The Right Scoop
Only idiots doesn't know the defense budget is ridiculously bloated.
It has nothing to do with national security, and it is actually possible to cut the defense budget by 1/3 without any real effect on national defense.
Simply too much waste, but the defense budget has never been put on the line due to the GOP insisting on spending more and more on "defense" while rarely do anything to make sure to cut out the waste.
Sequestration is not the best way to get spending cuts due to its broad stroke approach, but hopefully it will force the GOP to finally admit the amount of waste that is in the defense budget.
If going to to cut spending, lets start with wasteful spending, whether it is military or civilian, wasteful spendings are not needed.
Why the Pentagon? I'm sure there's more useless departments that could go first. This guy acts like he's on our side but...he's one of those go along to get along types. Oh, reason they don't cut spending is once they do, economy crashes. Think Weimar.
W/O watching and with the disclaimer that I'm right of Genghis Khan, the Cold War is over, NATO has no purpose except to feed the Military Industrial Complex. Japan, and South Korea can now afford to pay for their own defense, bring the troops home from the Korean DMZ and occupied Japan.
There. I saved a buttload of money.
Well, thanks for commenting without actually watching. Uninformed opinion is what we really crave here. Perhaps you could also give us the answer to life, the universe and everything.
Hardly uninformed. I just don't care what the senator from Oklahoma thinks, or rather his opinion doesn't shape mine. I've studied military history long enough to know that Eisenhower and Washington were, and are still, correct.The last thing this country needs is a large standing military and entangling foreign alliances. We were once a republic, not a failed empire. We can strive to be a republic again. Republics do not have large standing militaries.
The WoT is bullshite writ large. The Cold War is over. Our Navy is peerless. Tur military needs to return from foreign soil to bases within the US. If you like, make it crystal clear to every nation state that if an attack originates from their soil we will destroy their infrastructure and replace their current government with prejudice. And then we will come home. No rebuilding. No foreign aid. You cannot build nation states where Alexander and Gladstone failed.
Oh, the Cold War is over? Really?
http://articles.cnn.com/2009-08-05/us/russian.submarines_1_submarines-two-russian-waters?_s=PM:US
http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/04/airforce_pacaf_040608/
http://www.tldm.org/News9/RussianBombersBuzzAlaska.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6981541.stm
http://www.majiroxnews.com/2011/03/30/jsdf-jets-chase-russian-nuke-samplers/
You think you're "right of Genghis Khan"?! Maybe to the right of Bill Clinton, but not by much. What planet are you on, to think the Cold War is over and that the American military would be better off without the "Military Industrial Complex"? Have you even been in the military? Because I have, and I most certainly appreciated my Colt Defense M203 40mm grenade launcher, Colt M1911 .45 ACP, Baretta M9, Trijicon HD™ Night Sights, DuPont kevlar helmets, Colt Defense, H&R Firearms, GM Hydromatic and US Ordnance manufactured M16 and M4, and all the rest of the goodies I had that I gleefully used to make the lives of Russians, Chinese, Panamanians and Cubans nothing less than miserable. Maybe you wouldn't mind getting your gear from state-owned "companies" like MiG-MAPO and Izhmash, but I know better. My gear was made by corporations that thought they had a bright idea for something that the US military could use to maintain their superiority, that would, in turn, make them rich. Its a system that's worked all this time, and I'll be a part of that, before I get my gear from some government employee that creates things that come from the minds of bean counting bureaucrats.
As for Japan and South Korea, they're what we military people call "allies". Dishonorable people (mostly civilians) advocate leaving people that we've called allies behind, against enemies they cannot defeat, themselves, after helping us. I believe Obama and his ilk advocate for that. The Russians, the NORKS and the Red Chinese are not merely the enemies of the South Koreans & Japanese, but the US, as well. The USDOD, as a legitimate organ of the federal government, has the Constitutional mandate to stand ready to defend America and it's interests, by waging war, and yet, instead of suggestions like cutting Amtrak, an un-Constitutional "business" that hemorraghes money, or slashing the USPS to only delivering mail to government facilities, and giving the rest to the private sector, your bright idea is to save a "buttload" of money by stabbing allies in the back, and providing the armed forces with BS weapons and gear. Smart. Obama is nodding in approval.
Really, I would have 100% of those cuts come out of domestic spending programs. I don't care about "wasteful spending" in the Pentagon, because its nothing compared to the wasteful, illegal, un-Constitutional spending under the umbrella of "unfunded liabilities". Getting rid of each and every one of those spending programs would literally blast the buoyancy back into America, and put us above water, again. Cutting spending in the Department of War during wartime should be done with great care and consideration, and after long and deliberate study by fiscal Conservatives, and not just by kneejerk reflex, or by defaults. Yes, I realize that there are things that could, and probably should be discontinued, in terms of defense spending, but they're nothing compared to the un-American, un-Constitutional and unintelligent spending on so-called "entitlement" programs, like Social Security (a program crafted by a racist, socialist president that wanted dictatorial powers, and had the help of a complicit Supreme Court) and Medicare (a socialist program, signed into law by yet another of the democratic racist, socialist presidents).
There are far too many other things that should be eliminated, before touching the DOD budget. The 2011 Fiscal Budget:
Mandatory spending: $2.173 trillion (+14.9%)
$695 billion (+4.9%) – Social Security
$571 billion (+58.6%) – Unemployment/Welfare/Other mandatory spending
$453 billion (+6.6%) – Medicare
$290 billion (+12.0%) – Medicaid
$164 billion (+18.0%) – Interest on National Debt
US receipt and expenditure estimates for fiscal year 2010.
Discretionary spending: $1.378 trillion (+13.8%)
$663.7 billion (+12.7%) – Department of Defense (including Overseas Contingency Operations)
$78.7 billion (−1.7%) – Department of Health and Human Services
$72.5 billion (+2.8%) – Department of Transportation
$52.5 billion (+10.3%) – Department of Veterans Affairs
$51.7 billion (+40.9%) – Department of State and Other International Programs
$47.5 billion (+18.5%) – Department of Housing and Urban Development
$46.7 billion (+12.8%) – Department of Education
$42.7 billion (+1.2%) – Department of Homeland Security
$26.3 billion (−0.4%) – Department of Energy
$26.0 billion (+8.8%) – Department of Agriculture
$23.9 billion (−6.3%) – Department of Justice
$18.7 billion (+5.1%) – National Aeronautics and Space Administration
$13.8 billion (+48.4%) – Department of Commerce
$13.3 billion (+4.7%) – Department of Labor
$13.3 billion (+4.7%) – Department of the Treasury
$12.0 billion (+6.2%) – Department of the Interior
$10.5 billion (+34.6%) – Environmental Protection Agency
$9.7 billion (+10.2%) – Social Security Administration
$7.0 billion (+1.4%) – National Science Foundation
$5.1 billion (−3.8%) – Corps of Engineers
$5.0 billion (+100%-NA) – National Infrastructure Bank
$1.1 billion (+22.2%) – Corporation for National and Community Service
$0.7 billion (0.0%) – Small Business Administration
$0.6 billion (−14.3%) – General Services Administration
$0 billion (−100%-NA) – Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP)
$0 billion (−100%-NA) – Financial stabilization efforts
$11 billion (+275%-NA) – Potential disaster costs
$19.8 billion (+3.7%) – Other Agencies
$105 billion – Other
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_United_States_federal_budget
This is what I'd eliminate, permanently, and up front:
Mandatory spending:
$695 billion (+4.9%) – Social Security
$571 billion (+58.6%) – Unemployment/Welfare/Other mandatory spending
$453 billion (+6.6%) – Medicare
$290 billion (+12.0%) – Medicaid
US receipt and expenditure estimates for fiscal year 2010.
Discretionary spending:
$78.7 billion (−1.7%) – Department of Health and Human Services
$72.5 billion (+2.8%) – Department of Transportation
$47.5 billion (+18.5%) – Department of Housing and Urban Development
$46.7 billion (+12.8%) – Department of Education
$26.0 billion (+8.8%) – Department of Agriculture
$18.7 billion (+5.1%) – National Aeronautics and Space Administration
$13.8 billion (+48.4%) – Department of Commerce
$13.3 billion (+4.7%) – Department of Labor
$12.0 billion (+6.2%) – Department of the Interior
$10.5 billion (+34.6%) – Environmental Protection Agency
$9.7 billion (+10.2%) – Social Security Administration
$7.0 billion (+1.4%) – National Science Foundation
$5.0 billion (+100%-NA) – National Infrastructure Bank
$1.1 billion (+22.2%) – Corporation for National and Community Service
$0.7 billion (0.0%) – Small Business Administration
$0 billion (−100%-NA) – Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP)
$0 billion (−100%-NA) – Financial stabilization efforts
$11 billion (+275%-NA) – Potential disaster costs
$19.8 billion (+3.7%) – Other Agencies
$105 billion – Other
There are far too many other things that not only could, but should be eliminated, or at least critically slashed, but Congress and the White House are too chock full of chinless cowards that don't have the political will, much less the backbone, to do the right thing and not worry about lengthy political careers.
Look to Russia and how 10 years in Afghanistan affected their military, social and political structures.
Even though Milton Friedman couldn't come up with a way to privatize defense, doesn't mean we should stop looking for answers in the private sector.
You might be interested in hearing what fiscal conservative Senator Tom Coburn says about the debt crisis:
http://video.foxnews.com/v/1616643149001/sen-coburn-warns-of-ticking-debt-bomb
It's a shame we're going to lose him. What a straight talking Senator! I love that he takes on both sides (D & R) who put their political careers ahead of country. He's probably tired of putting out plans that could solve problems, only to be ignored. I'm sure he's fed up with the BS in DC. I loved the part when he didn't sit back and take Alan's criticism of the Tea Party.
Great interview. Thanks for sharing!
No, he is in the Senate (the D's are in majority) which Harry Reid controls with an iron fist.
great points but are not the Republicans in charge of the house . So we need new leaders who will do what's needed no matter the fallout
We need more who believe life begins at conception who are also fiscal hawks in the Congress and he did much in service of our country.
You're welcome!
"Did Jesus die for Clingons too." Haha. Southpark couldn't come up with a better parody of our despicable government.
I agree with Coburn but the problem is I don't underestimate the ability of the Beltway to not see what is in front of their face.
Yeah, cut that bullcrap. But that's only $85 billion over ten years. They have to cut $600 billlion. They could cut every last penny from research and development and it still wouldn't be enough. If they cut that we lose our edge against the enemy. We will no longer be one step ahead.
This is a bunch of bull. The one thing the government is required to do should not be cut...other than the waste which should be managed anyway. Republicans made a piss-ass deal because government is massive and the rest of the cuts get to be divided among a ton of programs and agencies. Fire all of them stupid a-holes.
Under sequestration, the Pentagon has to cut $600 billion from its budget. From what Coburn said, you could probably save roughly $25 billion. Let's be generous and say it's $100 billion. That still leaves $500 BILLION in cuts that need to be made. Where's that money going to come from? It's going to come from future ships, planes, tanks, and a massive reduction in the number of troops in the all-volunteer military. So if you want to shrink our military to a smaller level than it was prior to World War II, then go ahead. But we will no longer be a world power. We will be no better than France or Britain, and we all saw how "well" they did when the two of them could barely take on Libya without our help. France and Britain could barely take on a fourth-rate power where half of its own population was rebelling against it. It took major American assistance to win that war, especially at the beginning of the conflict. Could you imagine what would happen if there was a really serious war involving Iran, China, or even North Korea?
As Dems spend more and more money, they will continue to look for places to get it. The military is always one of the primary targets. Libs would be perfectly happy decimating our military so they can have more money for social programs. One thing these idiots overlook (among many) is that even after the military is eliminated so they can skip-dittle-doo with massive social spending, they will still run out of money as the programs naturally get bigger. Cut the military or not, libs will bankrupt us with social spending, so they just as well get a handle on it now before we cut the military at all.
This issue has many fronts to attack and the dollars spent is just one of them. Yet the most lavished way of life lies not with the military but our politicians. Yes we can all tighten our belts and this should include the military as well. The one thing I would like to see is have all politicians to be put through one year of military service as a private. This would include basic training and AIT. (advanced individual training) The manner in which politicians live on tax payer’s money should be the first to be examined and reduced. The contrast of how politicians live and how soldiers live is extremely contrasted to say the least. A politician's world at this time is spent in front of the cameras and behind very cushy amenities. Privates in the military awake to yelling screaming and hard physical activities. Should we be paying for documentaries about aliens, or providing apps for your phone to monitor your caffeine intake, no. But before anyone puts forth the idea that the military is wiping their but with gold toilette paper, try living like a private for a year or two.
Retired SFC, U S Army, so yes, I did live like a private.
Excellent points, av10. Both the military and our politicians are hired to protect us. Even though they are constantly gutted, the military does a fantastic job. The politicians, on the other hand, not so much.
To state that there is waste in any and all areas of the Federal government is only the beginning of a massive understatement. To focus only on the military is only one teeny weeny part of it. I have nothing against eliminating wasteful spending in the govt, but don't just limit it to the military.
Getting rid of pork barrel projects and earmarks first would make the most sense to a logical thinking person. But that eliminates almost 100% of what exists inside the WashDC beltway. So, that just aint gonna happen. Getting rid of it wouldn't harm any productive part of the economy.
Government spreading the money around is a big part of the economy. There is no "productive" base to climb out of this mess with. We have a service economy, and it depends on borrowed money flowing out of SS, welfare, government subsidies, government jobs, and contracted jobs with government. The real unemployment rate is closer to twenty percent, rather than ten.
Since government has to continue spending to keep away the chaos that would ensue without it, we may as well quit the wars, protect our borders, and batten down the hatches for when the currency fails. If we don't get a sovereign currency going, it won't matter what we do, other than the fact that we will be a nation in chaos with most of our protection over seas.
This country could shut down over night. That is how fragile the whole system is. Some experts outside of the main stream are predicting a major financial event within the next nine months to a year. The next crash cannot be bailed out without sever consequences world wide. Financial institutions will fail. We will have bank holidays. People won't be able to access their money. Retirement accounts will evaporate. Inflation will destroy purchasing power. People will go hungry. Crime will escalate immensely. Government will become authoritarian, and it could lead to totalitarian rule.
Being this close to a collapse means that our government would have to reverse course now, and do things that nobody is even talking about, to preserve the republic. Otherwise, our liberties will be gone, and there will be no recovery.
Backing out of this mess would require the federal government to shut down all departments, including the biggest, Homeland Security. A new sovereign currency would have to be created, and the money supply regulated carefully, as not to destroy it before it got going. Social services would have to continue until we converted over to free market capitalism, and restored our ability to compete. Farms would have to be left alone to produce food for a depressed America, and do it without government intervention. (especially local farms) Local militias would have to be formed to protect against a large crime wave that will ensue. The only other way is for the military to lock down the country.
This could all be done now, but our government considers these ideas to be those of terrorists. They are targeting small business', farms, militias, returning vets, end the Fed people, etc. The federal government is suppressing everything that is needed for this country to survive. The people have become the enemy. Until that changes, nothing will be salvaged.
The Left doesn't care whether cuts to the military harm our ability to defend ourselves against foreign nations. The Left WANT foreign nations to be able to harm us. The Left are so racked with guilt about this country that they'd rather see it in ashes than see it continue as it is. The Left are always about self-destruction, self-abnegation, self-sacrifice, self-denial, and anything else that harms the self. They are at war with the very idea of a self. That's pretty fundamental stuff right there I can tell you.
How many years has Coburn been in Congress but is just now concerned about wasteful spending? If it's this bad in the defense, it's bad in all the departments. If the economy improves after obama is gone and jobs begin to come back, I won't hold my breath waiting on these cuts to be made across the board.
Spending like this should have never been approved to begin with. It's a disgrace that our leaders have condoned and even encouraged it.
The waste that is Obamacare in HHS dwarfs what's going on in defense. I don't buy into this at all ...
Coburn says you could cut 85 billion over ten years in wasteful spending and not hurt the military, which definitely is not the 600 billion of automatic cuts that look like are coming down the pike in January to the military since Congress did not reach an agreement. CBS it sounded like it is wrongly trying to tie in Leon's talk of a smaller, leaner and more agile military with Tom's practical wasteful spending cuts.
Sen. Coburn has been documenting wasteful spending for several years. When they were in a panic over the debt ceiling, he offered a plan that would cut $9 trillion which included ridiculous tax credits. He looked at the direct and indirect (tax credits) due to crony capitalism but of course the Senate wouldn't have any of that, not even debate it. Don't be too hard on the guy, that was a short interview specifically regarding defense cuts. I'm sure the guy isn't perfect, but he has made many attempts to cut the waste, fraud and abuse for many years.
I appreciate the information but would be interested to know what else he has done besides suggest eliminating tax credits.
I believe he recommended a 20% reduction in all departments, but I don't think that included the military, except the waste the waste.
I really believe that most of us who have had to balance our family budgets - get it! Anything that is called a subsidy - goes. (Decoder ring calls it redistribution of OUR money and more government control.) Yes, we are already living in the USSA.
Here's a great example from the link I posted regarding downsizing govt. Keep in mind, this is just the Dept. of Education which they recommend be eliminated:
"The Department of Education operates a range of subsidy programs for elementary and secondary schools. That aid is matched by rising federal regulatory control over the schools, but federal intervention has not generally lifted academic achievement. The department also provides subsidies to higher education through student loans and grants. Unfortunately, that aid has fueled inflation in college tuition and is subject to widespread abuse."
"The department will spend about $98 billion in 2012, or $830 for every U.S. household. It employs 4,300 workers and operates 153 different subsidy programs."
(Gosh I wish I knew how to bold the important points.)
Here we have $98 billion in savings in just one department!!!!!!
Try this site.
http://help.disqus.com/customer/portal/articles/466253-what-html-tags-are-allowed-within-comments-
Specifically, put in front of desired bold words and after them.
Hope that helps.
I'll say the same thing as I said to Joe when he first learned how to use bold type -- What have I created? lol.
Now, if you want italics, replace the "b" with an "i". Or if you want to underline something, replace the "b" with a "u". If you feel like strooking striking out something, replace the "b" with "strike".
Those are the ones I use the most.
OK. Call me ABC, call me Joe, you can even call me Popeye,
just don't call me Sweet Pea. ;-D
Oh man this is fun!
Practice makes perfect, Joe. Oops, I mean toon
I can see this is going to be a fun election season.
There has been lots of talk about cutting vital programs and services, but little talk of cutting waste in government at all levels. A thorough audit, identifying waste in Federal Government is long past due and would be well worth the cost. The audit should a top down analysis with mandatory elimination of wasteful spending.
Here's a interesting website from the CATO Institute that looks at every dept. regarding Downsizing Government..... how it could easily be done dept by dept. I was amazed! Then I got angry..... what the hell is the delay? Just do it already! Although I don't agree with some of the articles in their downsizing blog, the dept by dept analysis was an eye opener.
Once you click on the department it lists sub topics. WARNING, WARNING, your head might explode to see how OUR money is being spent. (And this isn't even the Pig Report, I'm still looking for that.)
http://www.downsizinggovernment.org/
And they are talking about messing with our Military????? We need to be building our military and updating our ships, planes, etc. Gotta stop before I break the commenting rules!
The saddest part is, if and when they actually do eliminate $600 billion from the defense budget, they will never cut a dime from the discretionary budget or the entitlements. They will make up some scheme to eliminate future funds, but never actually get there.
They did the same thing when they came up with the idea to have 4 tax cuts for every tax increase. Why not just have 3 tax cuts and no tax increases instead of 4 to 1? The reason is the tax cuts are in the future and the tax increases are right now. That which happens right now actually happens while what happens in the future never actually happens. It's an old political trick.
Maxine, that is a great link. It highlights just how many more bloated government programs either must go, or the waste be shuttered. And yes, it made my blood boil.
When I first discovered the website, it really took me days to drill down through all of the departments. We're now all pretty well educated on many topics, but this is one I feel we all must spend some time on, so we don't have to take any politician's word on it. Many are overwhelmed by the HUGE numbers, but we must look at it as a budget matter and recognize how they have already been redistributing our wealth which opens the door to government control. It started back in the 30's (depending on the program, maybe before).
I sure hope everyone takes some time to explore it.
Big thanks Maxine - there's a free e-book we can download and convert via mobi for our e-readers too. Very interesting.
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