CNBC looking at cutting defense spending...first target is benefits

[dkf]

They are looking at health care benefits and retirement benefits as "out of the box" ideas, saying military benefits are considerably more generous than the ones at GM. My prediction is that when the "left" wants to target cutting the defense budget this is what the right will offer as a "compromise".

[county worker]

1. After reducing the working class to paupers they now become the bench mark for anyone else who gets

any kind of benefit from the government.

Where's the ninety billion lost in Iraq?

[Warpy]

2. First target is always benefits on that station, haven't you noticed?

Those short sighted wankers don't realize that every dime that goes to a retired military person gets put right into the economy. The wasted money is what is going to military contractors, especially the end of the fiscal year squandering that goes into warehouses to prove that the department needed that much money, can we have more next year?

If any government agency is overdue for an audit and cleanout, it's the Pentagon.

Oh, and get to the Fed, too.

[dkf]

3. Is it feasible to think we will ever get at contracting?

What else will they cut before they let us touch this sacred cow?

[madmax]

4. Support the Troops

My ASS!

Sure, support them while they're being killed, maimed and otherwise fucked. Then cut their benefit to show our gratitude for their sacrifices.

USA! USA! USA! We're #1 Yes, in arrogance and greed. :argh:

I'm really not liking my country anymore. :banghead:

[countrydad58]

17. Well maybe

Some of the old Rummys hanging out at the American Legion all day spouting Anti Obama Hate & teabag policies get their anti govt. cut spending wishes.

[madmax]

27. They'd still find a way to blame

'us socialists', 'commie', 'pinkos', Obama, Femanazi's, or Democrats. They just pull shit out of their ass. They're blind to the truth or their brain cells are alcohol pickeled.

Welcome to DU :hi: Just in time for all the fun. ;)

[droidamus2]

5. Oh yes, absolutely

Because the best way to cut massive military spending is to nickel and dime the benefits for those that have served their country honorably. It wouldn't make any sense to cut some of the billion dollar weapons programs some of which duplicate programs in other branches because of course the Marines job is so much different than the Armies job that they couldn't possibly use the same helicopters (yeah I made up the example but you get the point). How much money have we spent through the years on nuclear missiles that supposedly we never intended to use? The fact that we spend as much as all other countries combined obviously doesn't indicate that there is overkill (no pun intended), waste, fraud, etc. How much you want to bet me that the Republicans would find a way to protect the benefits of officers over a certain rank while cutting the benefits of the rank and file. These people are shameless.

Edited: just thought I would add one more point. What was it that helped the rise of the middle class after World War II and into the 1960's. Gee was it the GI bill benefits that allowed those of lesser means to become educated, buy homes and raise families?

[madmax]

8. Your reply was eloquent

I do not express myself well in a calm reasonable, rational way. I get pissed off and want to choke the shit out of some asshole.

It's not the best way to change things but, I'm too old and cranky and have watched the middle class decimated. Our infrastructure falling apart, jobs lost overseas, injustice upon injustice. These Teabaggers want a revolution? Oh man, I'd love to give them one.

[droidamus2]

23. Thanks

One of the reasons I started to post on DU was to give me a chance to work on being able to put together a coherent argument when discussing political matters. I hope even when I let my emotions intrude at times I still manage to make my point without going too overboard.

[maxrandb]

16. Well, if they protect the salaries of the Flag Officers

and cut the benefits of the JOs and NCO's...IT WILL ALL TRICKLE DOWN

I mean, just think of the "jobs that will be created" if we concentrate all the wealth at the top.

Hey! A poor guys never cut my pay and benefits by 38% and increased my retirement age to ..."NEVER"

We need the wealthy to do that!

:sarcasm:

[madmax]

Ah, yes

Ronnie Raygun did the trickle down thing. I got pissed on.

[madmax]

30. Ah, yes

Ronnie Raygun did the trickle down thing. I got pissed on.

[jwirr]

6. Democrats would be fools to cut the people side of military spending.

That is the very thing the military uses as propaganda against us. Close foreign bases and bring the soldiers home and end those damn wars.

[mwooldri]

7. +9999999% agree. nt

[madmax]

11. If one Democrat votes to cut benefits to military

service men and women, I will never vote again. Not for anyone and if I could I'd leave the country. That may not be possible but, I can just stop voting and donating. That would be the final straw for me.

[MidwestTransplant]

9. I saw that too. As Wesley Clark says, Republicans love weapons, Democrats love troops.

[Subdivisions]

10. DON'T YOU FUCKING GET IT BY NOW!!!???

When are we going to STOP whining about these injustices and about the way this corpo-fascist government and Wall Street are destroying our lives in this country and taking away all our rights and stealing fucking elections and allowing the media to control the message and torturing and killing innocent brown people and on and on and on...

WHEN ARE WE GOING TO START FUCKING DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT???

The answer: NEVER! Because, unlike the French, most Americans are too goddamned devided politically and culturally and we're fat-assed, over-entertained, comfortably numb and lazy and goddamned stupid teabagging idiot, COWARDS!

[madmax]

13. +1000 eom

[madmax]

14. NAILED IT!!

[blindpig]

22. I don't think that's the difference.

I think this is:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9383747

It's not as though we have a congenital defect, we just got some catching up to do.

[Hannah Bell]

12. of course they are. cost-cutting ALWAYS = austerity for workers.

[Subdivisions]

15. Blah, blah, blah, blah...FUCKING BLAH!

"...OF COURSE THEY ARE..." <----- WHAT THE FUCKING HELL???

That's all you can say...of course they are??? As if that's ok and you can just dismiss it as such? Oh, well of course they're FUCKING us! Oh well. That's just the way things are.

GODDAMN IT!

[Hannah Bell]

18. what would you prefer i say? are you or yours in the military?

[Subdivisions]

20. It's not just the military relevant to this OP, it's EVERYTHING!

They fuck us day in a day out and all we ever do is whine about it and say "...of course they are..of course they're fucking us...it's the way life is for us now...and any other reason you can think of for excusing it..."

Hannah, you know as well as anyone what this government and Wall Street has done to the people of this country. And you goddamned well know that whining about it isn't going to fix anything.

When are we going to do something about it besides whining about it? Clearly whining about it isn't working!

Edited to add: I have a cousin (who used to babysit my children) who joined the Army intending to make it her career. After 14 years and six straight tours of duty on two different war fronts, she is completely exhausted. She would like to walk away but can't bring herself to do it with only six years left to go until retirement. And now they floating taking away her benefits after all the years of service??? Bull-fucking-goddamned-shit!!!

[Hannah Bell]

24. my point is, "whining" on the internet about nobody doing anything is not different

than "whining" about people getting screwed.

i don't like the use of the word "whining" either.

& clearly, *some* people *are* doing something.

and clearly, discussion of issues & exchange of information isn't "whining".

if you think that "doing something" is better than sitting on the internet, why are you here?

but it's fairly obvious: for most of us, because so little is being done, "doing something" would require organizing something to do.

[madmax]

25. Man, you ROCK!

I'm glad you're on our side. We need more like you and like a lot of other DU members who will either change things or die trying. There are so many damn good people on this board.

My heart goes out to your cousin, she deserves better. I'm sure anyone who read your post will agree it's like being stabbed in the back. Short time for retirement and this is the shit they want to pull on our service people. A national disgrace - amongst so many.

[MrScorpio]

19. Fuck CNBC

Hosing the vets and their families. eh?

They don't know shit.

[jp11]

21. When you do the same things big business has been doing for decades it isn't 'out of the box'.

[dkf]

26. Yeah that is why I put it in quotes.

I wonder if this is a trial balloon.

[w4rma]

28. Obama had better not be stupid enough to even be considering cutting benefits at a time like this to

working Americans. He is being mis-advised if he thinks this will help win votes.

Purge the DLC Blue Dog limousine liberals.

[KittyWampus]

29. How to cut defense spending- eliminate private contractors, cut overseas bases.