Posted on 11/19/2010 6:15:35 PM PST by speciallybland
Washington (CNN) -- There is a looming rift on the right as many newly elected Republican congressional members want defense spending on the chopping block as they head to Capitol Hill, a position not shared by some of the old school Republicans in Congress.
Military and foreign policy analysts see the incoming group as game-changers in the Republican party.
"Within the Republican party, with the rising Tea Party caucus, you're going to see, I think, very confusing but interesting politics on this issue over the next couple of years," said Gordon Adams, a professor of foreign policy at American University.
"The reality is if the Republicans want agreement in their caucus and if they want to join with the Democrats in any way in an effort of deficit reduction all of these pieces need to be on the table and that means defense."
Sen.-elect Rand Paul, the Kentucky Republican who has been outspoken on the matter, has broken from the traditional Republican party line on the issue of defense spending.
"Republicans traditionally say, oh, we'll cut domestic spending, but we won't touch the military. The liberals, the ones who are good, will say, 'Oh, we'll cut the military, but we won't cut domestic spending," Paul said on ABC's "This Week." "Bottom line is you have to look at everything across the board."
Praising Paul earlier this month for saying he would go after defense waste, Sen. Tom Coburn , R-Oklahoma, called taking defense spending off the table "indefensible."
"We need to protect our nation, not the Pentagon's sacred cows," Coburn wrote in an op-ed in the Washington Examiner.
Paul and Coburn are not alone. Taking aim at programs tacked onto the defense spending bill, that are not requested by the Pentagon, Sen.-elect Pat Toomey, R-Pennsylvania, echoed calls to cut waste.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
There is a lot of nonsense that can be cut from the DoD. Problem is, the DoD doesn’t cut the bull, they cut weapon systems and essential personnel.
CNN trying to create rifts and divides here...
I think there are plenty of efficiencies in DOD that could indeed yield some significant savings in the budget. I feel very confidant that with a Republican majority in the House there will not be irresponsible cutting of the defense budget and I do not believe the Country will be in jeopardy if we do take a hard look at what we are really spending money on.
It’s reasonable to put everything on the table for consideration, with decisions on what gets cut after some proper analysis.
Our military is about the only thing that is efficient in this friggen country any more. The basic pay is 22,000. 22K.....
When I was in the Navy the goal was to spend as much as you could because if you didn’t they would assume you didn’t need the money and next year’s budget would be smaller. This thinking isn’t unique to the Navy. I’m pretty confident you could slash budgets across the entire realm of government and true effectiveness wouldn’t be affected in the slightest.
There are still military bases in Europe that can be closed down creating major cost saving opportunities. The bulk of the military budget cost is not weapons systems but the actual boots on the ground.
btw - the Russians aren’t going to be invading Europe for any reason given their own aging and declining population. They have too much money to make by overcharging for natural gas and gobs of oil to sell. Engaging in aggressive and expensive military adventures does not fit their long term interests.
I am ALL for a strong military and an effective National Defense. However, there is plenty of room for significant budget cuts.
The DoD, like any other gooberment bureaucracy, has thousands of unneeded bureaucrats and billions of $$$ in wasteful spending.
Support our troops, provide them the equipment they need to do the job; but cut out all the bullsqueeze!
DoD knows this was coming, and they have been asked to cut $200 billion out of their budget by the Secretary of Defense. They have been far less clueless than any other government agency at any level, as far as I know. But their original plans this year were for a budget freeze rather than 2-3% increases every year. Now, after the elections, they need to plan far more aggressively.
But will end up not being a problem with the Dod as much as it will be in congress, because decisions are not made only within defense. It goes back to whose districts are going to get gored.
In far too any cases DoD budget = Pork.
So, ya, let there be cuts - stating with Europe, NATO, South Korea and so on.
The congress has always used the military budget to hide ear marks they call special projects, but are really just more ear mark pork. The dumb blond senator in tenny shoes had three boats built for the navy that the navey did not want and have never used.
2. Eliminate the following Federal Departments/Agencies: DHHS, Transportation, HUD, Education, Energy, Agriculture, Commerce, Labor, Interior, EPA, SSA, National Science Foundation (WTF?), Corps of Engineers, National Infrastructure Bank (WTF?), Corporation for National Community Service (WTF?), Small Business Administration, General Services Administration, Other Agencies, Other ($501.3Bn)
3. Cut the following “Mandatory Spending” by 25%: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Other ($500.7Bn)
4. You now have a $834.4Bn surplus to pay down the debt and reduce taxes.
I just saw this blurb today:
“Lockheed Martin awarded $3.48B government contract modification
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. is being awarded a $3.48B modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee contract. This modification converts contract type for the efforts described below from a cost-plus-incentive-fee to a fixed-price-incentive for the manufacture and delivery of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter low rate initial production Lot IV aircraft. “
I understand this cost plus business is, all they have to do is show expenses, get an auto % markup on top of this, regardless of results.
This doesn’t sound like a recipe for fiscal sanity at all. Or results, for that matter.
And which three are they?
And military retirees will probable wind up taking it in the shorts.
Is there such a thing??
Will it tear the Republican Party apart?!?!?!
MSM template No. 3
Nice try CNN.
Call me about defense spending cuts when the Educrats get cut 100 percent.
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