By any measure, the US military dwarfs that of any other country to an almost absurd degree. The $1 trillion that American taxpayers spend annually on the Department of Defense is more than the next nine countries combined.

In the entire Western Hemisphere, the US is outspending everybody else by about ten to one — not individually, but put together.

And yet, that staggering amount is not enough for Donald Trump, who seems to have developed a taste for imperialism following Saturday’s attack on Venezuela, which culminated in the capture of Nicolás Maduro, the country’s unelected leader, and, according to administration officials, left the US in control of the South American nation’s vast oil reserves.

Since then, Trump and others in his orbit have hinted that this was just the beginning and that the US could attack any number of countries in its hemisphere — from Cuba and Colombia to Panama and Greenland.

But wars are expensive, and not every country offers such a rich bounty in oil and other natural resources.

Which is why Trump, the self-proclaimed “president of peace,” wants to boost the defense budget by 50 percent.

“After long and difficult negotiations with Senators, Congressmen, Secretaries, and other Political Representatives, I have determined that, for the Good of our Country, especially in these very troubled and dangerous times, our Military Budget for the year 2027 should not be $1 Trillion Dollars, but rather $1.5 Trillion Dollars,” he wrote in a social media post.

That increase would mean that the US would account for nearly half of the world’s defense spending in 2027. According to Trump, that amount would allow him to have his “dream military.”

And how will a country $38 trillion in debt pay for it? Not a problem said the president, who can’t do basic math.

He believes the US can “easily” afford that $500 billion increase because of all of the revenue his tariffs are bringing in, i.e., all of that extra money American companies and consumers have to pay for foreign products.

By the way, if you are history buff, you know that this increase of military spending is what countries do when they are about to pick a whole bunch of fights.

It’s certainly what the Nazis did when they took power in 1933 and immediately began preparing for war. Initially, their defense expenditures amounted to 13 percent of total government spending (and a 3.2 percent share of the total gross domestic product). That’s roughly where the US is now.

Trump’s plan would boost that figure to about 5 percent in 2027, which is where Germany was in Hitler’s third year in power.

The Nazis paid for all of this with deficit spending, which is an unsustainable path unless you end up using that military hardware you paid for and start getting a return on the investment (or simply conquer or kill the lenders).

A benefit of all of that extra money is that it creates a lot of jobs, which is not something Trump’s economy is doing right now. On the other hand, deficit spending can lead to higher inflation.

However, the Nazis didn’t just boost their military expenditures; they also told German manufacturers, which nominally remained private, what to do.

Along those lines, it is interesting that, on the same day Trump announced his plans to raise defense spending to about 20 percent of the federal budget, he also had a message for US defense contractors.

“Defense Companies are not producing our Great Military Equipment rapidly enough and, once produced, not maintaining it properly or quickly,” the president wrote. “From this moment forward, these Executives must build NEW and MODERN Production Plants, both for delivering and maintaining this important Equipment, and for building the latest Models of future Military Equipment.”

Trump added that he would not “permit” defense companies to issue dividends or buy back stock, and that their executives won’t be allowed to make more than $5 million annually.

If you are wondering, that sounds a lot like the “socialism” part of Hitler’s national socialism, which is why we recommend that people may want to study up on their history a bit.

But at least masked government goons aren’t gunning down dissenting citizens in broad daylight yet.

Oh, wait, never mind.