A specific ? for TEA partiers and right wingers

[dead0man]

     While the topic question is not directed at me, I'd like to point out that right-wingers never consider cutting the military, which could easily have its funding cut by 90% with no adverse effects to anything.

90%?  So we don't fix sh**t when it breaks?  We cut pay and benifits to active duty and vets?  Nothing new again, ever.  I can agree the military needs to cut a lot of sh**t out, but 90% is insane.
Components                                       Funding           Change, 2009 to 2010  
Operations and maintenance              $283.3 billion    4.20%
Military Personnel                               $154.2 billion      5.00%
Procurement                                       $140.1 billion   −1.8%
R&D, Testing & Evaluation                   $79.1 billion     1.30%
Military Construction                           $23.9 billion     19.00%
Family Housing                                    $3.1 billion     −20.2%
Total Spending                                    $685.1 billion    3.00%

Good luck digging $600 billion out of there.

[dead0man]

k, I can agree with that......that might save us $100billion.  Just $500billion to go.

[dead0man]

k, I can agree with that......that might save us $100billion.  Just $500billion to go.

     Seriously, a 90% cut would bring us in line with other big military spenders worldwide, which seems more appropriate given that we are not particularly likely to be invaded en masse at any point in the foreseeable future. I'm not really seeing the point of the nearly $700 billion budget other than "it's the way it is currently".

If we cut it by 90% we'd be spending less than the PRC, the UK and France.  I agree with your basic point, we shouldn't spend so much on defense.  But your 90% number is totally unrealistic.  Even Barney Frank only wants a 25% cut.

[dead0man]

     Your point? I strongly doubt anything bad would happen if there were countries that spent more on their military than us.

"strongly doubt" will do wonders for Poland when there are T-90s in Warsaw.  Yeah, the US probably won't be invaded right away if we cut our military by 90%, but the world would be a totally different place and there would be invasions.  I agree, it's not the US's job to play "world police" and I agree, we should cut our military budget by many many billions, but 90% is, as I said, insane.

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If I insinuated the biggest military spender is the only country that can't be invaded I apologize.  I don't think I said that though.  The PRC spends a LOT on their military (they are a clear number 2)...but not to keep from being invaded (externally).