[Home] [Headlines] [Latest Articles] [Latest Comments] [Post] [Mail] [Sign-in] [Setup] [Help] [Register]
|
Status: Not Logged In; Sign In
Opinions/Editorials Title: Don't Cut Defense One thing that any new Republican majority in Congress will have to resist is the siren song to cut defense spending. Unfortunately, that temptation is real and growing. Which is why three prominent conservative leaders in Washington -- the Heritage Foundation's Ed Feulner, the American Enterprise Institute's Arthur Brooks, and the Weekly Standard's Bill Kristol -- took to the Wall Street Journal last week to argue for more robust defense spending. Feulner, Brooks, and Kristol are absolutely right. They note, for instance, that baseline defense spending -- that is, defense spending minus the cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan -- is just 3.6% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). That's "significantly less than the Reagan-era peak of 6.2% of the GDP." Moreover, they write, if you account for the costs of the wars, defense spending is still less than five percent of the GDP. Left unsaid is that under Obama, defense spending is projected to decline to just three percent of the GDP -- a historic low at a time of war. More ominously, given the types of wars that we must fight in the early 21st century -- ground-intensive conflicts that require lots of "boots on the ground" – "our active-duty military is two-thirds its size in the 1980s." I disagree somewhat with the rationales that Feulner, Brooks, and Kristol use to justify their call for more robust defense spending. For example, they're worried about the Chinese People's Liberation Army; I'm really not. The Chinese are interested in making money, not war. Thus, in my estimation, we have much more reason to be concerned about failed and failing states and radical Islamic extremism in crucial places like Pakistan than we do the Chinese military. The Chinese military, after all, isn't killing our Soldiers and Marines; radical Islamic extremists are. Nonetheless, Feulner, Brooks, and Kristol issue an important reminder to new Republican congressmen and senators: Don't balance the budget on the backs of our troops: Because if you do, you'll shortchange both our troops and American national security. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest Cut all spending to defend Blue cities. Cut all anti terror funds for NYC, LA, SFrn, Boston, Chicago and Seattle. -----------------------------------------------------------
#2. To: Brian S (#0) took to the Wall Street Journal last week to argue for more robust defense spending. Sheeeeessshhhhhh....yeah...more mil indust spending so maybe we can get bases on the last 6 countries of the 195 global total........ The below IMHO is astute though... "Thus, in my estimation, we have much more reason to be concerned about failed and failing states and radical Islamic extremism in crucial places like Pakistan than we do the Chinese military. The Chinese military, after all, isn't killing our Soldiers and Marines; radical Islamic extremists are." And.....we could remove 2 or 3 zeros off our expenditures and just generously fund iterative kill squads for a few years targeting the muzbot shitholes til they love their families more than they hate any infidels and viola'......a win win for decent folks worldwide in the possibility for peace....and a future our kids will have far less encumbered by the stupid milindust excesses we are saddling them with now. Death to everybody who does not get outta my way. No more need for famous Dwarfisms due to his journey to the land of irrelevance:):)....until his banning I'll leave the Jerxism up... To: e_type_jag (#1) "I hate that you're off the plantation" 9-03-2010 Sheets Jerx .........(Why Fred???why the hate???....was it because my left Vibram sole made a lasting imprint on your face as I stepped over your constantly prone body and hopped the plantation wall .....:):) #3. To: Brian S (#0) Don't Cut Defense How about cutting offense then.
#4. To: mininggold (#3) Don't Cut Defense Watch the UK. They're cutting Everything to save their Carriers, and nuclear, which is of course the Worst possible thing they could do. Our Colonies will go first.
#5. To: Brian S (#0) (Edited) The U.S. spends more on the military than the next 17 countries combined. We could cut defense spending in half and still spend twice as much as Russia and China combined. It is sheer lunacy for us to continue to borrow money for foreigners to subsidize the military defense of the wealthy Europeans, Japanese, South Koreans, Saudis, and other oil Sheikdoms. In spite of any claims to the contrary, Kristol his band of big government neo- cons do not speak for all conservatives. They helped ruin the GOP and the country during the Bush administration with their cheerleading for big government at home and abroad. We should stop listening to them. “Democracy is the highest form of tyranny. It keeps people from noticing that they have no power over anything. #6. To: jwpegler (#5) The U.S. spends more on the military than the next 17 countries combined. We could cut defense spending in half and still spend twice as much as Russia and China combined. very well said.
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest |
|
[Home] [Headlines] [Latest Articles] [Latest Comments] [Post] [Mail] [Sign-in] [Setup] [Help] [Register]
|