Archive for December, 2010

We face wrenching budget cutting in the years ahead, but there’s one huge area of government spending that Democrats and Republicans alike have so far treated as sacrosanct.

It’s the military/security world, and it’s time to bust that taboo.

The proposed figure for the Pentagon’s 2011 war chest includes, in addition to the base budget, $158.7 billion for what are now euphemistically referred to as overseas contingency operations: The military occupation of Iraq and the war in Afghanistan.

The $725 billion figure, although $17 billion more than the White House had requested, is not the final word on the subject, however, as supplements could be demanded as early as the beginning of next year, especially in regard to the Afghan war that will then be in its eleventh calendar year.

Even as it currently is, the amount is the highest in constant dollars (pegged at any given year’s dollar and adjusted for inflation) since 1945, the final year of the Second World War. With recent U.S. census figures at 308 million, next year the Pentagon will spend $2,354 for every citizen of the country at the $725 billion price tag alone.

Last year’s Pentagon budget, by way of comparison, was $680 billion, a base budget of $533.8 billion and the remainder for operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. In July of this year Congress approved the 2010 Supplemental Appropriations Act which contained an additional $37 billion for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

As Congress undertakes the process of making up a discretionary budget in response to the Administration’s recently proposed budget for FY  2006, the question arises of how well the proposed discretionary budget aligns with the priorities of the American public. To find out, the Program on International Policy Attitudes conducted a unique type of survey. Respondents were presented [...]

by Lacie Olson Reposted from The Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation The following graph details nine major deficit reduction proposals by program recommendation. For a larger view, download the PDF. Frank/Paul Sustainable Defense Task Force: The Sustainable Defense Task Force was formed in response to a request from Representative Barney Frank (D-MA), working in cooperation [...]

by Michael Snyder Reposted from BusinessInsider: Today, the United States has become the police of the world.  The U.S. military has a total of over 700 military bases in 130 countries around the world. Total military spending by the U.S. government is nearly equal to the combined military spending of the rest of the globe.  Meanwhile, [...]