Cut the Military Budget-By Barney Frank

[kpete]

Cut the Military Budget--II
Comment
By Barney Frank

This article appeared in the March 2, 2009 edition of The Nation.
February 11, 2009

..............

The math is compelling: if we do not make reductions approximating 25 percent of the military budget starting fairly soon, it will be impossible to continue to fund an adequate level of domestic activity even with a repeal of Bush's tax cuts for the very wealthy.

I am working with a variety of thoughtful analysts to show how we can make very substantial cuts in the military budget without in any way diminishing the security we need. I do not think it will be hard to make it clear to Americans that their well-being is far more endangered by a proposal for substantial reductions in Medicare, Social Security or other important domestic areas than it would be by canceling weapons systems that have no justification from any threat we are likely to face.

So those organizations, editorial boards and individuals who talk about the need for fiscal responsibility should be challenged to begin with the area where our spending has been the most irresponsible and has produced the least good for the dollars expended--our military budget. Both parties have for too long indulged the implicit notion that military spending is somehow irrelevant to reducing the deficit and have resisted applying to military spending the standards of efficiency that are applied to other programs. If we do not reduce the military budget, either we accustom ourselves to unending and increasing budget deficits, or we do severe harm to our ability to improve the quality of our lives through sensible public policy.

more at:
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090302/frank

[snappyturtle]

1. K&R Thanks Barney! However, this proposal makes far too much sense.

I'd like the military/Pentagon, whoever, to tell us which threat demands the budget they extract in larger proportions every year. Who are the evil doers?

[Tigermoose]

2. This is a no-brainer

But since it is rational the Republicans will fight it tooth and nail.

[wroberts189]

3. PLEASE !!!!!!! knr

[GrannyK]

4. Too late to rec.

Kicking anyway.