The US is pretty much the de-facto world police.

Not anymore.

But at the end of the day, most people's lives are vastly better off with the police than without.

I'm tired of hearing this line of bullshit. Are our (American) lives better? It comes at a great cost to have a military "policing" the world. Wouldn't that money be better used at home? We have major cities in this country that are practically at the third world level in living conditions. Some, like Flint, don't even have water, for fucks sake.

As I said, we have more important matters to tend to and it is better not to give people the ammunition to spew their bile. If we withdraw and I travel, and someone starts going off on Americans (which is pretty common now), they won't like my response.

The world is objectively better off now than it was before WW2 (before the US really ramped up interventionist policy).

That has little to do with us, and more to do with technology and advancements many of which came from Germany. Maybe it's time for Germany to lead. Doesn't matter to me so as long as it isn't us.

Would the world be better off without us? Maybe... But even recent history begs to differ... And the power vacuum it would create would be... dangerous

Not our problem. We're part of this world, yes, but it isn't our responsibility to right the wrongs of others when we haven't even righted our own but this is a good start.