View source for US military spending

==Overview==
[[category:statistics]]{{USA}} [[US Democratic Party|Democrats]] and [[liberal]]s are frequently criticized as being anti-military, with the correlation between military spending and presidential party affiliation being offered as evidence. There is clearly a correlation, and further analysis is needed, but it should be noted that (for example) military spending declined significantly under [[George H.W. Bush]] and grew under [[Jimmy Carter]]. Overall, there has been a mostly-steady decline in military spending since the end of World War II, rather than a clear oscillation between low [[US Democratic Party|Democratic]] spending levels and higher [[US Republican Party|Republican]] ones.
==Military budgets by president==
Changeover years are credited to both outgoing and incoming presidents. GDP = Gross Domestic Product; DS = Discretionary Spending. Source: [http://www.truthandpolitics.org/military-relative-size.php truthandpolitics.org]
{|
|-
! President || Years || Party || % of GDP || % of DS
|-
| [[Bill Clinton]] || [[42nd US Presidential administration|1993-2001]] || D || '''{{expr: (4.4+4.0+3.7+3.5+3.3+3.1+3.0+3.0+3.0)/9}}'''<br>(4.4, 4.0, 3.7, 3.5, 3.3, 3.1, 3.0, 3.0, 3.0) || '''{{expr: (54.2+52.1+50.2+49.9+49.6+48.9+48.2+48.0+47.1)/9}}'''<br>(54.2, 52.1, 50.2, 49.9, 49.6, 48.9, 48.2, 48.0, 47.1)
|-
| [[George H.W. Bush]] || [[41st US Presidential administration|1989-1993]] || R || '''{{expr: (5.6+5.2+4.6+4.8+4.4)/5}}'''<br>(5.6, 5.2, 4.6, 4.8, 4.4) || '''{{expr: (62.2+60.0+59.9+56.7+54.2)/5}}'''<br>(62.2, 60.0, 59.9, 56.7, 54.2)
|-
| [[Ronald Reagan]] || [[40th US Presidential administration|1981-1989]] || R || '''{{expr: (5.1+5.7+6.1+5.9+6.1+6.2+6.1+5.8+5.6)/9}}'''<br>(5.1, 5.7, 6.1, 5.9, 6.1, 6.2, 6.1, 5.8, 5.6) || '''{{expr: (51.3+57.0+59.4+60.1+60.9+62.4+63.6+62.6+62.2)/9}}'''<br>(51.3, 57.0, 59.4, 60.1, 60.9, 62.4, 63.6, 62.6, 62.2)
|-
| [[Jimmy Carter]] || [[39th US Presidential administration|1977-1981]] || D || '''{{expr: (4.9+4.7+4.6+4.9+5.1)/5}}'''<br>(4.9, 4.7, 4.6, 4.9, 5.1) || '''{{expr: (49.5+47.8+48.7+48.7+51.3)/5}}'''<br>(49.5, 47.8, 48.7, 48.7, 51.3)
|-
|
|}

==Reference==
* [http://www.truthandpolitics.org/military-relative-size.php Relative Size of US Military Spending, 1940-2003]
* Wikipedia: [[wikipedia:Military budget of the United States|Military budget of the United States]]
==Positions==
* "Republics have large paid standing armies at their peril. The peril may be adventurism and imperialism ("What's the use of having this powerful army if we can't use it?") or something worse, but the result is never very good. When recruitment becomes an important military activity there's something wrong." &ndash; [[Jerry Pournelle]], [[conservative]] author