Answering this a bit out of sequence, but . . .

On Tue, Nov 24, 2015 at 6:42 PM, Jim Vassilakos <xxxxxx@gmail.com> wrote:

As for the 1% of GDP toward the Imperial military, this doesn't seem so awful given that there are thousands of worlds contributing. After all, the whole point of the Imperium is that individual worlds won't end up in an arms race with one another, freeing up GDP for stuff other than military spending.

It's not just 1% toward the Imperial military. While only 1% goes *directly* to the Imperial Admiralty and its active fleets, most of the remaining Imperial Defense Tax total is spent as the name implies: on complimentary support infrastructure at various levels. For example, "civilian" starports and IISS bases would be Imperialized in the event of hostilities, Imperial institutions of learning concentrate on graduating personnel that are of use to the Imperial government, the Ministry of Colonization concentrates on increasing the productive tax base, etc. At base, the entire Imperial government is a war-machine-in-waiting. It's just one that's designed to also support interstellar trade while there no actual shooting going on.

Having said that, the idea of the commander of each regional fleet making 1% of 1% of GDP seems somewhat egregious. In a $100 trillion world, which we are fast approaching, he'd be making $10 billion per year just from a world like ours. The Constitution says this money is to be "retained by him in trust for payment of future pensions and benefits," but the question is who's pensions and benefits, given that he has thirty-three times that amount to spend on his own fleet. Is it his personal pension and benefits?

The future pensions and benefits of that regional fleet. Admirals who rob their veterans tend to get . . . dealt with rather quickly. The "33x" number you mention (the third of a percent which the Admiral keeps for local expenses) supports building and maintaining his actual ships. The Admiralty's cut of all taxes serves as a backstop, filling out the budgets of regions (such as the Spinward Marches) which do not produce enough tax revenue to provide for themselves.

Basically, the IN IMTU never has to fight an appropriations battle in the Moot (Congress). I realize this makes the Imperium IMTU something of a military dictatorship. And I'm fine with that.

Richard Aiken

"Never insult anyone by accident." Robert A. Heinlein

"A word to the wise ain't necessary -- it's the stupid ones that need the advice." - Bill Cosby

"We know a little about a lot of things; just enough to make us dangerous." Dean Winchester