“I read today that Defense spending was down 22 percent last quarter, and that went a big way to dragging our economy into the new Depression (which we are in by the way) - despite what the smoke and mirrors crowd says.”
SkyPilot: Read what you posted above and come to your senses!
Government spending, including defense spending does not create prosperity. THAT is the very definition of “smoke and mirrors”. When you withdraw government spending, the illusion of depression is actually a positive thing - the reallocation of effort away from government and towards private sector endeavor IS a step towards actual prosperity.
The “smoke and mirrors” argument is coming from those who say “cut this, not that” and is almost always pomp and ceremony towards doing nothing.
In this case I sincerely doubt under sequestration government spending will actually go down. But they’ll trumpet “10 year savings” as if it were present year savings.
No, the taxpayer cant tell the difference between one spending and the other. It’s all bleeding of the productive class to prop up the non-productive class - which includes an awful lot of defense spending.
So cut it. If military leadership cannot cope with 10% reduction, they are incompetent bureaucrats that are dangerously close to being Anti-American government piglets squealing about “their budgets” not really about their concern for America. THAT is unfortunately what much of our Defense department is.
Now if you want to argue about what ELSE gets cut, fair enough - I’m right there with you. Why not cut the $150Billion they’ve helpfully identified and keep on going.
The taxpayers are real heroes in today’s America. Give ‘em a break.
OK - I will.
Here is what I said:
"“I read today that Defense spending was down 22 percent last quarter....
One Google search later, let's see what we find:
"Meanwhile, government spending, which has been a drag on growth for more than two years, declined for the ninth time in 10 quarters. The biggest cuts came in military spending, which tumbled at a rate of 22.2%, the largest drop since 1972."
More on Q4 GDP: Defense spending falls 22% - the biggest drop in 40 years - leading real federal...
So I was correct in my facts.
Government spending, including defense spending does not create prosperity. THAT is the very definition of “smoke and mirrors”.
All government spending is not "evil." By that logic, government spending during WWII (which reached 39% of GDP) was evil. By your reasoning, Lockheed, Boeing, Raytheon, and Booze-Allen are "bad." By your logic, all military communities are "bad." By that logic, the Space Program was horrible. It didn't create any jobs or innovation.
Do you know what spending is "bad?" Throwing 62% (and increasing every day) or all dollars (taxed and borrowed) at entitlements to every Tom, Dick, and Harriet that wants a check.
THAT is unaffordable, and is breaking our national back.
I don't know what your game is RFEngineer. You what I suspect it is? You want to protect whatever government check you are getting, or someone you live with is getting, so you are prepared to throw the nation's military on the altar of sacrifice so that your direct deposit is safe.