From TomDispatch

August 16, 2011
Tomgram: Chris Hellman, The Pentagon's Spending Spree

China just launched a refitted Ukrainian aircraft carrier from the 1990s on its first test run -- and that’s what the only projected "great power" enemy of the U.S. has to offer for the foreseeable future.  In the meantime, the U.S. Navy has 11 aircraft carrier task forces to cruise the seven seas and plans to keep that many through 2045.  Like so much else, when it comes to the American military, all comparisons are ludicrous.  In any normal sense, the United States stands alone in military terms.  Its expenditures make up almost 50% of global military spending; it dominates the global arms market; and it has countless more bases, pilotless drones, military bands, and almost anything else military you’d care to mention than does any other power.

In other words, comparisons can’t be made.  The minute you try, you’re off the charts.  And yet, in purely practical terms, when you take a shot at measuring what the overwhelming investment of American treasure in the military, the U.S. intelligence community, the Department of Homeland Security, and the rest of our national security establishment has actually bought us, you come up with a series of wars and conflicts headed nowhere and a series of post-9/11 terror attacks generally so inept it hardly mattered whether they were foiled or not.

Still, when it comes to cutting the U.S. national security budget, none of this seems to matter.  The Pentagon “cuts” presently being discussed in Washington are largely in projected future growth, not in real funds (which continue to rise) -- and even then, the Pentagon and its many boosters in Washington are already crying bloody murder.  Give some credit for all this to the giant weapons makers and to the military itself: both have so carefully tied military-related jobs into so many state economies that few congressional representatives could afford to vote for the sorts of real cutbacks that would bring perhaps the most profligate institution on the planet to heel and yet still leave the country as the globe’s military giant.  You want, for instance, to cut back on that absolutely crucial Navy acrobatic flying team, the Blue Angels.  (What would we all do without dramatic military flyovers at our major and minor sporting events?) Count on it, hotel keepers in Florida will be on the phone immediately!  Add in the veneration of American soldiers and you have a fatal brew when it comes to serious budget cutting.

Absurdity, logic. Neither seems to matter. Still, the financial basics remain eye-opening, as TomDispatch regular Chris Hellman of the National Priorities Project makes clear. Tom

Comments

[warren,]

Defense Spending supports Gainful Jobs at Companies like Raytheon. The Welfare State Creates only Misery and Pathetic Whiners... Technology advances exponentially with Reserch and Development. Welfare produces Generations of Incompetants fit only for Slavery...but that was the Original ( UnSpoken ) Intent behind Welfare was'nt it?

Here is another Pig Tale!

http://www.geoffmetcalf.com/790.html

Beware of Federal Corn, The Bacon You Save may be Your Own!

[toonist]

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/08/15/1006274/-Tea-Party-Tim-and-Plutocrat-Pete ........

[warren,]

Class Envy and Srife, Says it so aptly Toonist. Free Your Mind, Man. You talk of the Rich Oppressing the Poor and all I can Hear is Your Chains rattling.

[toonist]

Yes warren it IS class warfare. And the rich has declared it on us! Declared it on us by purchasing an army of politicians and sending them to march on the lower class in order to destroy them. Destroy them by taking their basic needs for survival. These politicians say a poor woman CANNOT have birth control paid for by their insurance companies, which are owned by the rich. But the politicians say it's ok for the insurance companies to cover the cost of Viagra so that they, and the rich, can't get the erections and inpregnate the lower class women. Then they tell these women we don't want you to get an abortion because god don't like that. BUT when the child is born they say we ain't gonna support that baby you should have taken precautions! So let it starve and die! Economic genocide! You must be proud to be on their side.

[toonist]

Oh and how many weapons do we need? We have more than enough to destroy this planet ten times over?

[warren,]

So Will You Keep the Baby? Just Name the Father and He'll be forced to pay Child support. The best contraceptive has always been the word NO!.... but I guess it's a little late now. You can always sign up for WIC, I suppose.

[warren,]

Oh, Don't forget about Food Stamps & Heating Assistance. You might even Qualify for more... Cash Payments and a even place to live.

[toonist]

Why punish the poor for a debt that was incurred by giving the rich some serious tax breaks during the Bush years? And also a debt which grew due to us invading another country! The WRONG country at that! Question to Mr. warren: Are you very rich?

[warren,]

Poverty will never be eliminated. We will always have the poor in Spirit, Talent, Education ( - no matter how much is spent on Schools ) and yes, Money. I am an Independent and Never had much "Love" for Bush I or II. They were just preferable to the alternatives at the Time. I've voted for Third Candidates, knowing full well They did not have a chance. Apart from Ronald Reagan, who may not have been Perfect...and NO Man is.
We have not had a Good President since Calvin Coolidge and Warren Harding, well maybe Eisenhower...and JFK was OK for a Dem. He was Patriotic. So was Bobby. ( Ted Sucked all'round! )
The Finest Document Ever Created ( By Man ) for the Governance of Man is Still the U.S. Constitution, and I'll Stand by That.
I believe War, when necessary, shoud be Clearly Defined and Fought to be Won as Quickly as possible. If We have to Totally Demolish a "Monte Cassino" or two, Oh well! No Quarter to the Enemy! As to My "Wealth", I have most Things a Man could ask for...but not All. I never Gamble or play the Lottery. Apart from the Appalling Decline of Productive Jobs since the 80's,
Which is the Fault of BOTH Political Parties...I'm basically Happy. My advice is never to be Jealous or Envious of the Next Guy. If He's done wrong, He will "Get His" sooner or Later.

[toonist]

Possibly the rich are envious and jealous of the next guy who may be poor in monetary worth but rich in happiness? As for my politics....kinda like Gov. Ventura: Fiscal Conservative and Social Liberal....wish he'd run!

[warren,]

Nothing Like a Populist to Stir the Masses. If You believe in Social Justice, Join an Outreach Group or Donate to Charity. Get Involved in One, or Start One. This is Good, and also How it was Once. The Catholic Church built Berlin's Old Hospital, Right? Carnegie Gave Money for Our Library. The Brown Co. built a School....This is How it was All across America before Govt. Intervention. What does Big Govt. do Well? Nothing... except waste O.P.M. They can not even make a Profit by Mailing a Letter! Emmis!