Opinion

Earlier this month, we read in the newspaper and online that the "Army curtails plan to cut spending for world bases." No country on the planet has more world bases than ours.

Non-war spending means providing facilities and services to make troops and their families comfortable. Sadly, the Army would have allowed soldiers to be uncomfortable and could not find even one base it could close, despite our economic and world situation.

There are 716 U.S. military bases on foreign soil in 38 countries. There are 262,000 Americans stationed in foreign countries, not counting Iraq and Afghanistan. For "defense"?

Our military never really came home after 20th century conflicts. Bases remained,even after Europe, Japan and Korea recovered and competed with us economically. While we weren't paying attention, the United States became the Amerikan Empire.

Do Americans really want an empire? "Empire" doesn't have an attractive sound for most Americans. I think of the brutal empires of Rome, Japan, or the Galactic Empire of Star Wars.

Our "peace president" has requested changes in military spending. Unfortunately, that change would push U.S. military spending well above $2 billion per day. At $744 billion, it's a new record.

This doesn't even include the $160 billion in war funding for Iraq and Afghanistan.

The U.S. military budget is about equal to what the entire rest of the world spends on military costs! Our yearly "defense budget" is 150 percent that of all of Europe, including Russia. Our Navy battle fleet is larger than the next 13 foreign navies combined. We're No. 1. Why don't Americans feel safe?

And, if you wonder how our empire affects you, the military uses 320,000 barrels of oil daily, raising prices at the pump. Supporting an overseas empire means sending money in the billions to foreign bases -- not a good "stimulus" for our economy.

Our military empire is fueled by a bank credit expansion that has resulted in the decline of the dollar and the current economic crisis. The fantasy that the defense of the country requires an overseas empire surpassing the British imperium at its peak is proving to be very costly.

Americans don't realize that we're among this empire's biggest losers, as our savings are eaten up by inflation, and the equity we labored to preserve and increase evaporates. The Federal Reserve pumps more funny money into circulation since the Treasury spends much more than it collects. The winners are the banks and the "military-industrial complex" President Eisenhower tried to warn us about.

Our Constitution says our government must "provide for the common defense" of the states. Defense, not offense, nation-building, preemptive attacks, policing the planet, or picking sides in problems on other continents.

Located on a continent surrounded by friendly countries and vast oceans, our beautiful homeland is an ideal location for a foreign policy libertarians  call "non-interventionism." It is the opposite of our present policy, much cheaper, safer, and an absolute necessity for our survival in the 21st century.

The threats to our republic and way of life originate here at home, not from abroad.

Jim Maas of Rothschild is the vice chairman of the Libertarian Party of Wisconsin.