Six hundred and eighty five billion dollars.

That is how much the United States of America spent on its military and defnse budget last year.

This amount is not met by any other nation.

We are no longer engaged in a Cold War with a Soviet Union.

China comes next in terms of a military budget, but at one hundred and fifteen billion dollars for its defense, it is not even close to beating us.

However, very few people, once elcted to office, even dare to mention cutting any part of this budget.

When Dennis Kucinich tried last year to trim back the budget by 10 billion dollars, by shutting down the infamous "Star War" program, the defense program that repeatedly fails in test after test, he was accused by his Republican colleagues of being "unAmerican" "unpatriotic" and also of "destroying a vital aspect of our national defense efforts."

But Kooch quipped back that you simply cannot destroy something that is not broken.

This military budget needs trimming. And it is not a difficult thing,k if Big Money from private contractors did not control the situation. Were Halliburton and Kellogg Brown and Root not controlling so many of our Congress people and Senators, we would not be floating so much money to them.

These outfits charge the military bases in Iraq $ 100 for a load of laundry. Should a GI attempt to save the nation this money, by dfoing his or her own laundry, they can be given KP duty and even court martialed.

People working for these two outfits often make more than $ 500 a day, while the GI's stationed in the same areas, doing the same work, make little more than $ 2,000 a month.


All of this is more proodf that we have become an oligarchy. Our legislators at all levels have sold us out, and the individual states and individual citizens suffer.

active duty and retiree pay and benefits.

PB

Think of where it could go.

States with high deficits could be helped.

Using my own state, California, as an example, here are programs that are hurting right now - before the trillion dollar cuts that will soon be enacted because fo this phoney baloney debt ceiling, deficit "crisis."


In the News : California
Budget cuts mean fewer firefighters to fight California wildfires
The Sacramento Bee | by Peter Hecht | August 1, 2011
As California closed a gaping budget deficit this year with sweeping cuts to numerous agencies, it saved $34 million by cutting 750 seasonal Cal Fire firefighters.


In the News : California
California budgets cuts endanger state's medical marijuana eradication program (edit: perhaps a silver lining to a very black cloud?)
The New York Times | by Zusha Elinson | July 29, 2011
The state budget signed by Gov. Jerry Brown last month eliminates the state’s Campaign Against Marijuana Planting financing as part of the widespread cuts to programs in law enforcement, courts and social services.

In the News : California
California court administrators clash with judges over cuts
The Los Angeles Times | by Maura Dolan | July 23, 2011
Judicial leaders OK $350 million in cuts that will close some courthouses, reduce hours, and delay civil trials, custody decisions and divorces. Hardest-hit will be San Francisco and San Joaquin counties.


In the News : California
California redevelopment agencies sue to block budget plan
The Sacramento Bee | by Kevin Yamamura | July 20, 2011
Redevelopment agencies filed suit in California Supreme Court to prevent California from squeezing $1.7 billion out of nearly 400 local entities to help solve the state's budget deficit.

The above reports fail to mention the social workers, teachers, librarians, management and planning people, police personnel, et al who have been pink slipped. My county had eighteen percent unemployment fifteen months ago - I have no idea how high the rate is now. But I personally know far more people now who are unemployed.

We sure need all those submarines, don't we?

Statistic, and couldn't find it.

Good to know we can easily beat up the next forty contending nations.

the best we have managed since were messy stalemates, followed by occupation and massive boondoggles where we pour mass quantities of MONEY into the pockets of corrupt puppet governments.

And I was stunned to see that the United States didn't just spend more than the other countries, but we spent more than the next 40 countries combined!!

I came out of my chair and wondered how the hell that happened.
Well, the same way they passed the stinking Patriot Act, and the stinking Bush Tax Cuts, and everything else that stunk bad when Bush was in office.

k/r

Especially knowing that Homeland Security is doing its best to keep foreign terrorists and their explosives out of our body cavities!

I meant to say

But Kooch quipped back that you simply cannot destroy something that is already totally busted."

we threatened to withdraw!" That's a popular one to try to keep things status quo.

And where we need to go from here, I have become convinced that we need a total major healing.

And especially, a respite from political parties.

The Native American tribe, the Mohawk nation, that inspired Benjamin Franklin, was ruled by the tribe's favorite grandmothers. (forgetting if it was twelve or thirteen women.)

I love that idea.