The national defense of the United States is not excludable because
A)my enjoyment of the national defense does not diminish your enjoyment of the national defense of the United States.
B)my enjoyment of the national defense does diminish your enjoyment of the national defense of the United States.
C)once the nation is defended, it is impossible to prevent any single person from enjoying the benefit of this defense.
D)once the nation is defended, it is possible to prevent any single person from enjoying the benefit of this defense.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

National defense is a public good, which means that it is non-excludable (once provided, it is impossible to prevent someone from benefiting from it) and it is non-rivalrous (one person's consumption of national defense does not diminish another person's consumption of national defense). Therefore, choice C is the correct answer as it reflects this characteristic of public goods.

The National Defense of the United States Is Not Excludable