"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
ps.com...
Interesting. According to figure 3 the US started at 6% of GDP in 1980
and is down to 3.5 in 2002. West Germany started at 5.5 in 1984 and is
at about 3 in 2002. Approx 0.5 difference throughout.

Two things:

1. .5% of US GDP is a huge number. Now mulitiply that for 60 years.
I believe we've just paid for your welfare state.

2. West Germany was the "tip of the spear" in the Cold War. Despite
this exalted position, they STILL spent less than the US (as a
percentage) in their own defense.

Now go back and research the numbers on the rest of Europe.

And go back way before 1980, even back to the 1950's and 60's when US
military outlays were much higher as a % of GDP (as high as 10% during the
50's and early 60's) and Europe's was much less.