The problem is not guns vs. butter, but guns vs. butter vs. taxes. Without a willingness to raise revenues, defense expenditure is locked in a zero-sum tradeoff with important investments such as education, infrastructure, and research and development – all of which are crucial to America’s domestic strength and global position.
问题不在于枪炮还是黄油，而在于是枪炮，还是黄油，还是税收。如果不愿提高税收收入，防务支出就会陷入零和权衡，与教育、基础设施和研发等重要投资争夺预算——而这些投资都是美国国内优势和全球地位的关键因素。