So Rand Paul came out with his report card on military waste
He estimated 50 billion for 2019
Okay, so then I thought
How many places could the USA complettely with draw the military, and not affect security. Now maybe the military is in places for other reasons than security to the home land. If so then that is above my pay scale, but if you want to remind me, feel free to help
I would think we could with draw from Afhganistan and the world won't even know we left. Plus the idea of pallets of cash, being distributed to the tribal elders, every month, hoping to buy loyalty and information is down right, just a waste of money. Money doesn't always buy loyalty. In fact how often is it effective with these people???
Are we doing any good in Iraq or will Iraq remain as always???
I know we started out chasing the Taliban because they harboured Osama, but Osama is dead
Maybe you can think of more places we could with draw or at least spend less
Do we really need so many air carriers when one missile will sink the carrier. Yes they do a job, but golly, how many is enough
We could perhaps spend less on NATO. In fact pulling troops back from the border with Russia might make tensions a bit better
If the above was possible, I bet we could save much more than 50 billion
I am not going to say the military doesn't need a healthy budget but if one can save here then that is a bit more for over there, were it might be needed a bit more
I don't profess to be the expert, nor do I think the military is the place to save a trillion dollars, but if money can be saved, lives can be saved that has to be good
Right??. Or do you think differently???
So why does Trump get so much grief when he speaks to Putin or wants to with draw from Syria???
Unless there are good reasons why he is wrong, then he has to turn a deaf ear to the left. Nothing Trump will ever do will be approved by the left
no we do not. that is what Trump campaigned and trying to follow thru but we have this deeply entrenched full of life time bureaucrats in state, defense, and other departments that fight tooth and nail to save the swamp and their power
"Our national defense is incredibly important; it’s mandated in the Constitution. It is arguably Congress’s primary constitutional responsibility.
I have great respect and honor for those who serve in uniform. In fact, I recently introduced a bill to give each soldier who served in the war on terror a $2,500 bonus and at the same time officially end the war in Afghanistan. Ending the war in Afghanistan would save us about $50 billion a year.
Unfortunately, the bill that passed today does not end any of our multitude of wars. It continues the status quo and throws more money around the world at conflicts we can’t even begin to fathom."
"It's a big-spending nightmare jam-packed with things that have nothing to do with the military. So why did the Senate rubber-stamp it?
This bill drops more sanctions into the middle of the Syrian civil war, as well as funding for so-called “vetted” Syrian rebel groups. All this would do is prolong the Syrian conflict and with it the humanitarian suffering and displacement we’ve seen in the region. The Syrian civil war is largely over. I agree with President Trump that it’s time to come home.
Another problem with our insatiable appetite for more military spending is that it requires conservatives to make bad compromises. If you want $40 billion in new defense spending, then you have to give the other side $40 billion in new domestic spending. That’s the nature of today’s bipartisanship: you can have your money as long as we get our money.
The dirty little secret is that there is actually too much compromise in Washington. Republicans want more military money and Democrats want more welfare money. Every time they compromise, Congress chooses to spend and borrow more."
Congress just approved more spending in Afghanistan, even with every testimony before congress a lie to the americian people
Generals and every person of rank repeated the war is unwinnable, but tell us a bit more money and we will win
In private they say we can not win
In public they ask for more
Estimates of spending run into the trillions
When will the people ask some questions
You don't have to be a fire breathing activist
Just go to a town hall and ask a question
Simply ask what you think should be done about the war in Afghanistan
Ask if the person knows how much has been spent
Ask if the money was spent wisely
Ask if the assembled people are in agreement to continue to fund the war. Why??? no matter what the answer
Ask if they know how much the deficit is
Ask any of these questions
A failure to at least ask a question in a local community setting is tacit approval of war spending
You get my drift???
we currently have close to 700 military bases around the globe. NO we do not need that many.
we also have 450 bases in the u.s. ,... that is about 9 per state. NO we do not need 9 bases per state to keep our country safe. but... it is a form of PORK. if you start to talk about closing a base, the locals will all want their congress person to fight to keep it open. they do not want to lose those jobs in their district.
so collectively, what seems good for my district can help to bankrupt our country.
every empire goes bankrupt for the same 5 or 6 reasons....(other than a big military defeat)...
too much military spending, too much socialism, too much debt, debasing the currency, too much bureaucracy...
over the next 100 years, liberals will bankrupt us with social spending, and conservatives will bankrupt us with too much military spending. either way your great grandkids will be worse off (lower standard of living overall).
Exactamundo bear!