Leaders lead. 
Frankly I do not ask a lot of my government but one thing is for sure 
"Pay know with having the equipment to deter and enforce our boundaries or pay later in lives and loss of sovereignty". We are not a "city state" but a country with three oceans and NATO allies who help us and who count on us to help them. If we were not part of an alliance imagine the cost of protecting our borders. Just look at Russia.