[abvdasker]

I mean if you look at the astronomical levels of defense spending the US greatly resembles the USSR even in terms of the "tanks & steel". Broadly this kind of waste and stratification is characteristic of just about every fading empire.

[georgeecollins]

Yet US defense spending vs GDP is nearly the lowest it has ever been in the last fifty years. If defense spending v GDP is a sign of a falling empire, we fell in 1960.

Plus seriously, if you think spending 4% of GDP will cause a country or "empire" to collapse you need to read some history books.

Source:

https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS?locat...

[vGPU]

The argument can easily be made that the US began its period of decades-long decline right around then.

[rchaud]

US defense research gave us DARPA, the first step towards the Internet.

What are we getting via VC-led industrial policy? More jobs in selling advertising?

[Melting_Harps]

> What are we getting via VC-led industrial policy?

Oh, its much worse than that, it exposes the hyporacy of hustle culture, and entrepreneur porn entirely if you're paying close enough attention with things FTX.

The covertness of ivy leagues parents leaning on the VC heavy hitters (Sequoia et al) and making this Sam and his girlfriend to be a super genius' while operating like 2-bit clowns with almost no oversight or due diligence and bribing politicians to get favourable legislation in place for them to corner the market.

I wish it were just crumby ad jobs, but it goes way deeper.

[leereeves]

I completely agree, just want to point out that I think you mean ARPANET.

DARPA is the agency that funded ARPANET, and other defense research.

[mistermann]

There are some compilations on TikTok of people showing China's public infrastructure to America's (including the ~slums many neighborhoods have become)....not a good look. If the general public had a clue any of this was going on I think they'd be livid.