Comments on: WOW! We Don’t Need an Air Defense Shield

By: Bridgid

Bridgid — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:52:54 +0000

One final pesky fact for you. I would like to see the numbers that support your claim that the defense budget is being gutted, by the way.

From Government Executive magazine 12 August 2009:

“The Obama administration’s request for $538 billion for the Defense Department in fiscal 2010 and its stated intention to maintain a high level of funding in the coming years put the president on track to spend more on defense, in real dollars, than any other president has in one term of office since World War II. And that’s not counting the additional $130 billion the administration is requesting to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan next year, with even more war spending slated for future years.”

By: Bridgid

Bridgid — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:01:08 +0000

Rod

You don’t seem to actually read the remarks of those with an opinion that differs from yours. How could you possibly assume that my opinion is “no defense is necessary” ?! It beggars belief. Your statement that “we are unilaterally disarming this country” is simply absurd. You don’t offer any objective data to back it up.

You have NO IDEA whether or not I support the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I deployed very early in the Afghanistan war (November 2001). My family has plenty of skin in the game when it comes to fighting our country’s wars. Someone in my family has fought in every single war from WWII to today. One of my nephews is ready to deploy for his 3rd combat tour early next year.

What I do not support is pretending that these wars don’t cost us anything because we’re too afraid to ask the rest of the country to sacrifice any of their “hard-earned dollars” in taxes to fund the wars.

What I do not support is pretending that you can wage two major wars indefinitely with an all-volunteer force

What I do not support is pretending that the 1% of Americans who are serving in uniform and are sacrificing every single day, can absorb the entire physical, mental, emotional and spiritual cost of these wars.

I hope you understand my position now Rod.

I am not ashamed to admit that I do fact-check, and I do take time to conduct research, but my opinions are my own. They are also subject to change if I find that they are not supported by facts or reason.

By: RodZ

RodZ — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:44:00 +0000

Mandamus, you got me, darn your right. If we just did away with our military altogether we would have lots of dollars to spend on your needs. I don’t advocate policing the entire world! sorry your just plain wrong. I do advocate not cutting our military to the point it becomes a hollow shell and unable to function like it was after WWI. Comparing our spending to the world is an exercise in stupidity. One must remove the cost of fighting two wars to even begin the comparison. One must use more than estimated numbers from the country you are making the comparison with.
Finally one must look at a two trillion plus dollar total US budget and the amount of entitlement spending vs. anything else in the budget and ask the same questions about cutting those programs as they do about defense. As for alternate energy, I really believe the private sector will be the ones who produce that product, not the government.

By: Mandamus

Mandamus — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:04:09 +0000

It’s not the US governments job to police the entire planet either. But you don’t seem to have a problem with that. They could defend the US very well if they withdrew the military from all their bases all over the world. AND do things like direct more money to developing alternatives to petroleum based energy use. hell if they’d spent just ONE TENTH of what they spent on the Iraq war on alternative energy sources they’d probably have it by now.

By: RodZ

RodZ — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:53:35 +0000

Ok Mandamus, lets cut 50% of the cost and walk away from Afghanistan, the administration won’t win there anyway! Oh by the way it is the governments job to “wield the Military” It is not their job to take care of the masses cradle to grave!!!!

By: Mandamus

Mandamus — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:42:56 +0000

“Trust the government? No thanks.”

It has always amused me that people that don’t trust the government to do anything domestically will trust them to wield the largest military power the world has ever seen.

And no one is saying that there should be NO defense. Just less. When your spending is more than THE ENTIRE REST OF THE WORLD, it might be time to take a step back.

By: RodZ

RodZ — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:08:57 +0000

Ahh Bridgid so I assume your position is, defense is unnecessary? I have to assume this because you never clearly state your position. You also fail to mention that the lions share of that $623 billion is going to fight two wars which I am sure you don’t support. You also miss the point of my blog, which is, we are unilaterally disarming this country and cutting defense expenditures. Both you and Duane are Veterans and I thank you for your service. I am however, surprise at your unwillingness to support expenditures required to defend you and I and the rest of this country and allow all of us to have this conversation. I spent a career designing and developing weapons systems for the US armed forces and I can say that many of them are in service today. It cost money to develop and deploy these systems, thats a fact, and it takes a strong and well equipped military to protect this country from our enemies.
I would ask you what planet do you live on that you would think we can simply be nice and friends with everyone and nobody will harm us?
As usual the social program spending proves to be the holy grail of the so-called liberals. Government care cradle to grave. Trust the government? No thanks.
And finally, why would you ever quote Barney Frank, the biggest cause of the housing foreclosure problem and a major cause of our current economic problems? Are you two sharing a planet?
Bridgid one more thing, most of the time the things your research uncovers I am aware of, but I also analyze the issues and information and form my own opinion, something you don’t seem to do. You take things touted by “your” trusted sources as absolute and that becomes your opinion.

By: Bridgid

Bridgid — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:30:25 +0000

Rod

To paraphrase that evil liberal Barney Frank, on what planet do you spend most of your time? Honestly, this post is mind-numbingly wrong. Just 30 seconds on Google would set you straight on this country’s outrageous level of spending on defense. You do know that we spend more than the rest of the world COMBINED, right?

China $65 billion
Russia $50 billion
Rest of World $500 billion
US $623 billion

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/spending.htm

There are plenty of other sources with similar numbers, I just used the 30 seconds on Google method to come up with these numbers.

I recommend you read a very small book written in the 1930s by General Smedley Butler, USMC, called “War is a Racket” and then read President Dwight Eisenhower’s farewell address to the nation, in which he said (among many other wise and reasonable things):

“In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.”

We are now spending almost ten times more than China and Russia on defense. How much is enough for you?

As usual, defense spending proves to be the chink in the armor of so-called fiscal conservatives.

By: RodZ

RodZ — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:02:01 +0000

Good lord Duane what are you reading? I think you missed the point. The whole problem is that I feel we are unilaterally disarming this country. Do you dispute the fact we are considering taking down the Air Defense Shield, do you dispute our systems, equipment and troops are over taxed (wore out) do you dispute the first thing politicians look to cut is defense. What facts have I misrepresented? You are talking cumshaw, and employee waste, what does that have to do with the larger issue? Our troops are having to scavenge parts to keep systems running, just like they always have had to, what are you talking about. You usually present a fairly good argument but I am not sure where you are going on this one.

By: Duane Goff

Duane Goff — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:49:20 +0000

Dear Rod: I guess you and I served in a different army. Are you saying when you were in uniform you never saw any waste my people in uniform? I remember lots of waste.
Do you mean to say after all those years as a government employee you never saw any perfectly good supplies being discarded? Remember the phrase “cumsha”?

You make some pretty damning accusations. Do you have any facts to support your allegations or are we to take your accusations at face value? Absent any facts we might just as well listen to Glenn Beck!