[Torie]

No, Europe just relies on the US to pay the defense bills. It is sort of a free lunch kind of thing, just like with prescription drugs. One can hardly blame them for sucking at a rather cost free tit. Europe in any event is plenty rich enough to spend a percent or two of GDP more on defense, even with a welfare state, if it needed to. Britain by the way spends half of what we do as a percentage of GDP on health care. Which is the main reason why their health care systems sucks (for those who think they deserve cutting edge medical for everything no matter whether they can pay for it or not) when all is said and done. JMO.

[jwalsh07]

No, Europe just relies on the US to pay the defense bills

No. Europe has decimated their military despite the largesse of America. They have neither the will nor the means to help in any significant way. They can't even vote to limit unemployment for philanderers for pete's sake. They are currently hopeless and helpless.

It can change but not in my lifetime.

JMHO, of course. :-}