[cva66snipe]

Try this. A 25% across the board increase in active duty manpower and still needed equipment. Bush is against it, Rummy is against it, Gore against it, and the GOP and DEM Congress is as well.

[kabar]

Try this. A 25% across the board increase in active duty manpower and still needed equipment. Bush is against it, Rummy is against it, Gore against it, and the GOP and DEM Congress is as well.

Try this. We have almost a $500 billion defense budget, which is more than the rest of the world combined. Can we afford a 25% increase in active duty personnel and all of the related equipment, infrastructure, etc.? How does this impact major weapons systems procurement? <

If the entitlement programs [Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid] are not reformed, by 2060, the combination of Social Security and Medicare will account for more than 71 percent of the federal budget. Today, Social Security pays out more than $450 billion a year. Defense spending is considered as "discretionary" spending. We are going to have a hard time maintaining the current spending levels on defense let alone increasing it by 25%.