[throwaway0a5e]

I'm talking about resource allocation, not central planning.

If Pooh Bear decides tomorrow that China will learn how to build pool floats then China will learn how to build pool floats. Everyone falls in line. If the leader of a western democracy wants to do something similar they have to convince people to want to do it and that takes time, policy carrots/sticks and propaganda/indoctrination.

[free_rms]

The US military budget for 2020 is 720 billion dollars. That doesn't even include DHS. Most of it's going to bullshit, like Abrams tanks that the army doesn't even want.

Our problem isn't that we're too free and liberal, our problem is that we're too crooked and stagnant.

[caycep]

Granted...my cynical side is tempted to say, this is a backhanded way to get proper economic stimulus injected into the economy from fiscal conservatives...but graft is graft and in general is less efficient that a proper stimulus.