Comments on: The Bipartisan Consensus of Military Spending http://blueherald.com/2008/01/the-bipartisan-consensus-of-military-spending/ News You Can Abuse! Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:52:36 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: QuestionGirl http://blueherald.com/2008/01/the-bipartisan-consensus-of-military-spending/#comment-3594 QuestionGirl Thu, 03 Jan 2008 01:06:41 +0000 http://blueherald.com/2008/01/the-bipartisan-consensus-of-military-spending/#comment-3594 My two best friends! My two best friends!

]]> By: researcher http://blueherald.com/2008/01/the-bipartisan-consensus-of-military-spending/#comment-3593 researcher Thu, 03 Jan 2008 00:53:40 +0000 http://blueherald.com/2008/01/the-bipartisan-consensus-of-military-spending/#comment-3593 Ben & Jerry’s American Pie is a pretty cool tool. Now I have a good reason to show my support and bye a pint. Ben & Jerry’s American Pie is a pretty cool tool. Now I have a good reason to show my support and bye a pint.

]]> By: Bro http://blueherald.com/2008/01/the-bipartisan-consensus-of-military-spending/#comment-3591 Bro Wed, 02 Jan 2008 20:52:14 +0000 http://blueherald.com/2008/01/the-bipartisan-consensus-of-military-spending/#comment-3591 The military-industrial complex finally found (or created) in the GWOT, global war on terror, a replacement for the cold war. The trade agreements of the 90s pretty much sealed our fate. What we do produce that is marketable outside our own country is not close to overcoming the massive and ever increasing trade deficits that are in part a result of those trade agreements. Our massive military spending is more a function of subsidizing our defense industries, ensuring they can continue to compete with those of Russia and China in the global market than it is providing security for our country. The real threat to our nation's security (economy) is a dwindling market share of arms sales to the global market. Our government has been successful at creating the instability (GWOT) required to provide a marketplace for our defense industries to peddle their products on the global market as evidenced most recently by the acquisition of jet fighters by Pakistan amid the chaos there. Remember chaos creates opportunity but the opportunity that our govt. has created also opens up Russia and China to market their products in this marketplace. Unless the US defense industries can maintain global market share all this money we are spending subsidizing our defense industries will merely be throwing good money after bad. The military-industrial complex finally found (or created) in the GWOT, global war on terror, a replacement for the cold war. The trade agreements of the 90s pretty much sealed our fate. What we do produce that is marketable outside our own country is not close to overcoming the massive and ever increasing trade deficits that are in part a result of those trade agreements. Our massive military spending is more a function of subsidizing our defense industries, ensuring they can continue to compete with those of Russia and China in the global market than it is providing security for our country. The real threat to our nation’s security (economy) is a dwindling market share of arms sales to the global market. Our government has been successful at creating the instability (GWOT) required to provide a marketplace for our defense industries to peddle their products on the global market as evidenced most recently by the acquisition of jet fighters by Pakistan amid the chaos there. Remember chaos creates opportunity but the opportunity that our govt. has created also opens up Russia and China to market their products in this marketplace. Unless the US defense industries can maintain global market share all this money we are spending subsidizing our defense industries will merely be throwing good money after bad.

]]> By: Batocchio http://blueherald.com/2008/01/the-bipartisan-consensus-of-military-spending/#comment-3590 Batocchio Wed, 02 Jan 2008 20:23:17 +0000 http://blueherald.com/2008/01/the-bipartisan-consensus-of-military-spending/#comment-3590 Ooh, cool! That was fun! Ooh, cool! That was fun!

]]> By: QuestionGirl http://blueherald.com/2008/01/the-bipartisan-consensus-of-military-spending/#comment-3588 QuestionGirl Wed, 02 Jan 2008 19:49:40 +0000 http://blueherald.com/2008/01/the-bipartisan-consensus-of-military-spending/#comment-3588 <a href="http://www.benjerry.com/americanpie/allocate.cfm" rel="nofollow">Ben and Jerry</a> have been harping on it for awhile now. lol It's true.... Ben and Jerry have been harping on it for awhile now. lol It’s true….

]]> By: Batocchio http://blueherald.com/2008/01/the-bipartisan-consensus-of-military-spending/#comment-3585 Batocchio Wed, 02 Jan 2008 17:45:52 +0000 http://blueherald.com/2008/01/the-bipartisan-consensus-of-military-spending/#comment-3585 I'm glad more folks are talking about this. I saw Chuck Spinney interviewed by Bill Moyers on <i>Now</i> a few years back, and never forgot it. Spinney was one of the few Pentagon insiders to criticize the waste there, and to testify about it. He mande some enemies over that! I was at a wedding last year where a military contractor was bemoaning the waste as well - and he profits by it. But it seemed so senseless to him. This is also why it's such a crock when anyone says we can't fund the arts or social programs. The Pentagon can't account for over <i>one trillion</i> dollars spent, and much of what they can account for is still wasted. It's easily possible to have a robust defense budget at a much lower cost. In most every case, the money is there, but they choose to spend it on, oh, Iraq at 2-3 billion per <i>week</i>. But meanwhile, most of the GOP candidates are talking about <i>increasing</i> the military budget. Hello, military-industrial complex! I’m glad more folks are talking about this. I saw Chuck Spinney interviewed by Bill Moyers on Now a few years back, and never forgot it. Spinney was one of the few Pentagon insiders to criticize the waste there, and to testify about it. He mande some enemies over that!

I was at a wedding last year where a military contractor was bemoaning the waste as well - and he profits by it. But it seemed so senseless to him.

This is also why it’s such a crock when anyone says we can’t fund the arts or social programs. The Pentagon can’t account for over one trillion dollars spent, and much of what they can account for is still wasted. It’s easily possible to have a robust defense budget at a much lower cost. In most every case, the money is there, but they choose to spend it on, oh, Iraq at 2-3 billion per week.

But meanwhile, most of the GOP candidates are talking about increasing the military budget. Hello, military-industrial complex!

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