From the Think Progress blog last evening:
The Sustainable Defense Task Force (SDTF) report released earlier this year... identified nearly $1 trillion in waste that can be cut from the defense budget over the next ten years simply by eliminating outdated Cold War-era programs.
Also, later, from an update to the article:
A defense consultant who was at a recent meeting about the defense budget at the Pentagon told Reuters that pressure from the president's deficit commission combined with the Tea Party mvovement may have a "significant impact in terms of accelerating the contraction in defense funding"...
That Tea Party may serve some good purposes yet, folks.
It's enough to give a person hope.
Link: http://thinkprogress.org/2010/10/13/kirk-reductions-defense-spending/
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3 comments:
The problem is that the left has never learned how to properly speak the language of the libertarian/deficit hawk wing of the right. Instead of saying, "Defense spending is out of control and we must cut it to save important social programs." they need to be saying, "We currently have military bases in over half the countries of the world. Many of those countries have over a dozen bases. We pay leases on those bases and our tax dollars feed their economies. It is time they pay their own way so we can spend that money defending our shores from terrorists." That is the kind of logic that gives tea partiers a half stiffy and makes them say "why aren't my people saying that too?"
I agree with everything you said except that the left wants to say "we must cut defense spending to save important social programs." Better than that, just say we have to cut spending because our spending is just out of control, period. That's splitting hairs a bit but an important difference.
thanks,
mr
oh, and I LOVE your blog. it was a terrific idea and great ongoing fun, period.
mr
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