Why is the Most Wasteful Government Agency Not Part of the Deficit Discussion?

[marmar]

from OnTheCommons.org:



Why is the Most Wasteful Government Agency Not Part of the Deficit Discussion?
Republicans ignore incompetence, bloat and corruption at the Pentagon

By David Morris


In all the talk about the federal deficit, why is the single largest culprit left out of the conversation? Why is the one part of government that best epitomizes everything conservatives say they hate about government—- waste, incompetence, and corruption—all but exempt from conservative criticism?

Of course, I’m talking about the Pentagon. Any serious battle plan to reduce the deficit must take on the Pentagon. In 2011 military spending accounted for more than 58 percent of all federal discretionary spending and even more if the interest on the federal debt that is related to military spending were added. In the last ten years we have spent more than $7.6 trillion on military and homeland security according to the National Priorities Project.



In the last decade military spending has soared from $300 billion to $700 billion.



When debt ceilings and deficits seem to be the only two items on Washington’s agenda, it is both revealing and tragic that both parties give a free pass to military spending. Representative Paul Ryan’s much discussed Tea Party budget accepted Obama’s proposal for a pathetic $78 billion reduction in military spending over 5 years, a recommendation that would only modestly slow the rate of growth of military spending. ............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://onthecommons.org/why-most-wasteful-government-agency-not-part-deficit-discussion

[Kolesar]

1. Secretary Gates was not very cooperative with *real* defense cuts, and defense cuts are...

... on the agenda with Secretary Leon Panetta.
Heard it on NPR

I wrote to my Congressman to advocate deleting the nuclear-saturation-bomber fleet. He responded that "there are other needs in our country".
He is a GOP.
There's hope.

[bemildred]

2. Because it's the one the Congress most hates to give up.

A fountain of pork, with many other benefits besides.

[hobbit709]

3. If they did their contributions from the defense lobby would dry up.

[The Big Vetolski]

4. President Eisenhower warned us of the growing power of the MIC

and most Americans didn't listen. President Carter actually had the temerity to CUT the defense budget, was accused of making the country weak, and most Americans voted for Reagan. Now, the MIC is so dominant that even when the Air Force says it doesn't want an expensive new plane, Congress will fund it anyway.

The truth is the defense budget could be cut in HALF and our armed forces would be able to easily defend our borders. And I bet we could still give all of the servicemembers a 50% pay raise and give our veterans the care and support they need and deserve.

But Halliburton's stock would drop. Can't have that.

K&R, BTW, even if you do have questionable tastes in baseball teams. :evilgrin:

[_ed_]

5. The Defense Contractors that own Obama

told him he can't cut defense, unless it's veterans benefits or the VA. Otherwise, Obama will dutifully perform the will of his corporate masters and continue Iraq and Afghanistan, and add Yemen and Libya to the mix.

Obama only does the will of his real base: lobbyists for multi-national corporations. He doesn't care about anything else.

[Kolesar]

9. Weak...eom

[_ed_]

12. Go away...eom

[somone]

6. Recommended

[blkmusclmachine]

7. Because it would solve "The Imminent Crisis,"

and then they'd have to fabricate a whole new Lie to steal our $ocial $ecurity.

[saras]

8. Because defense waste supports a lot of working-class conservatives

If military production were anywhere near as efficient as private production, America would lose a substantial portion of its remaining working-class jobs, and, except for the oil industry, pretty much ALL of them that pay good wages. The MIC would have forced a substantial portion of its voting base into extreme poverty. Why would they do THAT?

[xchrom]

10. recommend

[N.Y. to Paris]

11. Let's see......

Well we could all hope for a sinkhole.....it would be the best thing to ever happen on this planet.