Posted on 05/14/2005 10:10:44 AM PDT by Fido969
I heard Frank Gaffney on Monica Crowley's WABC radio program(he is a regular)and he said that while he agreed in past years that some of the "fat"needed to be trimmed from the military,he saw this latest series of base closures as"cutting into the bone"!He KNOWS of what he speaks!!The irony concerning Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is that only a few days ago,they received a"WELL DONE"commendation from The United States Navy for performing their duties so well!!!
I am not a big supporter of government welfare by military base. If a base is not needed, close it. There is no reason why the government should keep a military base open just because it helps the local economy. I'm sure a submarine base in Montana would help the local economy as well, but it makes no sense! Nor do big military bases in the New England area when the biggest threats are NK, Iran, and China.
The reason it is difficult to get spending under control is that too many politicains are protecting their turf and bringing home the bacon. Why? Do they really care about what is best for the country? No! They care only about the votes necessary to keep themselves in office.
This is not true of all politicians but they are probably the majority. That is why they formed a commission and that is why the military decided what they really needed. This is a pro military administration and probably the best group ever to make such decisions. They are streamlining the operations to get the most with the least.
The Democrats simply cut back the manpower and the weapons and they do it under the guise of streamling government. Gore bragged about how many government workers he eliminated but didn't say almost all of them were military personal.
Many of these cuts will be negated by the selfish politicians so we will still be spending more than necessary for defense and the Democrats will still try to cut defense in meaningful places.
It is not like the capability of Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is going away. It is being transferred to the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, WA. There is room for expansion at PSNS and the realignment of forces requires it. The Navy will still be able to accomplish its missions (and I think it will be able to do them better).
Snowe and Collins used to be reasonably helpful RINOs, but they've been no help to the party at all in recent years. If you want pork you have to play ball.
And how about Connecticut, where Joe Lieberman was one of only 3 Democrats in the Senate who voted for every single terror and war bill Bush requested? They are #1 on the list for job cuts, including the freakin nuke sub base at Groton! How does that figure in your perverse political basis for national security decisions?
Meanwhile all Brother Jeb's state will lose is a single ACCOUNTING office with 10 people. National defense spending based on politics is un-American.
Ring, ring
Senator Snowe - President Bush is on the line. He mentioned that he heard you speech about the base closures. He wants to talk about your vote on...
I heard him too. Very disturbing. This Administration does not deserve the benefit of any doubt anymore since the "vigilante" comment. If Bush will not defend our borders for the sake of politics, I will question thoroughly whether he is basing defense decision on politics as well.
I agree with you. I work at one of the bases in the Northeast that was put on the closure list yesterday (Fort Monmouth, NJ). Most of the jobs there are going to either Columbus, Ohio or Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland. A handful of jobs are transferring to Fort Meade and Fort Belvior. (I'm not sure yet where my job is going). The local news was filled with interviews of people who owned nearby diners and restaurants, and the effect the closing will have on them. The purpose of the Department of Defense is to defend the nation. It's not there to serve as a jobs program to prop up the local economy, or support the restaurant industry.
He's no friend of the USA FUR SHUR.
>>National defense spending based on politics is un-American.
National defense spending based on fiscal prudence (i.e. combining duplicated functions in lower-cost of doing business areas) is conservative and very American.
Maybe snowe and collins should look at their voting record in the Senate.
Add to that the fact that the landlord has no intention of bringing them up to standard, and there was no choice.
IRS relocated out of the same development several years ago and moved to Maryland because Bill Clinton needed to pay off Democratic politicians there. That's how many of the DOD folks ended up in those insecure facilities where they are currently at risk of terrorist attack.
A good case can be made for moving the military and various sensitive government agencies out of congested urban areas all over the country. A good case can also be made for avoiding consolidation.
Breaking defense agencies into smaller self-contained units and distributing them widely across the Continental landmass is probably the best course ~ it reduces the target profile substantially.
Consequently don't believe everything you're being told about what's really happening.
It certainly hurts this Blue State and their RAT and RINO reps. But what about CA, OR, WA? They need some sort of cleansing too.
Exactly there is a limited budget even if it seems astronomical, so the dollars have to be spent efficiently.
One thing I heard a few days ago, was I was reading a thread here about the B1 bomber, they were saying it could attack 75 targets in one flight! So we need far less planes then we used to. But we need the plane units we do have, to be ultra sophisticated. To avoid enemy defenses, and planes, to coordinate etc..
Less planes, means less pilots, less support crew, less airbases, less training programs etc.. And we are not alone, I read last year China's military modernization they are cutting 400,000 men from their armed forces. So that they can put that money towards buying new hardware.
Put some Snowe on it!
That shows it isn't as political as some are saying. The west coast is becoming arguably our key strategic area. With the rise of the pacific rim economically.
Florida is also strategic in its location. West Africa, North Africa, the middle east, and the Carribean.
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