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Is Military Spending Crippling America?

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posted on Jan, 26 2009 @ 06:57 PM
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Is Military Spending Crippling America?


www.russiatoday.com

Last year, the United States spent almost as much on its military as the rest of the world put together devoted to defence.

And all this at a time when taxpayers have been counting pennies to make ends meet.

But cutting spending on the military, the United States could massively increase the amount it invests in the needs of ordinary people.

But there are analysts who warn that the new president will not dramatically curtail America’s ambitious military policies.
(visit the link for the full news article)



posted on Jan, 26 2009 @ 06:57 PM
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I don't think there's any doubt that our military spending, endless foreign policy debacles and war-mongering are contributing to the mess we're in.

And there appears to be no end in sight to this Frankenstein monster that is the Military Industrial Complex.

Escalations in Afhanistan and Pakistan already on tap. The threats against Iran ongoing. This endless war-mongering is gutting the tax-base, along with the corporatism special-interest kow-towing.

I wonder just how much more TPTB can squeeze out of us to keep these policies going? We appear to be at the breaking point, and they don't appear to care...

www.russiatoday.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 26-1-2009 by DimensionalDetective]



posted on Jan, 26 2009 @ 07:00 PM
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That's a great idea! Cut military spending, disband the military, put hundreds of thousands of defense industry workers on the dole, and we can expect Cuba to invade and take over within a week.

That's a great idea!



posted on Jan, 26 2009 @ 07:00 PM
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Obviously. If there was as much spending on social and economic programs as there is on the military's toys, where do you think the country would be right now?

Instead of investment in life, we invest in death. Hence we see what we get in return for that investment.





Cheers!!!!



posted on Jan, 26 2009 @ 07:02 PM
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Originally posted by dooper
That's a great idea! Cut military spending, disband the military, put hundreds of thousands of defense industry workers on the dole, and we can expect Cuba to invade and take over within a week.

That's a great idea!


ROFLMAO!! Are you stuck in the 60's or something? Quit watching that cuba missile crisis film and move into the 21st century.

Cuba's military couldnt throw a rock 50 feet off their shores much less pose any kind of threat to the US.

Get real.



Cheers!!!!



posted on Jan, 26 2009 @ 07:03 PM
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I agree, that's why they call it a "complex". Military spending does account for like half of the budget annually. It's funny, some analysts said it would only last until Iraq was done with, but now with Afghanistan, i bet you any money were gonna be footing the bill for that one too.

Being Canadian, we've been sitting in Afghanistan for years dealing with they're extremists, and we've NEVER spent that kind of money, and still seemed to keep things, relatively under control without having mass troop deaths.

The way they're spending is Overkill.



posted on Jan, 26 2009 @ 07:06 PM
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A lot of the spending money on the defense ends in the hands of the profiteers of war.

Now when the nations military spending was solely for the military operations it was OK, but now we know that most of the spending is in the hands of the private sector that works behind the military, thanks to Rumsfeld privatization plan.

So yes when you have such leaches sucking up at the tits of defense budget big cow you can tell that the squandering of money is not benefiting America and neither the military that depends now on the private sector to keep functioning specially oversea.



posted on Jan, 26 2009 @ 07:07 PM
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reply to post by tothetenthpower
 


The reason why it takes up about half of the annual budget is because a hammer is 20,000 bucks, a toilet seat is 30,000 bucks, a simple #10 bolt and nut is 100 bucks, and the wrench to drive it is 1,500 bucks.

When the prices of the same raw materials are gouged by the contractors to make those profit margins huge, thats where the problem is. Not necessarily how much toys are made or how often upgrades are done on exsisting toys, but the costs of that knob and light bulb far exceed .30 cents per builb and .70 cents per plastic button.



Cheers!!!!



posted on Jan, 26 2009 @ 07:13 PM
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reply to post by RFBurns
 


I can definetly understand your point on that one. I don't know why that privitization ever really took place. What were the people and congress blind to what that would do to costs? I mean jebus...



posted on Jan, 26 2009 @ 07:14 PM
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I am an Army vet from 1980-1983 and I know the military needs a large buget. However, I do believe that the war in Iraq has drained this country and that was the last Administrations error. But, don't dare cut the needs of the military personnel!



posted on Jan, 26 2009 @ 07:20 PM
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No, the military needs are always to be meet, but the way that the spending budget is dissected to benefit the private sector rather than the military directly is obscene and dirty.

Is many instances of how the military has been suffering at the hands of the private companies that they depend for every need now a days.

Is a shame!!!!!!!



posted on Jan, 26 2009 @ 07:21 PM
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reply to post by dooper
 


No one said to disband the military. Honestly, why does everyone use that excuse? I remember a speech I had heard at school recently where we spent 2/3 of our budget and treasury almost on the conflicts overseas. Conflicts we're using to boost money for the politicians while we go bankrupt. Conflicts that we play both sides on, not just in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I mean, where the # is OBL anyway? You mean HAARP can find gas, oil. empty caves, but not that asshole?

Eisenhower warned us but everyone said "oh no, we can trust the contractors who are paid for everything". Yeah, now we have nothing because those CEOs are ripping us off. Either that or it is like Area 51 and they just make up # on how much stuff costs and thus, the reason for prices. Either way, nice job America, now we're in the toilet and the Federal Reserve is screwing us even harder.

I so enjoy economic slavery, soon we can be a third world nation and our regime is robbing the treasury on its way out the back door.

[edit on 26-1-2009 by Darky6K]



posted on Jan, 26 2009 @ 07:22 PM
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Having worked in one key military contracting company back in 81, shortly after earning my EE degree, it was amazing to see that much of the materials we worked with were no different from materials one could find off the shelf at the local hardware store or electronics supply store.

Heh, more often than not, most of those raw materials like pannel plates and knobs and bulbs and things like resistors and diodes or even certian IC chips, came from the closest supply house than some fancy schmancy high end specialized industrial manufacturer.

Glass is glass, vinyl is vinyl, rubber is rubber, velcro is velcro. But you see in the military industrial complex, the cost of raw materials is not on the same level as it is for those same materials out here in the public realm..they are much, much higher.

Now this doesnt mean that there are not specialized components or materials used in military hardware, there is. But most of that specialized material is not manufactured overseas or across the boarders. They are made right here. Last thing you want is for a specialized microprocessor chip or special application computer module to be made in China or Korea.

Putting this all together, there are some items that are a little pricey, but those items alone wont create the huge buldging military bust-a-gut like it is. It is the price gouging of the rest of the common materials that are jacked up so high, and replicated more than the specialized items, is the very reason why the annual budget is chewed up by the defense spending.



Cheers!!!!

[edit on 26-1-2009 by RFBurns]



posted on Jan, 26 2009 @ 07:22 PM
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Here is how much your govt is spending on the war in iraq & afganistan per day/month/year.
Also this is not the total amount spent on defence....just those two.
............................Iraq.............Afghanistan.........Total
Per Month.......$10.3 billion......$2 billion ..........$12.3 billion
Per Week .......$2.4 billion .......$469 million......$2.9 billion
Per Day...........$343 million ......$67 million.......$410 million
Per Hour .........$14 million .......$2.8 million.......$17 million
Per Minute.......$238,425 .........$46,296............$284,722
Per Second......$3,973..............$771.................$4,745

Thats $410 million per day on a war that was not necessary, your money being wasted day in, day out, year in, year out.

Your not alone though as the uk waste's my money too.


www.armscontrolcenter.org...

[edit on 26/1/09 by cropmuncher]

[edit on 26/1/09 by cropmuncher]

[edit on 26/1/09 by cropmuncher]



posted on Jan, 26 2009 @ 07:28 PM
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reply to post by RFBurns
 


Please have more respect for President Bush. He's new to the forum, you know?



posted on Jan, 26 2009 @ 07:31 PM
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reply to post by cropmuncher
 


Yep....it's a pivotal reason we're in the **** now..

The UK spends roughly £3.5 -4 billion a year.... what a waste..!!



posted on Jan, 26 2009 @ 07:33 PM
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reply to post by eldard
 


. Now isnt that a surprise!! I thought he was a regular. Still, living in the past doesnt help matters for the future.

Perhaps that is the whole problem...that lingering idea that we are under threat by such insignificant military of other nations that we must keep the big bad wolf from blowing down our 10 foot thick, 50 ton door to our 30 foot thick, re-enforced cement bunker.




Cheers!!!!



posted on Jan, 26 2009 @ 07:47 PM
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reply to post by marg6043
 
You are so right! And remember all that cash money was handed out in Iraq in suitcases. They admitted to that! Shameful is the perfect word that comes to mind.




posted on Jan, 26 2009 @ 07:50 PM
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reply to post by RFBurns
 

Without a military, the point was, even a piss-poor country as small as Cuba could do a walk-through.

Without a very strong military, these social programs and government agencies wouldn't even exist.

As the nation would fall.

And while other nations may not like to hear this, their own defense budgets are much smaller, thanks to the large defense budget of the US.



posted on Jan, 26 2009 @ 07:56 PM
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reply to post by PammyK
 


Thanks, remember this?

360 TONS OF DOLLARS TO BAGHDAD


Then there is the corruption in Iraq that numerically is hard to believe. Around $500 billion flowed into Iraq for the occupation and $44 billion for reconstruction in the first four-and-a-half years. More than half of the money went to private contractors. At least one of sic "reconstruction dollars" was devoured by corruption. That is all that can be said with certainty.

Isolated information comes to light here and there. Who doesn't remember the 360 tons of cash flown into Baghdad right after the invasion for the US regent in Iraq, Paul Bremen. Of the $12 billion to pay for all kinds of services, $8.8 billion disappeared in unknown pockets. In July 2007, no one knew what happened with around 190,000 weapons intended for the Iraqi security forces. A third of the rifles delivered to Iraq by the US were "lost" in the combat zone. In November 2007, the US Secretary of State admitted that $1.2 billion paid to the private security firm DynCorp International for training the Iraqi police could not be accounted. "Bills were paid but no one knew why they were paid and what the return favor was," said Glenn Furbish, employee of the oversight monitoring board for Iraqi reconstruction temporarily established by the US Congress in October 2004, StGR (Special Inspector General for Iraqi Reconstruction).


portland.indymedia.org...




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