One issue that has caused a great deal of controversy over the years is the allocation of defence and social benefits in the government budget. It has been suggested that the government should spend more on defence in order to ensure the safety of citizens, while cutting back from the social benefits of citizens. While this is a supported opinion, I side with the people who argue otherwise. Perhaps the major reason why some people request more funding for defence is that they want their country to have a strong military presence in its region. If one country has a powerful military, it would gain respect of its neighbouring countries and, as a result, be the leader of the region. This advantage, of course, would also lead to more beneficial terms in international agreements. Another compelling reason for the increase in defence budget is the fear of terrorism. Many countries nowadays face serious threats and even experience major terrorist attacks to the big cities. Some people argue

One issue that has caused a great deal of controversy over the years is the allocation of defence and social benefits in the government budget. It has been suggested that the government should spend more on defence in order to ensure the safety of citizens, while cutting back from the social benefits of citizens. While this is a supported opinion, I side with the people who argue otherwise. Perhaps the major reason why some people request more funding for defence is that they want their country to have a strong military presence in its region. If one country has a powerful military, it would gain respect of its neighbouring countries and, as a result, be the leader of the region. This advantage, of course, would also lead to more beneficial terms in international agreements. Another compelling reason for the increase in defence budget is the fear of terrorism. Many countries nowadays face serious threats and even experience major terrorist attacks to the big cities. Some people argue that increasing police force would threaten the terrorist organisations, and perhaps catch them before the attack. There are, however, equally strong arguments against spending less on social benefits. Perhaps the greatest one of these is the importance of healthcare. It is unquestionable that every citizen should be entitled to get the treatment and medicine that they need. If the authorities do not provide adequate resources for healthcare, underprivileged members of the society would not be able to receive any treatment. This issue affects not only the underprivileged, but also the middle class citizens. If the healthcare spending is decreased, the life-saving operations and treatments would cost enough to cause a bankruptcy. Another related negative outcome is the decrease in assistance to those in need. If the government cuts the resources of unemployed people, it would lead to bigger problems such as homelessness, theft and increase in other crimes. People should be able to receive help in order to get back on their feet, find a job and eventually support themselves. If needy people get the adequate support such as job centres and financials, it is less likely that they become a threat to the society. This situation, of course, helps the fight against crime and drug use, and support the safety of citizens. To conclude, it is clear that this is a complex issue and there are many arguments on both sides. My opinion is that, while defence is a serious matter; if the leaders of a country want to ensure the health and safety of the citizens, the importance of social benefits definitely outweighs the importance of defence