It is time for the government to slim the Military.

[Go2Peace]

It is amazing how so much is being said about our fiscal problems. Yet NOTHING is said or done in regards to a huge component of our spending. How can we ever expect to get our budget under control if a third of our spending is "off limits". In addition, how can we consider ourselves a humane society when we spend money in this way without even considering keeping it under more control, it robs from our efforts to help our own people.

This does not mean we necessarily have to cut in Iraq or Afganistan, we spend an enourmous amount of money throughout the world. We can make cuts even without affecting those efforts.

So why aren't we even talking about it? How can we afford not to? isn't it about time we started to push our own congressmen to get it on the table?

[Tansy_Gold]

1. How much of the "military" budget is spent on private, for-war-profits

contractors?

I rarely see this issue addressed. Many of the "support" functions previously filled internally by the military -- everything from supplying meals to building barracks to providing security for visiting elected officials -- has been outsourced, and the contractors are making huge profits on it. If we added went back to a self-contained military, how much would the budget be trimmed?

Just askin'.



Just


Tansy Gold

[Go2Peace]

16. Just think how much we could do with the 2 trillion dollars that were "lost" alone

imagine *that* money being used as stimilus. It could be used to fund an FDR style employment program.

[FLDCVADem]

19. Not as much savings as you might think

in moving contracted positions back to the military.

With military members, you're paying for training costs, health care costs now and in the future, veteran's benefits, retirement costs, etc. I retired from the military 3 years ago, but I'll draw a paycheck for the rest of my life, plus if I choose to use the medical benefits I earned, the government is on the hook for that as well. A contractor doing my job? He leaves and that's it, the government has no more cost associated with him.

[notadmblnd]

2. if they would just cut it by half we could solve many of our social ills

[Marblehead]

3. didn't rumsfeld say

the pentagon can't account for $2.3 trillion dollars in 2001? Right before 911

[Go2Peace]

5. Pretty amazing. They have such a huge budged they can even lose more than the bailout

and nobody blinks an eye!

[AwakeAtLast]

9. If they audit the Fed, they also should audit the Pentagon n/t

[Go2Peace]

17. Excellent thought. An accounting alone would deliver needed savings

[Wapsie B]

4. Or law enforcement agencies.

I'm not talking about cutting the number of cops on the street. But I remember in Iowa we had numerous agencies at the state, county and local level. Local police forces, county sheriff's dept., State Troopers, DOT has their own officers, DCI at the state level to name all that I can think of on the top of my head. Look at all the bureaucracy involved with all those agencies. Couldn't there be a merging of agencies?

[notesdev]

6. Not just slim the military - end the military empire n/t

[Go2Peace]

8. well, we have to start somewhere ;)

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

7. Didn't they just cut the F-22s despite whailing and gnashing of teeth?

And the Star Wars program in Poland?

Not that they couldn't do more, but saying they've done NOTHING strikes me as dishonest.

[Kitsune]

10. A drop in the bucket.

There's another thread up about the new aircraft carrier that's under construction, another multi-billion-dollar waste in the name of infinite war while the domestic budget is slashed thinner and thinner. If we want to ever get anywhere, we need to cut the military budget at least in half. At least.

[Go2Peace]

11. Scrapping a couple of programs is not cuts. How did they change expenditures?

and why did you use the term dishonest? Trying to frame me as a lie'r HFPS? You could have left that out and made your point. So leave the personal stuff out. My point was legitimate.

I cannot believe anyone thinks that military spending has even been seriously considered as a place to find savings.

[spanone]

12. i doubt either party will ever suggest reducing military spending...'weak on terrorism' bullshit

[Go2Peace]

14. exactly. Which is why we have to pressure them to do so. Military spending is a bigger threat than

health care spending, yet nothing is said. It needs to be engaged in the dialog.

I can't imagine we cannot trim our presence in some parts of the world, or make our investments much more strategic.

We could easily cut 25% of our expenditures without affecting our security in the least. And that would go a long way toward balancing our budget. It needs to be talked about.

[Obamanaut]

13. There are several hundred military sites in more than 35 countries.

Shutting them down would save a bundle in lease payments.

Bringing the personnel from these sites home and spreading them around the US in existing bases would add to the local economies involved. If it temporarily causes an over-manning problem, reduce the number of active duty via normal attrition. Tighten up on reenlistment qualifications if necessary to do this.

Return all the out-sourced and in-sourced jobs to the military - cooks, base security, other support positions and send the Halliburton type organizations packing.

For the other-than-US bases closed, sell the local citizens the equipment that can't be returned home economically at a 'going out of business' sale.

[Go2Peace]

15. And much of that "change" the President has the power to do unilaterally. No congress needed.

[classysassy]

18. " I like Ike"

remember over a half century ago we were warned about the military greed complex.