Obama proposes increased defense spending

[Cali_Democrat]

http://wsws.org/articles/2011/jan2011/defe-j11.shtml

Obama proposes increased defense spending
By Tom Eley
11 January 2011

Last week US Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates unveiled a multiyear military budget proposal that would increase spending in 2011 by 1 percent, to $553 billion, and that would outstrip inflation each year until 2015 and 2016, when it would ostensibly be held flat.

Presented in the media as “frugal” and an “austerity” budget, the proposal would actually maintain military spending in real terms at all-time post-World War II highs.

<snip>

Nor did Gates’ plan include a separate $120 billion request to fund the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq for another year that will bring the overall defense budget to $773 billion. The “contingency funding” request, reported by Politico, was made in a closed-door meeting with top Congressional leaders last week. The new figure is more than double the amount projected by the Obama administration last year, when it estimated that only $50 billion would be needed.

<snip>

Among other spending increases, the budget proposal would expand the deployment of unmanned remote-controlled drones that have inflicted heavy civilian casualties in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region, modernize the Army’s tanks, and provide new ships and jets for the Navy.

Read more...http://wsws.org/articles/2011/jan2011/defe-j11.shtml

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[valerief]

3. I guess 547,600,000,000 just couldn't cut it. What's a man of the people to do?

:grr:

[xchrom]

4. shrug -- nothing to be done about it at this point.

he is what he is.

[ProSense]

5. Ridiculous spin

How does one take a 1 percent increase that is actually less than the projection in a massive budget and claim that it's significant?

Presented in the media as “frugal” and an “austerity” budget, the proposal would actually maintain military spending in real terms at all-time post-World War II highs.

Yeah, it's not like it matters that the country is involved in two wars that need to be drawn down. Anyone think moving out of Iraq by the end of the year and initiating withdrawal from Afghanistan aren't going to come at a cost?

There are cuts being made to the defense budget, but none will be more significant than the cuts that come with ending the wars.

[JoePhilly]

6. Based on the title, you would think it was going up 10, 20 or 30%

1% ... really?

[AtomicKitten]

7. linked to World Socialist Website

that explains a lot

[awoke_in_2003]

20. We won't be out of Iraq at the end of the year...

and will never leave Afghanistan.

[Union Scribe]

21. Aww, that's cute.

"Wars cost money! I mean, uh, ending them costs money!" Lol.

[stevenleser]

25. Yep, wsws.org makes hyperbole into an art form.

When you parse their articles that are critical of Democrats, you realize pretty quickly in almost all cases that there is no 'there' there.

[jefferson_dem]

8. WSWS? Hahaha.... Reads more like an Onion piece.

Anyway, I'll wait for Pravda, Venezuela Analysis, and Iran's Press TV to chime in before jumping to any conclusions.

[Cali_Democrat]

9. What's wrong with WSWS?

It's a great left-leaning website.

I think there are a lot of informative articles there touching on topics the MSM won't discuss.

[Hutzpa]

10. How is Obama proposing the increase on Defense spending

a subject from the left leaning site when as you know majority on the left DO NOT want an
increase in defense spending.

Keywords are (left-leaning) does not mean they are the left, they could be right middle of the
left too.

[Cali_Democrat]

12. I'm not sure what you're trying to say.

[Hutzpa]

13. I'm saying it not a good idea

it's not something the left wants, increasing defense spending is something the left is against.

[Cali_Democrat]

14. I agree

Increasing defense spending or even maintaining current defense spending is really stupid.

We need to spend our money wisely rather than waste it on the military and pointless wars in foreign lands that most Americans can't even pronounce.

[stevenleser]

24. A lot and this article is a good example of how much is wrong with them.

They are to the left what Free Republic is to the right.

They make a big deal about increases in defense spending, then you read the details and realise they are full of crap. It's at best a minute increase that they say is more than inflation, but a 1% increase is not one that I would put out there as "more than inflation". Inflation usually is 2-3% per year. If this increase in spending actually outpaces inflation, it will only be because we are in a stagnant economy. Even then, it will "outpace" inflation by the smallest of margins.

They have taken what is a non-event and a non-story and have sensationalized it to try to make it seem like important news.

Everyone who read this article is now dumber for the experience.

Unrec.

[Odin2005]

11. The Military-Industrial-Fascist Complex need their blood money. Fuck them.

[ladjf]

15. Mr. President, how many wrong decisions can a leader make in

six months?

[Catherina]

16. It's so comforting to know we have no pressing domestic issues to spend that money on. Rec'd. n/t

[Cali_Democrat]

17. It's amazing how the politicians in Washington are unwilling to cut our astronomical defense budget

But cuts to social services and programs are always on the table.

[tomp]

22. i, for one, wish they would stop calling it defense....

.....when it is clearly offense. one ought to call a thing by it's right name.

[Ter]

18. Rand Paul is better on this issue than Obama

Wow.

[awoke_in_2003]

19. of course...

I wonder what will happen to social services :sarcasm:

[trayNTP]

23. As expected