Posted on 12/12/2007 3:11:34 PM PST by SmithL
WASHINGTON, (AP) -- The House passed a defense policy bill on Wednesday that would authorize $696 billion in military programs, including $189 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The measure, which covers the budget year that began Oct. 1, does not send money to the Pentagon. But it is considered a crucial policy measure because it guides companion spending legislation and dictates the acquisition and management of weapons programs.
The Senate intended to follow suit this week and send the bill to President Bush, who is expected to sign it. The House vote was 370-49.
"It's good for our troops, good for our families," said Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, which wrote the bill. "It will help improve readiness for our armed forces and bring new oversight to the Department of Defense in areas where oversight was sorely needed in the past."
The legislation includes a 3.5 percent pay raise authorized for uniformed service personnel and a guarantee that combat veterans receive swift health evaluations. It also would block fee increases proposed as part of the military's Tricare health care system.
The bill has several provisions intended to increase the oversight of contractors and the rebuilding of Iraq and Afghanistan. More specifically, it would require that private security contractors working in a war zone comply with military regulations and orders issued by commanders.
It would establish an auditing system to oversee reconstruction contracts in Afghanistan that would be modeled after the special watchdog for Iraq reconstruction.
Final action on the bill comes as Democrats struggle for a way to pay for combat operations overseas without appearing to support Bush's policies in Iraq.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Freedom costs a buck O five.
This needs to be in breaking news.
What a dumbass statement. Once is all it takes.
PING
Way to go Mr. President.
Chart about half way down the page shows how much we spent on WW2. We have, and can, spend as much as half our GDP on Defense if needed. Feelings are not facts. People around here got to stop this bad habit of stating their emotion based opinions as statements of fact.
http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/tassava.WWII
“Try takings some basic Economics. Your ignorance here is simply inexcusable. Out of a $14 trillion annual economy we could afford to spend $4 or 5 trillion on defense”
I don’t know what made you so stupid but it really worked. that was so full of nonsense that I wouldn’t know where to begin.
“Give me your figure on what your family is worth.”
Why don’t you give a figure that you think is too much? To borrow Rush’s comment; why not go to 100% of all spending going to defense?? If this much is good then 100% ought to be great, right?
There is a huge difference between necessary and wasteful spending. Wrapping yourself in the flag and claiming it is for the country doesn’t make it right or necessary.
The real story is what is tailgating on the backside of this bill. This country needs a Line Veto so badly it cannot be said well enough.
Post 26 this thread, used the link. Read it. Learn something.
So how much is acceptable to you for defense? Or do we just use submarines and throw shrimp at the enemy?
Our Founders were against a line item veto...
Has it ever happened to anyone you even know or heard of??? What a dumbass statement, once is all it takes. You are more likely to clobbered by an airplane falling out of the sky than have a member of Al-Queda blow up your house. Give me a freakin break there chicken little. Better not go outside of your house, the sky is falling.
Yes in a national emergency, the entire country can do incredible things and sacrifice much. They also had to ration just about everything during WW2 right down to silk and panty hose and buy war bonds every year. We could spend half of our GDP on defense if we got into WW3 with Russia, but we certainly couldn't do it year in and year out. Not even close. To suggest that we could spend $5 trillion a year on defense without tripling taxes and ruining the economy and destroying this country is ludicrous.
And people said that .40 cents a gallon for gas was too much at one time too!
I got a better idea for you.. How about I pay what your house would be worth in 1940 dollars.
Are you ok with that?
How about you act like a conservative and at least fake trying to believe in fiscally responsible government.
How about you act like a conservative and at least fake trying to believe in fiscally responsible government.
How about you act like a conservative and at least fake trying to believe in fiscally responsible government.
I think that was worth saying 3 times, and I’m not being facetious. Somehow insane amounts of money being spent by our government is now synonymous with patriotism. I’m now of a firm belief that Washington has succeeded in hoodwinking the majority of Americans and now have them eating out of the palms of their hands. Get ready to fork over your entire paycheck, it’s your patriotic duty, eh comrade.
“Somehow insane amounts of money being spent by our government is now synonymous with patriotism.”
It seems many people have their pet projects. To some people, they think defense spending is the same as patriotism and no amount of money is too much. I wonder if those same people think a few trillion spent on social programs is also good spending.
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