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Lurking Teaballers try this "Small Government" challenge. Challenge your friends as well..

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Union Yes Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Mar-31-10 12:10 PM
Original message
Lurking Teaballers try this "Small Government" challenge. Challenge your friends as well..
Oppose war and military funding.

From 1982-2008, 'defense' spending ranked the #1 largest sector of ALL govt spending.

Military is the biggest of all big government.

Over 80% of our 12+ TRILLION DOLLAR Republican created national debt is due to 'defense'.

Demand a 75% reduction in defense/war spending.
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opihimoimoi Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Mar-31-10 12:15 PM
Response to Original message
1. Peace efforts should have Parity in spending...a lot more returns for sure...
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Initech Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Mar-31-10 02:32 PM
Response to Reply #1
8. Remember - we live in bizarro world, where peace is bad, and so is free health care.
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unpossibles Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Mar-31-10 12:20 PM
Response to Original message
2. I like it. Personally, I've been challenging them to go to a deserted island
with absolutely no money, tools, books, or the "gains of anyone else's work" and become financially successful. Hell, I'll let them have a pair of boots (complete with straps, naturally) but otherwise they have to be the island they think they are. I've even offered to pay their air fare (one way) but have yet to have anyone accept the challenge.

It's almost as if deep down they know they are full of shit.

My challenge is not even "love it or leave it" but more "put your money where your mouth is" and prove that they can be as self-made as they think they are without any outside help from family or more importantly, the benefits of society or government.
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veganlush Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Mar-31-10 12:30 PM
Response to Original message
3. absolutely right. Our military is GOVERNMENT RUN!!!!
GOVERNMENT RUN MILITARY!!!!!!!!! and also the COAST GUARD! the CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL TOO!, NASA PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES , FIRE DEPARTMENTS SHOULD BE TURNED OVER TO HALIBURTON AT ONCE. BLACKWATER SHOULD TAKE OVER THE MILITARY AND COLLECT PREMIUMS FROM PEOPLE WHO WANT PROTECTION!:scared: :scared: :scared: :scared: :scared: :scared: :scared: :scared:
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Winterblues Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Mar-31-10 12:33 PM
Response to Original message
4. You do not seem to understand just how scared shitless these people are.
Of anything and everything.. they need to buy big guns because Republicans have told them forever there were people out to get them. They don't have the courage of a bunny rabbit. In fact their Great Leader had the moniker for quite some time of "bunnypants" because of how he ran and hid after 9-11. Scared Shitless in "The Home of the Brave"...and they hate themselves for it..
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veganlush Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Mar-31-10 12:35 PM
Response to Original message
5. Remember, these are the people who say that the government
...can't do ANYTHING right. So, now we KNOW they hate the troops. That explains why Limbaugh calls them "PHONY SOLDIERS" and why Hannity uses the fallen troops to skim 91 dollars from every 100 dollars his bogus charity makes that keeps him living in the lap of luxury.
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Kelvin Mace Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Mar-31-10 12:50 PM
Response to Original message
6. As much as I agree with your sentiment
the Office of Management and Budget put military spending at 23% of the 2009 budget. And while it is the largest single expense in the budget, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid spending are 39% of the budget.

I need a source for 80% of the $12 trillion being defense related.

Understand, I don't disagree we spend WAY too much on defense. But we need to be careful with our numbers so we are not accused of dubious claims.

For the record, given the power, I would:

1) Scrap the Marines and Air Force as redundant. The Army has more planes than the Air Force, and the Navy has almost as many. We won World Way II with the Navy and the Army Air Corp, and I don't see any reasons for a separate branch of the military just for planes. The Marines cost too much. We can still call naval-based infantry marines, but the entire branch should be absorbed into the Navy.

2) Outlaw ALL outsourcing of military operations, or as I call it paid mercenaries.

3) Eliminate land based and bomber based atomic weapons. The only effective weapons we have have are sub-based. Tracking submarines is hard, and expensive. Everyone knows where our missile bases are, so they'll be the first things destroyed in a real nuclear war. Bomber-based weapons are a joke, since an air-burst atomic weapon allows you to attack an area you suspect contains bombers without having to know precisely where they are. At the very LEAST, the military can pick two systems.

4) Refuse to fund corporate weapons development. If you want to sell us a weapon, build it and show it to us. If it works and makes sense on the battlefield (and the price is right), we'll buy it. If not, you just wasted a whole bunch of money.

5) Fire generals who fail to keep waste under control.

6) Forbid, under pain of imprisonment, any government employee who works in the military or procurement from working for a defense related corporation for ten years after leaving the public sector.
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progressoid Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Mar-31-10 12:52 PM
Response to Original message
7. You're going to need a reference from some place like the Heritage Foundation for them to believe
your statement. And even then, they'll just say it's OK because it keeps us so safe and free. :banghead:
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