Not sure if you didn't understand or you're being deliberately obtuse to make another point. Of course the implication was that the USA can still thrive even spending that money, a pittance compared with public expenses in other areas.

I don't share all the points of the originator of the thread (was it coldtea?), you might find interesting which ones I didn't mention, but some of them are a good idea even from the point of view of more affluent people.