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How Military Spending Made the U.S Economy Broke »
Posted by: Aidenag 1 year, 9 months agoThe neoconservatives in the White House and Pentagon failed to address the problem of how to finance their schemes of imperialist wars and global domination. As a result, the United States finds itself in the anomalous position of being unable to pay for its own elevated living standards or its wasteful, overly large military establishment.
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Aidenag
Photographer by day, news junkie by night. My main areas of interest are politics and the environment.
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Comments: 94
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gamahuche
April 28, 2008, 4:45 a.m.FTA
It is virtually impossible to overstate the profligacy of what our government spends on the military. The Department of Defense's planned expenditures for the fiscal year 2008 are larger than all other nations' military budgets combined. The supplementary budget to pay for the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, not part of the official defense budget, is itself larger than the combined military budgets of Russia and China. Defense-related spending for fiscal 2008 will exceed $1 trillion for the first time in history. The U.S. has become the largest single seller of arms and munitions to other nations on Earth. Leaving out President Bush's two on-going wars, defense spending has doubled since the mid-1990s.
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Spadecaller
April 28, 2008, 7:09 a.m.In order to keep the military industrial complex in business, war has become a necessity instead of the "luxury" that it had been.
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jordan11
April 28, 2008, 8:19 a.m.In 2003, bush called for sweeping changes in the Pentagons accountability. Of course, that included less oversight. Does this mean that didn't work out too well? In 2003 nearly one trillion dollars couldn't be accounted for, 56 planes, 32 tanks, and 36 Javelin missiles were lost. Gee, did anyone start investigating the billions in cash sent to Iraq that went missing?
I wonder what the MSM will be talking about today? Some starlet with a tummy pooch?
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engineer
April 28, 2008, 8:48 a.m.Eisenhower said, "Beware the military-industrial complex." We are now suffering because we weren't on our toes.
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Bkumm
April 28, 2008, 9:09 a.m.This is an argument to emotion specifically for those on the Left. It will not influence those on the Right.
I agree that the defense spending of the United States is indefensible, but we have to understand that the problem is far deeper than that. The author touches on it briefly, but does not continue his analysis in that vein, but rather concentrates on hammering away at the military, which will convince no-one.
The problem is not defense spending. The problem is a cultural failure to understand that education and other social infrastructures allow for a growing economy which can then support a larger (if necessary) defense industry. That's what Eisenhower was talking about. It also relates to the fact that major corporations are not being held accountable to the social costs of the economy.
So much more to say on this subject than I can write here.
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bubba2
April 28, 2008, 11:44 a.m.The morally bankrupt people that have been running this country have brought about a financial bankruptcy upon the entire country.
But those in power do NOT care about that. They don't have to worry about it because they have become more rich NOW and they can wallow in their money and in their power-trip while the rest of the country falls deeper into poverty.
What Bush and his cronies and his supporters have done is not just unlawful and immoral, it is evil.
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dunkirk
April 28, 2008, 12:16 p.m.When Bush took office it became a feding frenzy by the military industrial complex. The sad sad fact thos is that rmoney wasnt spent on equipping the troops for the type of fighting they would be doing. FOr the trillions being spent we still have a lack of armored vehicles for the troops, ammunition, food, etc etc etc. But we dont need no accountability.
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eugenegerard
April 28, 2008, 12:19 p.m.This is called pillaging. The Bush Crime Family at work. Our children get to pay.
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walden3
April 28, 2008, 1:17 p.m.Why is it less offensive to Republicans to fund bombs and bullets then it is to put oatmeal in some kid's stomach or prevent a home from being foreclosed on?
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quackpot
April 28, 2008, 1:27 p.m.Democrats: tax and spend.
Republicans: borrow from our children, print money and SPEND SPEND SPEND.
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Charlson
April 28, 2008, 1:56 p.m.I've noticed that the right 'playaz' aren't in on this post. Haven't much defence towards the gluttony of wealth accumulated on the backs of the poor and middle class and paving the way to America's ruin. Hell, they'll always be able to move somewhere else with their money or build a "Green Zone" to keep themselves safe from the rest of us.
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joeblowe
April 28, 2008, 4:17 p.m.The author seems very determined to illustrate that we are overspending on our military. Certainly, to the extent that we are (clearly) WASTING billions of dollars in the middle east, I concur. In another time, the founding fathers of our country did NOT perceive that we should even HAVE a standing army - thus the Constitutional limitation on 2 years for military funding. Further, there is (far as I know) exactly NO authorization in the Constitution of the United States for our government to SELL arms (or anything else, for that matter) to anyone. As far as Boeing and others selling more arms than anyone else - why would that be a surprise? Who would you nominate to be more likely to fill that position? Brazil? Australia? Russia? China? (who would buy anything except AK-47's from EITHER of those 2? In arms, quality IS an issue...) Iraq? India? It's only reasonable that the U.S. should be at the top of that particular list. Be glad at least SOMETHING is still manufactured here...
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Goppy
April 28, 2008, 5:35 p.m.I wonder if this statement would have ANY impact on the crazy ideeologists who support unlimited military spending.
The United States Military budget in 2005 roughly EQUALS the total military spending by ALL OTHER NATIONS OF THE WORLD ... COMBINED.
Since 2005, the military budget has been greatly expanded.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_budget_of...
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mmrhe
April 28, 2008, 8:15 p.m.This problem will not be recognized for the sham it is until after our economy crumbles and the second Great Depression ignites a second Civil War.
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Mdiar
April 28, 2008, 10:18 p.m....first I'm going to put it into these terms. The United States can be called a highly productive nation in terms of the GDP. The only single entity with a larger GDP also happens to have about 200 million more people and its only about two 2% higher then the US GDP, this would be the EU. In these terms the military spending of the United States is not outrageous compared to some countries, but it IS outrageous compared to other developed nations that the United States clearly is. I'd like to see the spending on military reduced from the 4% or so that it is now (about double the world average, a bit less then China) and put down to about 1.5%. I'd be happy with the world average of 2%. If the United States would do this it could again be able to claim with some authority that it is the most developed nation on the planet (with sensible policies implemented). Now, it really can't, particularly after the UN ranked it 10. Who wouldn't want to see this happen?
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ProudBlueTexan
April 28, 2008, 11:14 p.m.I've wondered for several years what it will take for the highest levels of government to admit to the public and the world that the USA is insolvent and unsustainable. IOW, that the USA has finally gone the way of the USSR.
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patsherre
April 29, 2008, 12:44 a.m.You know, I have stayed away from the blogs because of the mental illness of most of the respondents. However you sit there on you high horse and knock our military and that is the same military that gives you the right to express you ignorant opinion., What has busted our economy is the 12 million illegals in our country that you are paying for to the tune of plus 300Billion dollars. They account for the highest percentage of inmates in our jails, they are destroying our schools and our health system. And if you have not paid attention to our brillant speaker of the house, Miss Pelosi, she is trying to put forward a tax, yeah I know you find it hard to understand that a Demo wants to add a tax, but this one is going after what she refers to windfall profits,
Part two to follow
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patsherre
April 29, 2008, 12:45 a.m.'We need to raise the standard of living of our poor, unemployed and minorities. For example, we have an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in our country who need our help along with millions of unemployed minorities. Stock market windfall profits taxes could go a long way to guarantee these people the standard of living they would like to have as 'Americans'.' (Read that quote again and again and let it sink in. Lower your retirement, give it to others who have not worked as you have for it.
Madam speaker Nancy Pelosi wants to put a Windfall Tax on all stock market profits (including Retirement fund, 401K and Mutual Funds! Alas, it is true - all to help the 12 Million Illegal Immigrants and other unemployed Minorities!
So, if you want to know what has busted the USA, Ask the Demo's. It is just not the demo's that will be affected, but everyone who has anytype of retirement plan.
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