Millitary Spending?

[BlueStreak]

With all of this talk about cutting spending and eliminating waste, my mind goes to one of the biggest expenses our government bears---Millitary Spending.

As I understand it, this years budget as approved by President Obama includes $708,000,000,000* in millitary spending. Now, having been on the Navy, I tend to favor a strong military.

But I am beginning to wonder;

Do we really need to continue being the worlds police force?

Is it really necessary for us to maintain far flung bases around the world, or should we go back to defending our shores/borders and nothing more?

Where does it end? Do we keep this up until it breaks us, a la the USSR?

Where should this stand in our priorities? We have many other internal problems. Should we cut military spending to pay for other things?

As time passes, our ability to manufacture declines and so many of our problems go uncorrected, I can see us eventually forced to face this decision; Do we cut the millitary to pay down other debts, or do we cut other spending to maintain the millitary?

Regards,
Dave


* Bear in mind, this is for a single year, whereas the trillion dollar figures you've heard for healthcare, supposedly would be spread over a ten year period.

[Fast_Eddie]

With all of this talk about cutting spending and eliminating waste, my mind goes to one of the biggest expenses our government bears---Millitary Spending.

One of the? How 'bout THE. You're absolutely right. That's what Clinton did and it worked. Called it the "Peace Dividend".

[finnbow]

What is a shame is the number of extraordinarily expensive and unnecessary "big-ticket" weapons systems that are directed at the types of threats we don't have. Congress doesn't want it any other way though. It makes all other types of pork pale in comparison.

[Charles]

Build the Doomsday Device. Even the Muzzies would be impressed.

They'd get their 57 virgins, but the new Caliphate would be a no go.

Chas

[BlueStreak]

Thought it was 72 Virgins?

The Caliphate would be a no go, as would everything else.
Even the things we like.

No Thanks, I'll pass on the Dooms Day Device.

Dave

[finnbow]

Build the Doomsday Device.

Wait until they're starving in their caves and have some pork BBQ catered in. That'll f_ck 'em up, but good.:D

[Charles]

Thought it was 72 Virgins?

The Caliphate would be a no go, as would everything else.
Even the things we like.

No Thanks, I'll pass on the Dooms Day Device.

Dave

72 virgins? No kiddin'? If I convert to a Muzzie on my deathbed, is the deal still good?

Then again, there's probably a reason they're still virgins. And if they all took to talkin' at the same time...yeow!!!!!

I'll just stick with being a half assed Methodist.

As to the Doomsday Device, couldn't we just lie. We've got the politicians who are capable of it.

Chas

[Charles]

Wait until they're starving in their caves and have some pork BBQ catered in. That'll f_ck 'em up, but good.:D

"It was no place for a muzzie, and I didn't remain one for very long"...Osama Bin Laden

It would require a great deal of faith to walk away from some BBQ pork steaks.

Chas

[merrylander]

I see where some high level Imam in the UK has issued a fatwah against all muslims who espouse terrorism, including bin Laden. That ought to raise a little . . .

[merrylander]

One of the? How 'bout THE. You're absolutely right. That's what Clinton did and it worked. Called it the "Peace Dividend".

I recall at the time the Republicans were claiming it was ruining the military and they sowed a picture of two groundcrew trying to open a hanger door. The hinges were all rusted and my only thought at the time was "are they too damn stupid to oil the hinges from time to time?"

[Grumpy]

One of the? How 'bout THE. You're absolutely right. That's what Clinton did and it worked. Called it the "Peace Dividend".

Clinton did is cover his butt for the time he was in office. He let that pot simmer and explode for the next guy.

His foreign policy was a joke.

[BlueStreak]

I think we could cut millitary funding by a third and still have more than we really need.

But, the Military Industrial Complex wouldn't stand for that, now would they?
"Ohhhh, you're starving the Troops! In a time of war, you're going to take their bullets away and leave them unarmed in a combat zone? Why are you trying to weaken America?":rolleyes:

Regards,
Dave

[Fast_Eddie]

Clinton did is cover his butt for the time he was in office. He let that pot simmer and explode for the next guy.

His foreign policy was a joke.

Hum, we'll have to differ on our perception of this. I think Bush is 100% responsible for the mess we're in now. I do not think the decisions he made have created a safer world for us and in fact have made things much worse. And he did it in a way that will insure we'll be in this situation for a generation. I do not believe history will be kind to GW. I believe Clinton was right. Look at Iraq for instance. His policy was containment. We rolled in there for dubious reasons and found nothing. I think it's a crime that it wasn't widly regarded as confirmation that Clinton's policy worked and Iraq posed little threat to the United States. At the same time the situation in Iran was allowed to develop unchecked for nearly a decade. Not sure how you get that one back under control or if you even can.

Clearly you see it differetnly, but in my view, Clinton did it better and at far less cost in dollars and lives. Though I respect your opinion. I'm no military scholar and could be absolutely wrong. Just going on the information I have and I think we can agree there's a lot we don't know about these things.