Dumbass politicians of whatever stripe act as if defense expenditures can't

[raccoon]

be cut so much as a quarter.

I totally disagree, and I expect many of you do too. Of course, we need to "provide for the common defense," but as it is now the USA spend WAY too much on defense.


"But what can a poor boy/gal do, Except to sing for a rock n roll band?"

Help me out, what can we do?

[Bitwit1234]

1. That because their friends and donors are defense company owners.

go look at all the contracts given to defense that are owned by the republicans and who are friends of those in congress. Look at what Cheney did for Halliburton with all his no bit government contracts. Took it from the brink of bankruptcy, when he was CEO and right after he left, and has made it one of the most profitable companies in this and any country.

And the thing is that was repeated in the media that he wouldn't get rid of his 43,000 shares of Halliburton stock, because he said he could be fair. Ha Ha Ha. And the public didn't bat an eye.

[KossackRealityCheck]

2. I'm sure things will change this time

First of all, the war in Iraq is winding down, and we'll be out of Afghanistan in a year or so.

Bush funded these wars through a gimmick called "supplementals," so Congress didn't really have to explain how big the defense budget was -- over $1 trillion. Obama folded the war expense into the defense budget. As these wars end the current expenses and overall defense budget will decline.

In the regular budget, weapon systems are already being canceled and Gates realizes that the Pentagon over-reached and helped sink the economy.

Although Britain is being fucked over by conservatives, the one silver lining is the conservative government has ordered defense spending be cut by 10%. That's political cover for the rest of NATO to do something similar.

[nc4bo]

3. But what are we actually defending with these 2 wars?

We're behaving more like aggressors than defenders.

Where exactly is THAT listed in our defense budget?