The scale of Pentagon waste boggles the Mind, yet we continue to avoid addressing it??

Why I wonder? It's the big white elephant in the room that many on here just refuse to address? It boggles my mind how it's so easy for many on here to slam Americans for going welfare on a daily basis and yet talk of military waste is off limits??

The administration just signed a new defense bill set to increase the military budget to $717 billion in 2019. An extra $61 billion was approved for the military budget this year alone. Since 2000 the military budget has increased by over $1 trillion dollars alone.

What about the grievous incidences of waste to the tune of billions over the years that we have yet to hold anybody accountable over? bloated project waste? F35 Lightening project? It peaked at $1.5 trillion since it's inception, alone

What's even more mind boggling are the excuses we get from many here on ATS alone. "What about the troops?" right? Because apparently they're being under-paid and under-equipped? What about the troops?? Reports of under-prepared and under-trained troops? Or under-equipped troops? Reports of aged and faulty supplies to troops based the likes of Afghanistan and Iraq. I hear it all the time ya know? How dare we question all these billions when soldiers are suffering?

Why are we not questioning it?

What about the flailing Veterans Affairs department?

All this tax payer money wasted and clearly not being distributed fairly and efficiently? And yet it's a no no to bring the matter up? What's going on here? Just throw more tax payer money at the gaping black hole and don't question?? Why the double standard from many on here?

edit on 1-9-2018 by Southern Guardian because: (no reason given)

But if the military wasn't strong, there might not be a country to get welfare from.

💥💫💥

a reply to: Southern Guardian

Entitlements are the biggest government programs in the US.

The biggest entitlement programs benefit seniors. In FY 2017 the Social Security program cost $945 billion. In FY 2017 the Medicare health-care program cost $597 billion.

Entitlement programs also benefit the poor. In FY 2017 the Medicaid health-care program for the poor was “guesstimated” to cost $643 billion. All other welfare programs were “guesstimated” to cost $455 billion.

US Government Spending

SoOo... you wonder why some people bitch about entitlement programs but not defense spending?

Now, SS would have been in better shape if Clinton didn't spend it all to "balance the budget".

Wouldn't be here at all if it wasn't for Progressives.

Medicare costs have exploded because of... the Affordable Care Act.

However...

One is for the defense of our country. To keep competitive in a crazy world.

The other is paying people to breathe, without asking anything in return but to vote Democrat. You know, the over 1 trillion a year part of the end of the quote.

Now which one would be more important?

~thinking~...

a reply to: Southern Guardian

You want to talk about waste and abuse? Try looking up the $141 Billion in error payments that were made in 2017 and which departments had the highest error rates...

HHS (Health & Human Services) continues to show the highest improper payment rates at 8.9% of total program outlays for FY 2017, equating to $90.1 billion.

In FY 2017, Medcaid outpaced the Medicare FFS program for the largest improper payment totals at $36.7B and a rate of 10.1% of total program outlays. The Medicare FFS program shows the second largest improper payment amount at $36.2B with a 9.5% improper payment rate.

www.deltek.com...

a reply to: Southern Guardian

increase the military budget to $717 billion in 2019.....
Since 2000 the military budget has increased by over $1 trillion dollars alone. 

I understand math can be hard for some people. But you may want to look at your numbers again.

a reply to: Lumenari

There wasn't a debate in the OP as to whether entitlement programs were a burden to the American Tax payer. Do you acknowledge that the military is to blame for this waste as well?

a reply to: Deetermined

U.S. Army fudged its accounts by trillions of dollars, auditor finds

Do you agree that the there's a problem with military spending?

a reply to: Southern Guardian

Why I wonder? It's the big white elephant in the room that many on here just refuse to address? It boggles my mind how it's so easy for many on here to slam Americans for going welfare on a daily basis and yet talk of military waste is off limits??

Odd, I thought I had read that at the start of your OP.

Maybe I'm just tired and was just seeing things.

Care to address my post?

You know, about prioritizing spending?

a reply to: watchitburn

I understand math can be hard for some people.

Yes, so if you want to let me know what part of the math you're finding difficulty with, maybe I can help you.

a reply to: Lumenari

Odd, I thought I had read that at the start of your OP.

You did. People slam Americans for going on welfare on a daily basis here. That's not an argument over whether or not the welfare system is broken, that's an acknowledgement of the daily attacks we go on here over welfare recipients. Comprehension.

Are you going to answer my question or are you going to continue deflecting?

a reply to: Southern Guardian

F35 Lightening project? It peaked at $1.5 trillion since it's inception, alone.

Let's look at the details on that, shall we?

But DOD has sunk so much money into the F-35 — which is expected to cost $1.5 trillion over the 55-year life of the program

www.cnbc.com...

a reply to: Deetermined

Yep, that's the cost of the program.

originally posted by: Southern Guardian
a reply to: Deetermined

Yep, that's the cost of the program.

Yep, over a period of 55 YEARS!

a reply to: watchitburn

a reply to: Deetermined

a reply to: Lumenari

a reply to: xuenchen

We're wasting tax payer money on the military.

Yes or no?

Hey we agree on an issue for once! The problem I have with these defense bills however is not just in the amount of money but the riders in the bill for completely unrelated purposes.

originally posted by: xuenchen
But if the military wasn't strong, there might not be a country to get welfare from.

💥💫💥

Well put. If there's one place that I truly don't have a problem with it's the spending of money to those who protect me and my family. Military, law enforcement, fire fighters all risk their lives to keep this country and the people in it safe. The only two places I would be more than happy to pay a few cents more in taxes to pay for is those 3 and education of children. And I mean Children, not the college kids who act like children. Too many times I see budget cut lists that start with law enforcement and education. In the meantime I was at a public budget meeting where I learned that the city was spending $600 a month for bottled water. When asked we were told it was because the building was old and the plumbing was not designed to handle the number of people in the building. Now here's the thing, the plumbing was redone through the entire building just 8 years before that. Second the only way it could possibly not be able to handle the load is IF every fixture in the building were to suddenly start running water at the same time. That's fountains, sinks and toilets all at the exact same time. I got up to speak when called and pointed this out. As well as the fact that if it can't handle the number of people then you have too many fixtures, and the system is also not in compliance with the fire codes. I was asked how I had come by this information. It got really quiet when I informed them that I was a contractor. Licensed for both HVAC and plumbing. Not surprising I was told thank you we'll look into it. The following year the money being spent on bottled water was listed on the budget as $675. Yeah they looked into it alright.

Frankly if someone wants to ask WTF about government spending there's better places to look then those protecting our nation.

originally posted by: Southern Guardian
a reply to: Deetermined

U.S. Army fudged its accounts by trillions of dollars, auditor finds

Do you agree that the there's a problem with military spending?

What this article shows is exactly what most of us have already known about government workers. Sheer incompetence. This fudging wasn't done out of fraud, but incompetence. This is why we need smaller government. We need fewer, but higher level of competent workers.

a reply to: Deetermined

You going to answer my question or continue deflecting to specific details in the OP? It's an old and tired tactic.

originally posted by: Deetermined

originally posted by: Southern Guardian
a reply to: Deetermined

U.S. Army fudged its accounts by trillions of dollars, auditor finds

Do you agree that the there's a problem with military spending?

What this article shows is exactly what most of us have already known about government workers. Sheer incompetence. This fudging wasn't done out of fraud, but incompetence. This is why we need smaller government. We need fewer, but higher level of competent workers.

I dont even know you but we agree on smaller government at the very least. The amount of money in the defense bills are blindly trusting the same people who we are coming to find are driven politically. Sure one could argue more money could mean we are buying better defense; Real patriots would not be driven by dollar signs. The numbers are outrageous.

originally posted by: Southern Guardian
a reply to: Deetermined

You going to answer my question or continue deflecting to specific details in the OP? It's an old and tired tactic.

I will answer that. Problems exist in spending everywhere. The government is hemmoraging wasted dollars.