Notice that DHHS is larger than the DOD and SS.
Notice that DHHS has expanded and DOD has contracted.
Notice that the NASA budget is hardly noticeable...
Posted on 01/23/2011 11:59:13 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld
Back home, supporters of the conservative tea party movement clamoring for the debt-ridden federal government to slash spending say nothing should be off limits. Tea party-backed lawmakers echo that argument, and they are not exempting the military's multibillion-dollar budget in a time of war.
That demand is creating hard choices for the newest members of Congress, especially Republicans who owe their elections and solid House majority to the influential grass-roots movement. Cutting defense and canceling weapons could mean deep spending reductions and high marks from tea partiers as the U.S. wrestles with a $1.3 trillion deficit. Yet it also could jeopardize thousands of jobs when unemployment is running high.
Proponents of the cuts could also face criticism that they're trying to weaken national security in a post-Sept. 11 world.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
Tea partiers are a mix of libertarians and more traditional conservatives, and would differ about the priority of national defenses. I think it is possible to see a more frugal military that is no less effective than the current wasteful one.
I just think defense spending should come AFTER things like the NEA and the EPA.
IMHO,Defense spending should be raised to meet the threats of today. I would only cut programs that have the least chance of success and move other programs into “black budget”.
This is the Mouth of Satan™ (MSM) trying to steer the agenda and divide the Tea Party. Ignore this.
Yet another indication that too many of our self-described “taxpayers” are getting their incomes either directly or indirectly from the government. We need a big default and general housecleaning of waste.
I do not think the government will ever default because of bond ratings.
However, waste like getting rid of the Department Of Education will go a long way.
“No matter how much defense spending is trimmed, none of the cuts is likely to reduce the money that’s available to the military to spend on the war fronts.”
I hope that puts some minds to rest. However, if this report is anywhere close to the truth, I am concerned about R & D of new weapons systems.
“In an unusual political pairing, liberal Democratic Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts and Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, a libertarian and former Republican presidential candidate, have joined forces in pushing for substantial reductions in the defense budget, including closing some of the 600-plus military bases overseas.”
/SeeBS frothing at the mouth...
Frankly, I don’t give much credence to this reporting. I think it’s mostly wishful thinking.
R & D of new weapons systems can be moved into “black budget” projects. The Department of Defense does not disclose how much they spend on “black budget” projects
Black Budgets are kept secret for national security reasons
Just cut the rest of the government by the same percentage. Unfortunately, Democrats and Libertarians would just rather skin the DOD “sacred cow” alive and leave the rest of the government fat and happy.
Everything should be on the table but you can’t make any real savings until you go after entitlements.
Military waste = black projects.
Cut the miltary and lose the tech advantages. The China Option.
Cut DHSS and no further cuts needed for balanced budget. The Serious Option.
Pick one.
Notice that DHHS is larger than the DOD and SS.
Notice that DHHS has expanded and DOD has contracted.
Notice that the NASA budget is hardly noticeable...
Yeah, this stuff is vital, but it needs to be managed better by Congress. Too often they're just pushing money at problems without asking really basic questions on what the money is going for, or if those tasks are redundant, obsolete, or even needed at all.
What is needed is someone who cares about defense to be given the Big Red Pen, and start slashing waste.
I’ve come to like that graph. I wish I could add a balanced budget bar which shows that to balance the budget we need 30% cuts in DoD, SS and Medicare and 50% across the board cuts everywhere else.
One more thing PIF.
To anyone who wants to, look at the “Treasury Dept” part of that graph. The exponential increase in the minimum payment on our debt is not something to ignore. It dipped down in 2010, in part due to the Fed’s QE but that can’t last very much longer (inflation is going up). We are that close to being forced into default and are just a few more Obama deficits and/or rising interest rates away. If we are forced into default, then there is only as much DoD, SS and Medicare as our debt holders think we should have.
Cut DOD, Watch Troops Die, Love Shiria.
Don’t cut DOD, Watch Troops Die, Love Shiria.
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