Wouldn't it be great if the Repugs got as worked up over the trillions funneled to defense contractors as they do over "all the money illegal aliens cost?" Someone might point out that the most generous estimates of the latter aren't a millionth of the former. And at least undocumented workers are providing a necessary commodity, ie. labor. Someone also ought to do the math of defense jobs versus what they cost the taxpayer per job. I think the numbers would prove we'd be better off just writing salary checks to the workers and bypassing the weapons manufacturers entirely!
Posted by dalloway at May 27, 2007 08:57 AMDemobilization used to be what happened when a war ended. Why squander national resources in a time of peace? If the US (along with considerable help from our allies) could go from a peace time military on to defeat two industrialized military machines in less than four years, we could do it again if need be. Why are we so freaking insecure?
The fact that we take it as a given that we have to be permanently mobilized for war is what is insane. The defense budget needs to be cut by much more than 50%. Could that leaves us unprepared and defenseless if some country or criminal group attacked us? Sure. Just like we were defenseless on 9/11 in spite of the trillions and trillions of dollars spent since WWII.
The US creates our "enemies," builds a war machine and then uses that machine to go get the "enemy." Build up Noriega, then go get him. Build up Saddam, then go get him. And so it goes.
Posted by Marie at May 27, 2007 08:58 AMI agree that US military spending should be dramatically cut but defense spending is like heroin to Congression districts. I think the country needs a kind of methodone interim step to move forward.
My propoposal is to take all of the tech fetish programs (the 25% you mention) and increase the size of the Guard and Reserves by 435 brigades - one for every Congressional district.
It's a major shift in defense policy and one I think that most voters would support. Who wouldn't want a brigade of National Guard in their backyard to deal with natural disasters and such?
Then after the additional 435 brigades are in place with the money shift from tech fetish weapons you revisit the strategic vision of our military and draw down from outside the new, shiny, popular 435 CD brigades.
The 435 congressional district brigades are methodone for the military-industrial complex.
Posted by joejoejoe at May 27, 2007 06:31 PM"$95 billion approved to kill innocents"
Yeah. Those Shia death squads... they're so innocent.
I imagine that you picture the US military as a machine that does nothing but grind up children and little-old ladies.
Typical leftist moonbat rubbish. You guys are soft in the head.
Posted by CaptainReality at May 31, 2007 12:11 AM