Posted on 11/06/2015 12:08:31 AM PST by Berlin_Freeper
Sen. Marco Rubio on Thursday pitched a vast expansion and update of the U.S. military at all levels and railed against the "outdated" leaders unprepared for the national security challenges of the 21st century.
"Our many advantages are being compromised today by a major weakness. And that is, unfortunately, an outdated political establishment in Washington, D.C.," he said.
Rubio, a first-term senator elected in 2010 who has never served in the military, asserted that he has "the record of judgment, the breadth of experience and the quality of leadership necessary to restore our strength and our security."
(Excerpt) Read more at kcentv.com ...
You are a big government proponent, just a frozen big government, a government is stasis. But you can’t freeze it. You either allow it to feed or you dismantle it.
We have bases in Germany and in Korea et al because we need the proximal supply and launch points for the military. Bush should have established such a permanent base in Iraq instead of getting all wallowed in hearts-and-minds crap.
Interesting that you are quoting what Rubio said to Heb "you are only saying this because some advisor said attacking me would help you in the polls". It seems like he is doing the same thing. At any point if a candidate makes a new proposal that has not been a part of his core doctrine, it seems to be exactly that. Focus group tested sound bites.
How can we even support a “vast increase” of the military when we also insist on bringing in hordes of third worlders to destroy the economy that must be robust to finance that “vast increase?”
Somehow we’re “broke” for some things, but never the military.
FYI, 90% of those bases in Germany “for umpteen years” have been closed during the last 20 years. Every Kaserne I was assigned to in Germany during my 7 years with the 3rd Armored Division is now empty or being torn down. It is the same for every other brigade level post except for Wiesbaden, Grafenwohr/Vilseck, and a few logistical centers. We have only 2 brigades over there, one at Graf and one at Vincenzia, Italy.
Go to http://www.usarmygermany.com to see what use to be there,
And the forgotten memories website shows many of the posts that are now closed in their abandoned state. http://forgotten-frankfurt.blogspot.com/2009/02/friedberg-ray-barracks.html
I agree with your points, but more specifically, place the US presence in Iraq, in the Kurds’ zone. The rest of Iraq can rot, AFAIAC.
No, we are broke for all things and until we get that mindset corrected in DC, we are never going to get Unbroken.
It would need to be within reach of Basra which should be included as a port. The oil should be appropriated to finance the project and the Irawis should then be left to themselves but insulated from Iranian takeover.
2001 actual federal spending: $1.99T
2014 actual federal spending: $3.51T
I agree that my proposed roughly $2T FedGov budget is far too big. However, it's a great opening position for negotiations and an even better rhetorical position if we would engage the big government liberals and articulate why the behemoth government is most harmful to the people that Obama, Pelosi, and Reid pretend they want to help.
If we start from "slash FedGov 42%" and get negotiated down to "slash FedGov 30%", I would consider that a big win. Then, in the second year, we can start looking at what else can be cut.
My home was invaded by bees years ago. Step 1 was to get rid of 90% of the bees in one day. There were still too many to go in the house, but it was a starting point. Then we cleaned house and got rid of every last pest in the entire building, over the course of more than a week. We should treat FedGov the same and start by cutting the big things quickly. Then we can go through the budget line-item by line-item. My suggestion for step 2 in year 2: any line item with less than 67% support should be removed.
Social security, Medicare, veterans affairs, and national defense cost 2.2T and interest costs $250 billion (only because of low interest rates) so it’s absurd to think we can cut spending by 42%. People have paid into Medicare and social security their whole lives it’s not welfare and should not be cut. A 15% spending cut (plus a massive foreign aid cut) that doesn’t touch those items and pro-growth tax reform are the answer. Not blowing up the budget and harming on American seniors and soldiers.
Our only real tradition is to not be ready when war is shoved onto us. We seem to go out of our way to be unready. Even if we were ready, as in having a recently expanded and well trained military force, we’ll cut that force to pieces and unready ourselves as soon as a threat begins to appear on the horizon.
The other tradition is to shed anyone who gives any indication of actual warfighting competence and replace them with neutered, bureaucrat yesmen, at all ranks of leadership, enlisted and officer at every opportunity. But, most effectively just prior to our greatest need for them.
Correct
Exactly
Social Security retirement for those already retired or within a decade or so of retirement is a moral obligation. We agreed to pay it, and we have to keep our word. Social Security disability is becoming a scam, with specialists guiding people who are capable of working into filing the right paperwork to get their fake disability approved. That should be tightened up a lot.
As for national defense, that is a real requirement and a proper role for government, but a lot of our spending is wasted. There have been quite a few purchases made only because the product comes from a key congressional district. We can cut the pork, even from defense.
I don't think we can cut 42%, but it's a nice starting position. Then we give back shares for inflation and population growth, and we have compromised. That gives America's enemies a win before we start in to funding budget items that have no business in the budget, which I think improves o0ur bargaining position.
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