Americans overwhelmingly favor big defense cuts

[NeoConsSuck]

Source: CNN Money

With annual budget deficits now routinely topping $1 trillion, a majority of Americans favor cutting defense spending, according to a new survey.

The survey, conducted by the Center for Public Integrity, the Program for Public Consultation and the Stimson Center, shows that 90% of Democrats and 67% of Republicans want less spending at the Pentagon.

According to the survey, in which respondents were told about the size of the budget as well as shown expert arguments for and against spending cuts, two-thirds of Republicans and nine in 10 Democrats supported making immediate cuts — a position at odds with the leaderships of both political parties.

The average total cut was around $103 billion, a substantial portion of the current $562 billion base defense budget, while the majority supported cutting it at least $83 billion. These amounts both exceed a threatened cut of $55 billion at the end of this year under so-called "sequestration" legislation passed in 2011, which Pentagon officials and lawmakers alike have claimed would be devastating.



Read more: http://economy.money.cnn.com/2012/05/10/americans-overwhelmingly-favor-big-defense-cuts/?iid=HP_LN

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I cannot fathom how a majority of Americans do not agree with Republican ideas, yet time and time again, vote for them over a Democrat.

[truthisfreedom]

1. Mittens seems wonderfully out of touch.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

2. "I cannot fathom how ..." Diebold n/t

[rhett o rick]

3. Since when does it make a shite what the people like? We live in an oligarchy. nm

[harun]

10. If we lived in a Democracy it might matter, but we don't.

[quakerboy]

4. I can

Two factors come into play:

1) many or most Americans are not aware of what Republican ideas really are, of the facts of how they govern, and the consequences of their actions. All they know is their friends, their family, etc, are republican, "morality" blah blah blah.

2) Democrats have not done a good job of differentiating ourselves. The American democratic party positions closely hug those of the American Republican party in many ways. Both parties are against a 55 billion cut, even while the fast majorities of the voters for both parties favor far larger cuts. Since our elected Democrats and Republicans agree on this issue, why would a voter chose one over the other based on this issue?

[JBoy]

5. Seriously, I don't know how "cut defense spending" and "tax the rich"

aren't overwhelmingly winning proposals.

[on point]

6. To paraphrase Rumsfeld: You wage empire with the budget you have. $400 Billion/yr - more than enough

[Suji to Seoul]

7. Songun is a policy in North Korea called "military first." We've had this policy since the Cold War

Isn't time we start putting people first instead the avarice and greed of the MIC, PIC, EIC and HIC?

I forgot. I'm just an America hating Socialist.

PIC: Prison Industrial Complex (Corrections Corporation of America, et al)
EIC: Educational Industrial Complex (Pearson, Houghton Miffin, et al)
HIC: Health Industrial Complex (Atena, BC/BS, Kaiser, et al)

[RitchieRich]

8. Thanks

for taking the time to spell those out. Didn't know.

[L0oniX]

9. "defense" LOL yea right ...defense for who?

The jobless and homeless need some defense too.