The View from the Meadow

Observations of the Passing Scene

Political and Social Commentary by Dave Satre

DEFENSE SPENDING SOARING
Is it Worth the Cost?

"In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist."

Dwight Eisenhower -- farewell address in 1961

American taxpayers pay for almost half - approximately 48 percent - of the entire world's defense spending. The U.S. defense budget for 2007 is about double the combined military spending of the next six most powerful countries in the world. Defense is important, but should it really be that expensive? To the point that, as the world’s richest nation, we have lousy roads, poor schools, and no healthcare? Why is America squandering so much of its financial resources on the military instead of its people and infrastructure?

There is currently no single country actually threatening America and a traditional military solution will never solve the terrorist situation. To support our traditional military as the only solution to terrorism, and to the extent that we can’t afford such programs as healthcare, schools and social security, is just plain ridiculous. If the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were settled, the problem of terrorism could be adequately dealt with by CIA and FBI officers and law enforcement agents. This is an entirely different kind of effort. Bombs, planes and expensive military equipment will not stop terrorists.

skyrocketed since 2001 since Bush took office. Increasing costs for veterans care and accelerating interest on the national debt caused by the Republicans’ spending policies are adding $$billions to the national budget.

Bush pushed for a $650 billion defense budget for 2008. The progressives in the House of Representatives are protesting the overblown military and security department budgets, but even most of the Democrats lack the courage or the integrity to take a stand against military spending. The Republicans seem too controlled by GW and his boys to take a stand opposing anything.

community’s budget reached $44 billion in 2006 and is expected to top $48 billion in 2008. It’s not likely to go down under the current regime.

Much of this money is being wasted; it’s disappearing into the cracks of the system – just like in Iraq and New Orleans. It’s part of the plan in Washington, it’s the way funds change hands under the table and, apparently, just about everybody’s in on it!

A large part of defense spending is targeted for top-secret, ultra-expensive weapons programs. Many of these systems are redundant, unneeded, and a huge waste of trillions of tax dollars unless, of course, you’re among the invested in the defense industry and stand to make a profit. The Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation reports the 2008 budget will include $44 billion for 28 weapons systems.

The "star wars" missile-defense system is among the worst examples. It’s been around since the Reagan years and, despite the fact that the country has dumped an estimated $11 billion per year into this sinkhole ever since, it’s never been successfully tested. When Bush tells Russians that the missile defense system will not be a threat to them --- he isn’t kidding!

The number of black budget programs in government agencies has continued to expand since 9/11. These are budgets which, for a wide variety of excuses – some actually valuable – operate in varying degrees of secrecy. The black budget does not contain dollar amounts, which makes it impossible to track spending, and other various passages are blacked out. This amounts to an open invitation for graft and corruption. Black budget spending, which includes the CIA, the Defense Intelligent Agency, military research funding and the National Security Agency, can top $30 billion per year.

There has been some political activity concerning military spending in Congress. Senators Kerry, Leahy and Dorgan introduced a bill in Feb 2007 to stop “war profiteering” through no-bid contracts and cronyism. It includes fines of up to $1 million and 20 year prison sentences.

Legislation has been proposed to expand the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act of 2000 (MEJA), which has been largely ignored, to include all contractors in a war zone, not just mercenaries. Contractor deaths are not included in the US death count, which helps to hide the true costs of the war. Private security forces in Iraq have cost US taxpayers nearly $4 billion. They have also been able to operate in secrecy, which means criminal activity can go undocumented and unpunished.

requiring strict rules of engagement for mercenaries. It also requires the DoD to arrest contractors suspected of criminal behavior and turn them over to local authorities for prosecution.

America has become Orwell's 1984, where the government keeps the country at war through a continuous series of preemptive attacks in distant and obscure places -- while using the wars as an excuse to control the national treasury. Now we are being similarly duped! And Big Brother is also attempting to diminish our freedoms as American citizens by claiming national security issues.

It’s all about the money --- any excuse will do in D.C. if it taps a government trough. Military spending is the dream spigot of government troughs. Anything goes and the special interest, under-the-table deals in Washington that are squandering the nation’s treasury are the name of the game.

We have seemingly become a nation of the blind following the stupid and greedy; and have fallen for Bush’s hidden agenda hook, line and sinker. Don’t be mislead by the military spending issues; Bush and Cheney have all sorts of other surprises still hidden on that agenda. If they aren’t stopped things are going to get much worse.

Dave Satre
View from the Meadow
6-17-7