House passes $690 billion defense bill (without paying for it)

On a 322-96 vote, the House approved the broad defense blueprint that would provide a 1.6 percent increase in military pay, fund an array of aircraft, ships and submarines and increase health care fees slightly for working-age military retirees. The bill meets the Pentagon's request for $119 billion to fight wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

news.yahoo.com...;_ylt=Aouc_BGtxRppPJoGhhTIHi2s0NUE;_ylu=X3o'___'Nqcjg1bWRoBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTEwNTI2L3VzX 2RlZmVuc2VfYmlsbARjY29kZQNtb3N0cG9wdWxhcgRjcG9zAzcEcG9zAzQEcHQDaG9tZV9jb2tlBHNlYwN5bl9oZWFkbGluZV9saXN0BHNsawNob3VzZXBhc3NlczY-

I'm sure they fought long and hard...but in the end Republicans gave in to the Democrats minority power and passed the bill without actually paying for it. (majority of both parties voted for the bill)

how does one do that in a capilaist sysytem..not paying for it? that would lead me to belive, its something strongholded done..maybe like communism or hitlers socialism., i dunno, even tthough under stalin and hitler, their were costs* its od to have a program like this set, without having the appropriate fundings* meaning payed for to cover the costs*

reply to post by David9176


Billions of dollars are being wasted on something that we do not need, while there are hundreds of other more productive things that money could be used on. What else is new?

LOL, it's like the USD has reduced to Hasbro's Monopoly money but people are still playing the game so it's still important to them. It's only a matter of time before the game ends with one player screwing over all the rest and then they are just colored, small sheets of paper.

reply to post by David9176

To me it sounds like my old household budget O.o buy buy buy credit and more credit while forgetting that we will
have to pay for it later....It's the American Way^^

I only wish they taught finance and budgeting in primary schools...As a country we would be in a lot less trouble
If we did......

reply to post by David9176


It's not that the Republicans gave in to the Democrats... it's because THEY ARE THE SAME. In a way this is actually good news as far as I'm concerned, because any Republican that voted for this that claims to be a Conservative just outed themselves and is now on record.

To put more money on defense is just another investment. War is a business....a risky one, nothing else. That's why they invest OUR money in THEIR business. The question is who is going to get the benefits, because I'm sure I won't.

Some people says it's a way out of the crisis, sure it is. But what if it fails?...oh man!....we better win this war.

Originally posted by ziggy1706
how does one do that in a capilaist sysytem..not paying for it? that would lead me to belive, its something strongholded done..maybe like communism or hitlers socialism., i dunno, even tthough under stalin and hitler, their were costs* its od to have a program like this set, without having the appropriate fundings* meaning payed for to cover the costs*

Where have you been for 2000s. Two wars and a trillion dollar give away to big pharma Unfunded totally borrowed.

Originally posted by ziggy1706
how does one do that in a capilaist sysytem..not paying for it? that would lead me to belive, its something strongholded done..maybe like communism or hitlers socialism., i dunno, even tthough under stalin and hitler, their were costs* its od to have a program like this set, without having the appropriate fundings* meaning payed for to cover the costs*

Don't be fooled... this has nothing to do with Capitalism. Capitalism only applies to the private sector and the free market that should be run by consumer demand. Government spending, no matter how small is not capitalistic. The US Government never pays for anything that they pass... they haven't for quite sometime. The Government sells treasury bonds in order to borrow money and they use that money to pay for things, or so they say. The treasury bonds represent national debt, at least one form out of many. All this defense spending bill does is add to our several trillion dollar deficit. Not to worry though, I'm sure the Fed will be more than happy to run a few trillion more off of the printing press.

Originally posted by Artanis667
LOL, it's like the USD has reduced to Hasbro's Monopoly money but people are still playing the game so it's still important to them. It's only a matter of time before the game ends with one player screwing over all the rest and then they are just colored, small sheets of paper.

edit on 26-5-2011 by Artanis667 because: grammer

edit on 26-5-2011 by Artanis667 because: (no reason given)

Google Zimbabwe.... click on images and see what it looks like when it literaly takes a wheelbarrow full of money to buy a gallon of milk. That's where we are headed. I can't wait to see the first $10,000,000 bill. I wonder who will be on it? For historical accuracy it better be Bush or Obama... hell, maybe both of them since they are the main reason we are here in the first place.

Billions of dollars are being wasted on something that we do not need, while there are hundreds of other more productive things that money could be used on. What else is new?

so billions are wasted on something we do not need? guess the constitution means nothing.

guess military veterans mean nothing

guess their insurance needs mean nothing.

guess you want them to work for free

guess you want them to put their lives on the line for inferior decades old technology and weapon systems.

you cut defense and you will end up with the same amount if not more being paid out to the slugs of this country.

to people who are not being productive.

fact is most military persons are underpaid and overworked much like their civilain counter parts and unlike their civilian counter parts without them there is no safe environment here to people can run their mouths ad nausem.

pretty clear the majority of posters in this thread thus far are not military every chance you people get you want to cut their throats and that is cutting your own throats.


that said bring every us personnel home

restructure
re equip
re supply
re build
re form

the military and those corporations that supply what they need.

and not one cent needs to go to anymore entitlements programs.


as to the bill getting passed stupid is as stupid does.

reply to post by neo96


Defense? What do we need to spend billions of dollars defending from? Maybe if there were dozens of Kamikaze pilots flying directly towards the United States, nuclear missiles heading towards us, and submarines in our waters attacking the coast every single day, then I would agree that we need to spend that insane amount of money on defense. But as of right now? No way, we could operate under a couple hundred thousand dollars as our annual budget for "defense" IMO, the rest is just overkill. And I'm sure a good portion of this money is going to fund the wars in the middle east, so what are we defending from, the people whose country we invaded throwing rocks across the ocean at us?

reply to post by TupacShakur


Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe funds for operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan are entirely separate from this bill. With Iraq and Afghanistan costing a hair below $3 billion per week, (Afghanistan $2B a week, Iraq just under $1B).

But I agree with your general premise. Defense is the easiest place to cut government spending. After typing that and rereading it, it should not be called a defense budget ever again.