<2022-09-27T18:18:45.000Z> hatefulmongoose: Laurie, my handsome gigantic European friend.  I have a question: does America "pay for Europe's defense" like our television here in the states teaches us?  I had always assumed that European taxpayers fund their standing armies and that America pays NATO to send those armies to fight for Israel.  But the TV in America says that Europe can only afford socialism because America pays for its defense!! Which of us is correct?
<2022-09-27T18:20:26.000Z> Yurt_Dweller: well its correct in the transferred sense that no EU nation is currently spending 2% of their GDP as outlined by the NATO agreement, leaving the US to essentially cover that part of the European defense
<2022-09-27T18:20:46.000Z> Yurt_Dweller: the issue further becomes muddled when you factor in that EU nations buy most their weapons from the US 
<2022-09-27T18:21:17.000Z> Yurt_Dweller: id say theres some truth to the statement 
<2022-09-27T18:21:24.000Z> Yurt_Dweller: but also that it isnt entirely accurate
<2022-09-27T18:27:29.000Z> hatefulmongoose: Fair enough, thank you for your quick reply 
<2022-09-27T18:27:40.000Z> Yurt_Dweller: you got it