> Apples to apples, China probably spends about half what the US does on military.

With fours times the population

The US is a country of violence and war. Founded from a war, massive civil war, almost perpetually at war for the last many decades.

Military spending costs a trillion a year (Trump wants 1.5 trillion). It’s big business and makes some people very rich.

The US spends more on its military than the next 10 countries combined.

When all you have is a hammer…

> This feels like genuine political competition between local business interests and public health concerns.

You just described the US at large.

The evidently extremely difficult decision between making money for a few, or making life better for everyone.