Honest question: If SS is the proverbial third rail, what exactly is our defense budget?

[Liberal Veteran]

The Arc of the Covenant?

I realize this is a preaching to the choir moment here, but wouldn't it be refreshing if slashing the defense budget was the discussion rather than austerity measures?

If tax hikes on the wealthy is anathema to our government, might we not look at our military spending for a few extra pennies instead of pulling food out of people's mouths and telling transplant patients to go home and die and telling our teachers they should work for slave wages?

Is there something I am missing here?

[kestrel91316]

1. It's the Holy Grail.

[Justitia]

2. Invisible, apparently. -eom

[JackRiddler]

10. Stealth technology, best not to talk about it.

[Jack Sprat]

3. The Mother Lode, Arc of the Covenant, Holy Grail

all are good symbolism. I know the Pentegon is where most of Congress worships.

Personally, I would call the Defense Dept the "Untouchables".

The Joint Chiefs lead a chorus of "We are the world" each morning.

[Oasis_]

4. It's mistakenly viewed as weak

and unpatriotic to even advance the idea of slowing the growth of DoD and and related spending, much less attempt to actually freeze or cut it.

The next time you're chatting with a Reptilican, ask them why austerity measures NEVER apply to the military. Your responses will vary from stone cold silence to visceral rage.

If we applied the same tactics to proposed SS or Medicare spending, we may just get somewhere.

We don't--and then wonder why it's always OUR programs we have to fight tirelessly to defend.

Oasis

[phasma ex machina]

5. The ghost rails (pluralized to try to account for it's sheer size).

The space between the rails, you know, invisible.

[Angry Dragon]

6. It is the republican god

and it seems it may becoming the democratic god also

be afraid .......... all the world is out to get the US

[phasma ex machina]

7. Violence is actually Anglo-America's state god.

It is the divine right of presidents to fight for freedom by killing people to free them from their mortal coil.

[defendandprotect]

8. MIC is the elephant in the room -- the true feeders at the teats of government -- !!

Bring the troops home -- cut the MIC budget in half --

[Fearless]

9. Corporate cash cow.

[muriel_volestrangler]

11. It's the unexploded WW2 bomb that no-one dares to try to defuse

It's been sitting there for decades, with everyone saying "someone else can deal with that".

Yeah, it's because patriotism is big in the USA, and patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel. So any crappy politician will seize on an attempt to discuss cutting the defense budget as "my opponent is unpatriotic!"

The less kneejerk patriotism in a democratic country there is, the easier it is to cut a defense budget in a rational way.

[Octafish]

12. It's the train on the track.

What else do we "do" anymore, besides war?

[chill_wind]

13. War and mayhem.. It's our primary export and jobs program.

Growth continues to be good.

[mmonk]

14. The real entitlement.

They are entitled to profit from it.