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Passage of Budget Bill Is NOT a Victory for the American People … Only for the Military-Industrial Complex
Preface: D.C. and the mainstream media are trumpeting the passage of a budget bill as a victory for bipartisanship and the American people. But the truth is very different.
Military Spending Is Destroying Our Economy
We’ve repeatedly documented that military waste and fraud are the core problems with the U.S. economy.
For example, we’ve noted that we wouldn’t be in a budget crisis in the first place if we hadn’t spent so much money on unnecessary wars … which are killing our economy.
But it goes far beyond actual fighting. We could easily slash the military and security budget without reducing our national security.
For example, homeland security agencies wasted money on seminars like “Did Jesus Die for Klingons Too?” and training for a “zombie apocalypse” instead of actually focusing on anti-terror efforts.
Republican Senator Tom Coburn notes that the Department of Defense can reduce $67.9 billion over 10 years by eliminating the non-defense programs that have found their way into the budget for the Department of Defense.
BusinessWeek and Bloomberg point out that we could slash military spending without harming our national security. Indeed, we could slash boondoggles that even the generals don’t want.
BusinessWeek provides a list of cost-cutting measures which will not undermine national security. American Conservative does the same.
Moreover, we’ve shown that the military wastes and “loses” (cough) trillions of dollars. See this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this and this.
Reuters notes:
$8.5 trillion in taxpayer money doled out by Congress to the Pentagon since 1996, the first year it was supposed to be audited, has never been accounted for. That sum exceeds the value of China’s economic output last year.
The People Want Peace, But D.C. Wants War
For the first time, a majority of Americans think that we should never have started the war in Afghanistan. As the Washington Post reports:
Americans express near-record discontent and regret over the 13-year war in Afghanistan, during which 2,289 U.S. troops have died and more than 19,000 have been wounded, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. Fully 66 percent of Americans say the battle, which began with nearly unanimous support, has not been worth fighting
***
In a separate Associated Press-GfK poll released Wednesday, 57 percent of Americans said the United States did “the wrong thing” in going to war with Afghanistan, with mixed feelings toward keeping troops in the country past 2014.
The same is true in Iraq.
And the American people don’t want to go to war against Syria, Iran or anywhere else.
But D.C. politicians do a lot of fundraising from defense contractors and make a lot of money from inside trading related to military spending.
And war helps distract people from the economic mess that the politicians are largely responsible for (the old distraction trick.)
And so – as the L.A. Times, Mother Jones and Counterpunch report – Washington has just passed a budget which will strip away the so-called “sequester defense cuts”, and gear up for a new series of wars.
As usual, government policy will make the rich richer and everyone else poorer.
It will keep the bloated defense industry fat and happy … while making everyone else poorer, and gutting the civilian economy.
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exactly
If you have ever entered an elevator in any Congressional office building there is inevitably an officer in uniform in the elevator with you and it is not an elevator operator------it is always a colonel or general making the rounds to visit Congressmen and staffers for the purpose of lobbying for pet projects. No wonder the US has the largest Defense budget of any nation by a wide margin, more than all others combined .
But how come we are not always victorious and must rely on drones that are rather cheap to operate, indescrimanent and cause civilian casualties which makes the US disliked by friend and foe . Bottom line is if war is no longer about winning territory in a short timeframe, why do we need a continuous massive defense budget without any declared wars that require sacrifice by Americans in the form of higher taxes to fund the war effort , a draft system that shares human sacrifice and a common objective for defeating and ending a war ? The alternative is slowly drowning in debt with stalemated military engagements ala the Soviet Union
It's a make-work program for the marginally employable.
Earthlings: Either vote the bastards out of office or shut up and bend over.
We're free to vote: for scumbags.
Don't blame me. I voted for Kodos.
You just don't get it, do you.
Only the vote counter's votes count.
Deleted for now
30+ years and you idiots still think voting works..
... ever since JFK was voted out.
No critical thought is welcome. Each US citizen's job is to get as stupid as possible. Generational warfare.
Just ask George, who knows better — http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIraCchPDhk — and until the American people do, the status (statist) quo will be perpetuated until its collapse wipes most of us out.
It's already happened morally and, increasingly, financially, with death not far behind.
But it is what it is.
Oh, it's a gradual process. From the backwaters where it's always been a rigged game to places where old style Progressives cleaned it up, it's all going that way.
"War is a racket." Butler
The racket is more debt.
The racketeers are those that own the debt.
We've been at war since we became a country.....you'd think that we would do it better and more cost effectively
2 - medals of honor
Semper Fi
–Norm Franz
Comrades:
It is with great pride in the accomplishments of our brave ministries of truth and peace that we announce a well deserved change of underwear all round.
Form a circle grasping hands with your comrades on either side... now take of your underwear and give it to the person on your right.
Accept new underwear from the person on your left.
God bless us all
- Big Bro
Well this seems fairly important:
"A federal agent who exposed the Justice Department’s flawed gun-trafficking investigation known as Operation Fast and Furious says the FBI played a key role in events leading to the 2010 murder near Nogales, Ariz., of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry.
John Dodson, a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, contends that the bandits who killed Terry were working for FBI operatives and were sent to the border to do a drug rip-off using intelligence from the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.
“I don’t think the (FBI) assets were part of the rip-off crew,” Dodson said. “I think they were directing the rip crew.”
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/20131226fast-furious-agent-terry-killing-book.html?nclick_check=1
Yes, he's written a book and offering it for sale...but still...
Once complete Comrades, resume digging beets.
Forward
And those compassionate Democrats voted for a budget bill that cut extended unemployment benefits, which will make employment "look" better when it is worse.
Which means that people will have to take minimum wage jobs slogging for the Corporatocracy whose profits are at all time highs. So who do the "Democrats" represent again?
And the Republicans, with their Billy Munster all grow'ed up Paul Ryan, happily spend more and increase the debt to help out the Military Industrial Complex which is gleefully spying on U.S. Citizens and bombing wedding parties in Yemen.
CONgress has adopted a new preamble:
"Of the Corporations, by the Corporations, for the Corporations."
Democrats are such hypocrites....march for peace when a Republican is in control and suddenly become 'Patriots' when the Democrats run things.....it's sickening
"Which means that people will have to take minimum wage jobs slogging for the Corporatocracy whose profits are at all time highs."
Some will do that, but many will more than likely see the boundless opportunities and numerous tax advantages available by engaging in the last vestige of entrpreneurship........crime. Got guns?
To anyone considering that prospect... please pick your victims wisely. Don't rob or abuse the rest of us since we are in the same boat. Please find a big banker or fortune 500 type. A jury of your peers will be more willing to forgive, unless bribed appropriately.
Yes, good point; drug running, car theft, home invasions, muggings, etc.
12 Gauge, .45, 9 mm, .38.
True, The only people on government support who can count on that support continuing are prison inmates. As long as the bribes from the private prison industry keep getting paid.
BusinessWeek and Bloomberg point out that we could slash military spending without harming our national security. Indeed, we could slash boondoggles that even the generals don’t want.
But senators want these, because votes ain't cheap!
FORWARD POLITISCHES GEFÄNGNIS!
Not long ago the reason they gave for continued production of nuclear submarines was because they were needed in the war on terrorism. They don't care if you don't believe them anymore.
when is it not?
Digging graves = shovel ready employment
Since when do the people want peace? Didn't you hear Ron Paul nearly getting booed off the stage for suggesting that maybe we should observe the Golden Rule when it comes to our foreign policy? The people want to go kick some ass! USA!USA!USA!
Gawd, we're fucked.