Here's a cost-cutting thought: Close down at least some of these:

[No Elephants]

In Bermuda, a tour guide said that a newsman--I think Sam MacDonald--had publicly called on the U.S. to close its army base in Bermuda because it was basically a country club, complete with lush golf course, at the expense of U.S. taxpayers. And, after he embarrassed the Pentagon enough, the base was indeed closed. Bermudians were not too happy about it initially, but they're over it. And our national security seems to have survived the closing just fine.


So, how about closing some of the following? We don't any longer fight wars as we did when we established all of the following. When the hell is the government going to acknowledge that it's not 1947 any more? At a minimum, bring these troops back home, spread them out among our many U.S. bases and let them spend their dollars in the U.S., so we both cut spending and get some stimulus.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_Army_installations

(The following are all titles of wiki articles containing list after list of bases.)

Overseas

List of United States Army installations in Afghanistan
List of United States Army installations in Belgium
List of United States Army installations in Bosnia-Herzegovina
List of joint US-Bulgarian military bases
List of United States Army installations in Germany
List of United States Army installations in Italy
List of United States Army installations in Iraq
List of United States Army installations in Japan
List of United States Army installations in Macedonia
List of United States Army installations in Kosovo
List of United States Army installations in Panama
List of United States Army installations in South Korea
List of United States Army installations in Kuwait
List of United States Army installations in Saudi Arabia
List of United States Army installations in Spain
Pine Gap Satellite Tracking and Joint Forces Military Reservation, Australia

See also

List of United States Army airfields
List of United States military bases
List of United States Navy installations
List of United States Marine Corps installations
List of United States Air Force installations
List of United States National Guard installations
Lists of military bases

[Enthusiast]

1. The military industrial complex Ike warned us

about has come to fruition. Even if closing down these unnecessary foreign installations is a good idea we will cut "entitlements" instead. Because, you know, that's just the way TPTB want it. Pete Peterson.

[No Elephants]

2. The guy named as the most influential billionaire in politics?

In 1971, he was named Assistant to the President for International Economic Affairs by U.S. President Richard Nixon. In 1972, he became the Secretary of Commerce, a position he held for one year. At that time he also assumed the Chairmanship of President Nixon’s National Commission on Productivity and was appointed U.S. Chairman of the U.S.–Soviet Commercial Commission.

He was Chairman and CEO of Lehman Brothers (1973–1977) and Lehman Brothers, Kuhn, Loeb Inc. (1977–1984).<7>

snip

In 1992, he was one of the co-founders of the Concord Coalition, a bipartisan citizens' group that advocates reduction of the federal budget deficit. Following record deficits under President George W. Bush, Peterson commented in 2004: "I remain a Republican, but the Republicans have become a far more theological, faith-directed party, not troubling with evidence."<11>

In February 1994, President Bill Clinton named Peterson as a member of the Bi-Partisan Commission on Entitlement and Tax Reform co-chaired by Senators Bob Kerrey and John Danforth. He also serves as Co-Chair of the Conference Board Commission on Public Trust and Private Enterprises (Co-Chaired by John Snow).

snip

In 2008, he founded the Peter G. Peterson Foundation (PGPF), an organization devoted to spreading public awareness on fiscal sustainability issues related to the national debt, federal deficits, entitlement programs, and tax policies. PGPF distributed the 2008 documentary film I.O.U.S.A., and did outreach to the 2008 presidential candidates.<12>

snip


In 2006 Peterson was honored with the Woodrow Wilson Award for Corporate Citizenship by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars of the Smithsonian Institution. The same year he was elected as a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Politics

In 2011 Peterson contributed $458 million of his own personal wealth to cast Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and various safety net programs that aid the poor as in a state of crisis and in desperate need of dramatic cuts.<14>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_George_Peterson

FYI: His father's name was Georgios Petropoulos before he changed it.

Biggest surprises for me in Peterson's wiki--His wife was a creator of Sesame Street; Bill Clinton, not Barack Obama, was the first Democratic President to use the term "entitlements" and the Smithsonian honored Peterson.

Clinton was a disappointment to me from the time I heard the messages from the answering machine of Genifer Flowers,* but Sesame Street and the Smithsonian?

I know that we are not supposed to separate things like adultery and politics. I think that is one thing once someone you really like is in office. However, I do think it is something to weigh in a candidate. It speaks to how someone who takes an oath behaves and it also speaks to deceptiveness. Anyway, sue me, but I still think I was correct.

His inability to be faithful and his willingness to perjure himself led to one of the most embarrassing and disruptive messes in American history and we may never know all it cost this country. Sure, the Republicans should not have done it, but Hamilton should not have been killed in a duel either. It's politics. What the hell did he expect?

And, it did show in his governing, too. Moreover, it was his election wins that persuaded Democrats panicked by Reagan to turn on their heels and go full bore neoliberal. And then, there was the economic collapse of 2008, which he denies had anything to do with repeal of Glass Steagall. So, he is still deceiving.

Still, he is the single smartest and quickest-thinking person I've ever heard speak. Trouble is, I never know when to trust what he is saying.

[Enthusiast]

3. He is obsessed with destroying social security.

I think he has an ideological objection to it. He must feel social security destroys individual initiative. He doesn't understand that people can't have much initiative if they are sick and old. Well, he can't take it with him. And he is about to find this out.

[No Elephants]

4. Investing almost $.5 billion of your own $ to end it does indicate obsession.

According to his wiki, his Dad was a Greek immigrant who ran a diner.

I wonder if something happened there, like when Social Security became law, his Dad couldn't afford to make the employer's part of the contribution or something?

[Enthusiast]

5. It's probably some simple explanation like that....nt