinking everybody who votes GOP is a bloodthirsty war monger.

[wuushew]

11. My encounters with them on the street, in taverns and elsewhere

have not made me aware of any self-professed fear.

By what mechanism are we determining their phobias?

[Ardent15]

13. Conservatives live off of fear

They have it, they spread it, they use it to get elected. You name it.

[Veritas_et_Aequitas]

2. War is a profitable business.

Until peace is made more profitable, conservatives will support war.

[ProfessorGAC]

12. But, Not Good Economic Strategy

In fact, while some people benefit greatly from war, the overall economy is generally not bolstered by war.

WWII is an obvious exception, but that was a truly monumental event. Silly little wars like Iraq, or Afghanistan, or Vietnam, or Korea did nothing to boost the overall economy.

Even WWI didn't really do anything important.

So, the weird part is, that only the moneyed classes with defense equities really benefit.

Why anybody else thinks it's a good thing is a little beyond me.

Of course, it's gotten so huge now, that there are, in fact, millions of ordinary folks dependent upon it. But, that's not a economic benefit. It's actually a boat anchor.
GAC

[Veritas_et_Aequitas]

14. It's only not good if you're concerned about

long-term, sustainable growth. Conservatives since World War II haven't seemed to care much about that with a few notable exceptions (Eisenhower, for one).

[Ardent15]

15. Eisenhower was more of a moderate than a conservative

Especially by today's standards.

[NOW tense]

3. Fear n/t

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

5. 'Cuz the Bogyman(men) will eat them if they don't.

[2Design]

6. they work for the government and they make lots of money off war

they work for the subcontractors and the whole food chain and they are getting very rich with guns, bombs, and bullets

[Ardent15]

7. Because in their small towns and wealthy suburbs, they enjoy an illusion of security

They don't want anything upsetting the illusion.

[stillcool]

9. because the military protects...

business interests, and all that warfare turns a pretty penny, that in the long run ends up in their pockets.

[OmahaBlueDog]

16. Dupe

this has been hapenning a lot lately.

[OmahaBlueDog]

17. They like playing world cop

I'd like to argue that it's no longer in the budget.

[kohodog]

18. They're afraid of their shadow.

The "base," anyway. The leaders are making their millions off defense spending and pushing the fear. And then there are the bullies who just want to strut around and feel superior.

[barbtries]

19. because they don't think

i don't want to say they're stupid, but that might be it.