Posted on 03/31/2012 7:01:02 AM PDT by Doogle
ABOARD THE USS PELELIU Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told Marines and sailors on Friday that Congress would be irresponsible if it doesn't act to prevent drastic military budget cuts.
In a visit to this amphibious assault ship off the Southern California coast, he also said Afghanistan is making progress against the Taliban but Iran remains a potential threat to the U.S.
A budget agreement reached last August calls for defense cuts of $487 billion over a decade, a reflection of the drawdown of two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the pressure to reduce the nation's deficit.
The failure of Congress' so-called "supercommittee" to come up with at least $1.2 trillion in savings means automatic cuts of more than $1 trillion next January to defense and domestic programs.
Congress "did a stupid thing" in risking the $50 billion in reductions that would kick in next January, Panetta told hundreds of Marines and sailors.
"What they essentially did is put a gun to their heads and the heads of the country," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
point it out to me ...where did I say that?...what post?....where did I give advice?...especially sacrificing our military?
Post #17.
It's an issue because the Defense Secretary has consistently been speaking about it. And you don't want it to be an issue. As he's nearly the only one raising the alarm (Paul Ryan, the other)... the only way to stop this from being an issue is for him to STFU.
..so from that statement you concluded I'm telling someone to STFU...I'm not conservative.....I'm anti-military....and I want our guys and gals in the military sacrificed?...your post#20
By not addressing the problem, the $1 trillion in cuts *WILL* do just that. And you just told the world that you believe that the issue needs to be swept under the rug.
And that’s done by having those who are raising the issue STFU.
It’s looking like you have no idea of the consequences of your own words, if enacted. (Again, something I expect out of liberal, not a conservative.)
EXACTLY....it's what I said in my post #1...the budget hasn't been addressed in three years, there hasn't been a budget!
These are happening *THIS* year.
100,000 soldiers are being thrown out of the Army *AS I WRITE THIS*. 10,000 Airmen out of the Air Force, as well.
Naval battlegroups are being cut. The number of AF fighter squadrons will be reduced.
And there is a very real possibility of ending the current system of military retirement and health care.
Yet you believe that all this is fantasy because there is no budget? By that notion, our military no longer exists, because we’ve had no budget to pay for it.
If there is no budget this year, there will be continuing resolutions... and they are going to be cut by that amount.
And your view is to sweep all this under the rug for the election!
This should be shouted from the rooftops to all the people of the land!
Whoops. Meant to write:
These are starting *THIS* year.
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