During 2020, I spiraled into depression and stayed home browsing reddit way too much. I got some pretty strong political opinions during that time. Thankfully, I decided to block all the subreddits that I wasn’t directly interested in (most of the default subs were blocked). This was great for my mental health. Since then, I’ve seen friends fall down their own rabbit holes but unable to pull themselves out.

Politics plays a core part in our lives but we shouldn’t let it consume us or let ourselves boil in anger over it. So far, Lemmy seems to be more about thoughtful discussion rather than throwing insults. It’s refreshing. I look forward to the day that America’s political landscape is less polarizing but I’m not sure how we get there.

I think we mostly agree. I just disagree with your claim that the US should spend more on Defense.

I’m confused. Do you think Russia taking Ukraine by force is what’s best for Ukraine? Do you think their people are volunteering to fight because they just don’t know what’s best for them? Even if Ukrainians wanted to maintain independence out of some misguided patriotism, isn’t it their right as a sovereign nation to decide that?

From the US perspective, Ukraine wanted to join NATO, aligning themselves with us. Then Russia invaded. If the US didn’t support Ukraine, the world would know they can prevent a weaker country from joining NATO by invading. After Iraq and Afghanistan, there’s no desire to send US troops but we can provide weapons and intelligence.

Idk about all that. The US has supported Ukraine and I support that. But Europe has stepped up to the plate too. While US refused to provide long range HIMARS, UK provided Storm Shadow. Poland has donated about all it has. Realistically, the US could drastically reduce it’s defense spending, provide all the support Ukraine could want, and still maintain the largest military force by a large margin.