More billions requested for war . . . A grudging, miserly pittance for everything else

[bigtree]

January 22, 2010


PRESIDENT OBAMA is preparing to ask Congress for another $14.2 billion to grow, train and equip the Afghan National Security Forces for the remainder of this fiscal year and in fiscal 2011, according to a budget document obtained by CongressDaily.

The funding, outlined in a "pre-decisional" Pentagon budget document that still must receive the Office of Management and Budget's final approval, represents more than double the $6.6 billion already appropriated for fiscal 2010 for the Afghan army and police -- signifying the importance of training indigenous forces needed to permit an eventual U.S. military withdrawal.

According to the document, the Defense Department needs an additional $2.6 billion for the Afghan forces this year and $11.6 billion next year . . .

Besides the Afghan forces request, the Pentagon will ask for $1 billion to train and equip Iraqi forces in fiscal 2010 and another $2 billion in fiscal 2011 . . .

As part of the supplemental, the Pentagon also plans to ask for $1.1 billion in fiscal 2010 for Oshkosh Corp.'s mine-resistant all-terrain vehicles . . .

For fiscal 2011, the Pentagon wants $3.4 billion to sustain, upgrade, overhaul and test the thousands of mine-resistant vehicles that have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan . . .

Meanwhile, the Pentagon wants $18.9 billion more in fiscal 2010 to pay for increased operations in Afghanistan and support an average troop level there of 84,000 U.S. troops . . .

In fiscal 2011, $88.9 billion will be sought for operations to support average U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan of 102,000 and in Iraq of 43,000 . . .

The Pentagon's fiscal 2011 war request is also expected to include $21.3 billion to repair and replace equipment that has been lost or damaged in combat . . .

In addition, the Pentagon intends to ask for $1.3 billion in fiscal 2011 for the Commander's Emergency Response Fund, which gives military commanders money to address urgent local needs . . .


more: http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0110/012210cdam1.htm

[DrDan]

1. $14B for Afghan Security Forces . . . as we continue to underpay teachers - IF

they are lucky enough to keep their jobs.

and our bridges are falling apart.

and we reward crooked bankers with taxpayer money.

and we now let corporations drive elections.


We are SO SCREWED UP!!!!!!


If we could just get control of congress and the WH . . . .oh wait . . .

[GodlessBiker]

2. OMG. This has got to stop.

[Mari333]

3. knr for insanity.

and now with the SCOTUS ruling, you aint seen nothin yet (wars for profit)

[Moochy]

4. I for one welcome our "new" military industrial complex overlords

Same old story same old song and dance. Change you can't fucking recognize.

[whattheidonot]

8. military plan.

Military spending is supposedly part of a grand plan to bring neo-liberal business models to the world. Every time military spending goes up taxes on something has to go up. military spending unless you have an all out war and great taxation and limits on domestic spending(WW11) does not help the economy. The economy has to become the war for that to happen. We are now gradually draining domestic spending and do not have enough taxes to pay for the war because we are trying to run wars and an economy. It will not work. This grand plan to bring our business to the whole world has to revisited. Evidently we are seriously vested in it. It it is hard to get to the bottom of this question of why we are involved in all these wars in the Middle east. Pakistan and Africa. There is a lot more going on than Al Qeuda.

[Moochy]

9. .

post # 10,000 ... :yoiks:

[Echo In Light]

5. Sorrows of (dying) empire

[Arctic Dave]

6. FUCK THE MILITARY!!!!!!!

I am so sick of this shit!

Fuck the military apologist too!

[CrispyQ]

7. ...

[leftstreet]

10. Occupation is Hell n/t

[Greyhound]

11. He's failed at every other attempt to emulate a great leader, so why not try to

recreate one of FDR's biggest mistakes?

[gkhouston]

12. They should bury some clauses redefining the nature of corporate personhood

or corporate liability or money as speech or some such in the middle of this monstrosity. If it passes, we'll have at least a temporary patch on this week's horrible ruling. If it doesn't, less war spending. Boo hoo.