US House passes $725bn defense bill

Originally posted by WeRpeons
reply to post by v1rtu0s0

 

. But if you're talking about security of our ever expanding military in other parts of the world...

130 countries all over the world. That's how dispersed the military is, and there are currently around ~40 actual bases/outposts worldwide outside of the US.

Just putting that into perspective there.

"Security" indeed...

reply to post by oozyism

Thats amazing! We arrest 135 peaceful Veteran organized group protesters but allow thousands of illegals to protest dragging American flags on the ground and do nothing. This place has really become pathetic.

all you non americans reeling from sticker shock are either jealous of the fact america can spend money on war in the face of your own nations problems, or jealous that america can spend money on war in the face of your own nations problems. all you americans that are disappointed; america has still not learned how to allow americans to prosper after the fed was created and this budget is just a small example of a few trying to earn a few within their so called laws of diminishing returns and trickle down economics.

Due to the isolationism after WW I and its direct path to WW II I've normally been against just totally pulling back all U.S. forces to CONUS.

But looking outwards the last few years I've wondered, nobody appreciates our protection anymore - not talking governments or economies dependent here - talking about people of other nations. We are roundly criticized rightly and sometimes wrongly - it really seems no longer worth the effort nor expenditure.

The war's in Afganistan and Iraq should have been fought with without ROE limitations with total victory in mind, much like WW II unconditional surrender as the goal - mamby pamby fighting seems to just prolong casualties and incites public furor at home. Fight to to win or don't fight at all seems to be more correct in the long run.

We are no longer a free nation of individuals - how can we hypocritically expect others to follow our example?

I am now for pulling all and I mean all troops home and putting them to use on our borders where they can actually protect us from harm. Close all base's on foreign soil, cancel all mutual defense agreements including NATO.

However I am for defense of this nation and demand this government and future governments expend the maximum amount required to develop, keep, maintain any and all technological edge to strike anyone anywhere anytime with as much force as necessary to prevent an attack or technological military advantage from over-coming the country.

Yes this means preemptive strikes if you dare to confront us after pulling back to CONUS.

Yes we should become like a hedgehog - F with us and we'll F with you - permanently.

To the people of the rest of the world - you are on your own - are you ready? Show us how to regain freedom while you are at it - please!

Its near devastatingly sad, congress, our governemnt spends this kinda money on occupation and war all over a forgotten man, bin laden, while places like detroit are in near ruins, and the economy ist gunna fair off well in the long run. Along with obama promisinfg to bring the boys back home, remember that? just another benedict arnold for a president..a liar and backstabber.
$750 billion imagine that, imagine, how much better wede all be here in good ol USA, US the overworked and struggling taxpayers. this is total eviddnce, thiers an elite of wealth ruling and controling us all. tis to make THEM richer and more powerful, and discard us all like used rag doll toys.

Amazing that only 48 congressman voted against this. INHO these are the only ones that deserve to be re elected.

We are going to be fiscal responsible, um unless its a military bill.

What of the Taxed Enough Already?

Lockheed Martin
Boeing
Northrup Grumman
Hughes
Raytheon........
The list goes on and on and on.....

Calculated ~1/5 of the budget goes to current wars in Iraq/Afghanistan.

The remaining--over 500 billion--will go to the "list" in order to create jobs to improve the economy; helping the unemployed manufacturing sector as well.

It's sad but true that spending for defense will create employment. Just the facts. I do wish we lived in Utopia.

Sure, lets cut funding in education so that we have more illiterates, cut medicaid so old people have no choice but to slowly die, cut foodstamps so that people gradually starve, and cut housing assistance so that people have nowhere to live. BUT lets add $160 Billion dollars to the defense budget because it's in "our best interests". Its like putting a suit of armor on to defend yourself from pneumonia.

reply to post by Skerrako

Its like putting a suit of armor on to defend yourself from pneumonia.

Perfect analogy to describe the situation in US.

Related News

The Sustainable Defense Task Force unveiled its plan to cut $1.1 trillion in military spending over the next decade. Defense spending, which will reach $567 billion in 2011, is expected to top $7.4 trillion during the decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office. That does not include spending on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which will boost 2011 defense spending to $726 billion.

Defense spending cuts will be essential as the United States struggles to bring its $13 trillion debt and $1.4 trillion annual deficit under control, members of the task force said June 11.

reply to post by oozyism


This is great news.

Its good to see the US keeping up the defense of the US and its allies.

Someone has too.


oozyism, after reading your posts and threads i get the feeling you do not like the US or anything it represents? I am not mocking your view as its a perfectly legal view.

True or false? If true Why? If false I apologize.

reply to post by c0ldPhr34k


I tell as I see the truth.

I listen to others as they see the truth.

Do I hate the US>? Yes, I hate for what is stands for, I hate its double standard policies. I hate its hypocrisy. I hate its push to spread Democracy by force. I hate its attempts to destabilize stable countries. I hate its attempts to invade and occupy other countries. I hate its attempts to install puppet regimes. I hate its attempts to destroy Democracy in places where its own interests are not met. I hate its attempts to assassinate anyone which doesn't serve US interests. I hate its attempts to implement coups against Democratically elected governments. I hate its attempts to start proxy wars using Muslims as tools. I hates its...

What do I love about US>?

I love US for its multi culturalism. I love US for its self criticism. I love US for its scientific achievements. I love US for its achievements in space. I love US for its charities, even if it comes with strings attached. I love US for keeping peace within its own borders for so long, I love US for...

See, the thing is, you can love and hate something at the same time. Why? Because the world is not black and white.

Can you say the same about Taliban>? Common, I'm sure you can find some good stuff to say about Taliban.

so what about the other 565 billion, there has not been a group of people more wrong and corrupt then the ones running this country right now, this feel more and more everyday like a last cash grab before....

the war on the people countinues, may our children and grandchildren forgive us

Originally posted by Skerrako
Sure, lets cut funding in education so that we have more illiterates, cut medicaid so old people have no choice but to slowly die, cut foodstamps so that people gradually starve, and cut housing assistance so that people have nowhere to live. BUT lets add $160 Billion dollars to the defense budget because it's in "our best interests". Its like putting a suit of armor on to defend yourself from pneumonia.

You don't understand the system.

Our nation more or less revolves around the military and the industrial complex that supports it. Its one of the very few industries we have left, everything else went on an extended vacation to China.

Our education system was originally designed during the Industrial Revolution to provide better workers, it has never been about making people informed or smart. We minimally fund it and engineer it to provide a minimum education. If people really want to learn anything important, they have to go to college, preferably overseas at somewhere like Oxford. To go to college though, anywhere, it takes lots of money and student aid barely covers state run colleges.

Then we provide mismanaged social welfare programs, which forces people to look for work. It also forces people to seek out decent insurance.

Where can someone get a job, money for college, housing and good insurance for the whole family?

The United State Military.

The US Military employs around 1.5 million people. All of them get good money for college through the 9-11 GI Bill. They are all provided housing or a housing allowance for those who wish to live off base/post. They also have awesome insurance, including $400,000 in life insurance.

But thats not all.

If you sign on now, you can get up to $40,000 for a sign on bonus or pay off all of your student loans.

If that doesn't float your boat. There is the National Guard and the Reserves which employ around 1.5 million people.

Its the same job, but one weekend a month. You still get money for college and great insurance, plus sign on bonuses or student loan repayment. Full time positions are available as well.

But wait there's more.

In as little as 15 years you can be retired through active duty service and 30 for National Guard and Reserves.*

Once retired, most of the military industries would love to see you continue to work for them.

Some Private Military Contractors start as high $250,000 a year. (KBR cooks around $125,000)

So you see, there is a design plan for the system.

The alternative is the service economy. I don't know about you but I hate Walmart and McDonalds. I sure as heck don't want to work for them. Unless you know someone who knows someone or ooze charisma, good jobs are hard to find.

For the people worried about being shot or shot at, statistically you are more likely to get shot and killed working at a gas station or fast food place in a US city. You get shot in those places, you lose your job and your insurance. The military doesn't do that. If you do get disabled they medically retire you and you're still eligible to draw disability on top of that. If you can manage, they can hook you up with $100,000 microprocessor controlled prosthetic limbs that allow you to return to duty. We currently have about 50 personnel armed forces wide deployed with them.

So there are reasons why things are done the way they are done.

Its the American Way.

And Hail COBRA!




* Potential side effects can include but are not limited to: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Exposure to Depleted Uranium.

Its interesting. Take this precis of the soviet unions collapse

"The dissolution of the Soviet Union into independent nations began early in 1985. Years of soviet military buildup at the expense of domestic development, economic growth was at a standstill. Failed attempts at reform, a stagnant economy, and success of Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence against the Soviet Union's forces in war in Afghanistan led to a general feeling of discontent, especially in the Baltic republics and Eastern Europe.

Greater political and social freedoms, instituted by the last Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, created a bad atmosphere of open criticism of the Moscow regime. The dramatic drop of the price of oil in 1985 and 1986, and consequent lack of foreign exchange reserves in following years to purchase grain profoundly influenced actions of the Soviet leadership.

Several Soviet Socialist Republics began resisting central control, and increasing democratization led to a weakening of the central government. The USSR's trade gap progressively emptied the coffers of the union, leading to eventual bankruptcy. The Soviet Union finally collapsed in 1991 when Boris Yeltsin seized power in the aftermath of a failed coup that had attempted to topple reform-minded Gorbachev."

If you change Soviet Union to USA, Gorbachev to The Internet and Soviet Republics to States, it reads like a prediction. :-)

Originally posted by v1rtu0s0
This is for your security folks.

If you're against spending nearly 1 trillion on your securty, then you must not want security.


You must not want to be secure, which means you're against security, right?


Well, if you're against security, then you must be pro-violence. You must be a terrorist if you're against this spending.

What security might that be arizona, texas, and california have been ran over by drug cartels, plz do tell me how killing and stirring up trouble overseas for oil and and drugs is benefitting anyone here in the United States.
Do a bit of researching and you will find it to be a play book right out of the days of Rome. disgusting, for anyone that knows their history. Hail Caesar

reply to post by justwokeup


Not quite.

The USSR was quite young and also outside the global central banking system.
In addition it was not remotely homogenous.

The US on the other hand has one of the oldest governments on earth. We are a major part of the global central banking system and we are around 80% homogenous.

Its hard to compare that to anything, except smaller homogenous entities like continental France, Germany, England or Japan. Like them, when they went through bad times they didn't fragment. Sure they had chaos and tyrants but they remained whole, well other than the thing with Germany being divided by the allies but thats different.

If we collapse, we will take most of the world's economy with us, but we will get back up in no time to go either help the rest the world up or stomp on it.

reply to post by MikeboydUS


Ignorance is a bless

Not arrogance

Originally posted by oozyism
reply to post by MikeboydUS

 

Ignorance is a bless

Not arrogance

I had heard that it was a bliss.

Oh well.

Bless you!

reply to post by MikeboydUS


I know, i'm just in a mischievous mood and I found the parallels in the text amusing :-)

Parts of it do apply though. A stagnant economy propped up by the state and an inflated military sector.

Its just more likely you'll have to undergo what britain underwent when we devalued the pound. And yes, it will take many other countries down with you. That includes the UK where I live.