The Defense Budget Of The United States

The United States spends more money for national defense than all the nations in the world combined. Yet no other nation has sustained a terrorist attack on its land as severe as the one in America on 9/11. The attack could not have been prevented by our superior bombers, missiles or atomic warheads. As many Americans should know by now, our defense needs are not driven by strategic planning, which it should be but is instead driven by politics, a macho hawkish attitude by many in congress who never wore the uniform of their country and the Military-Industrial Complex President Eisenhower warned the country about over 50 years ago.

When any one tries to put military spending on the table we hear all the dire consequences that are going to happen to America. It took an attack such as 9/11 to prove the hawks were way off base and that our massive spending on equipment to fight a cold war that ended over 15 years ago was useless against terror tactics. It has also proved useless in the war in Iraq and Afghanistan and can be attested to by our brave men and women in uniform who witnessed first hand the devastation a home made road side bomb could inflict on our military equipment and personnel.

If our defense budget was based on strategic planning there is much that could be cut that would not weaken our national security. We can start by bringing our service people home who are stationed around the world such as in Europe and South Korea. Those troops have not been there for any strategic purpose for many years. Both South Korea and Europe has an economy that would allow them to do what ever is necessary militarily to protect their own country and alliances. The U.S. can better spend its money home and at a much reduced cost.

Retired Marine General Anthony Zinni who during the Clinton administration was Commander in Chief of U.S. Central Command(CENTCOM) from 1997-2000 and was responsible for all U.S. forces in a 25 country region including the middle east said this in an interview with Semper Fidelis magazine dated March-April issue in 2009 concerning troops stationed on Guam. Zinni said, that is the stupidest idea I've ever heard. Training our forces there are not good and they will be strategically stranded. The lifts comes from the U.S. whether its ships or planes. They would be better off in the U.S. near the strategic lift and where you have places they could train such as Twentynine Palms and Camp Pendleton. So you have a highly trained force that can get there just as fast, rather than have them stuck on some Island where they can't train. Its absolutely stupid. Its a decision based on politics, not on strategic sense.

Congress and the military should end their buddy, buddy relationship with defense contractors. We have cost overruns on most all major equipment and much equipment is obsolete before it can be used. This relationship has to change so the country's needs will be based on a strategic planning process. We should remember some of the following statements President Eisenhower made about the problem.

President Eisenhower speaking about the Military-Industrial Complex said we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications and went on to say. In the councils of government we must guard against the acquisition of unwarrented influence, whether sought or unsough, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic process. We should take nothing for granted. See Note 1.

The money that is made available by the military-industrial complex to our congressmen in the form of campaign contributions is deplorable. It is only for one reason and that is to influence increased defense spending. As General Zinni said, our plans are not driven by strategic planning but politics. The bottom line is our nation can dramatically reduce our military budget without harming our national defense. We should start by bringing all our troops home from foreign soil who are not there as part of a strategic plan. Than money savings and the fact that our troops can have the proper training here along with spending the reduced cost right here in the good old USA.

President Obama needs to make sure his administration deals with the ever increasing cost of the defense budget and make sure we are in a position to handle the threats we face today and in the future and move away from a cold war defense budget that makes no sense. Those who declare we can not cut the defense budget are not thinking of America best interest. Remember our men and women in uniform were not equipped to handle the dangers in Iraq and Afghanistan at a time when our military spending was at an all time high. It is past time our country addresses the problem.

Note 1: Taken from the book, JFK and the Unspeakable, page 137.

Osama Bin Laden Is Dead

The master mind of the 9/11 attack on the United States belatedly met his death 9 years and 8 months after that tragic event. President Obama announced that news on May 1 and said U.S. intelligence and our special forces teamed up, identified Bin Laden's compound and in the operation killed Bin Laden.

Obama said one of his first acts as President was to tell the CIA Director that bringing Bin Laden to justice was his number one priority. That justice came two years later and was a culmination of the stepped up activity of the CIA and the military in striking Al Queda along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region. It had been noted and reported in several news media publications that the attacks by our drone aircraft nearly tripled after Obama took office.

The death of Bin Laden is significant because it tells those who want to harm the U.S. that the U.S. has the resources to deal with terrorists and their leadership where ever they may be. The fact that our special forces went into Pakistan to engage Bin Laden demonstrates what presidential contender and now V.P. Joe Biden said during the campaign, that countries who support and harbor terrorists loose their sovereignty. That is a powerful message that now has teeth by the Obama administration.

This writer in previous commentaries mentioned how Bush and the republicans so called tough talk failed to keep America safe on 9/11. Coupled with the fact that after 9/11 Bush's focus was on Iraq and not the real problem of terror, Bin Laden was off the radar screen and Iraq became the all consuming war and the war on Terror was on the back burner.

Don't expect any republicans, especially those in congress to give Obama and his administration any credit for tracking down Bin Laden once and for all. On the contrary the republicans will turn up their opposition a notch and their personal attacks will become more vocal.

President Obama and his administration should stay focused on the economy and our national security. Tough talk is not necessary. It is what one says, how it is said and how it is implemented that counts. We don't need a show off President, we need one that is willing to do those things that really matter and make a difference for our country and its people.

Congratulations Mr. President on a job well done. Your focus on bringing Bin Laden to justice was the correct policy for America.

We Don't Have A Revenue Problem, We Have A Spending Problem: Source: The Republicans

The first statement is false. The second statement is true. The spending problem alluded to above happened on the watch of Reagan, Bush 41 and Bush 43 but the republicans won't tell America that. Spending was not a problem under Bill Clinton and was not a problem under the first fiscal year budget of President Obama as federal spending was down 1.6% compared to Bush 43 last fiscal year budget.

Federal spending for the past 30 plus years as reported here in politidose (see note 1) has gotten out of control on the republican watch, not the democratic watch. The problem is journalists in the news media never correct the republican lies about federal spending. Conservatives believe if they repeat the same lies over and over the people will accept those lies as fact. Too many voters have bought into those lies and are now discovering what the republican party is really up too especially the tee party people.

The federal government does have a revenue problem because of the trickle down economic ideology of Reagan, Bush 41 and Bush 43. Their tax cuts for the wealthy and corporate America reflect less taxes being paid to the federal government by both groups. Both groups income has sky rocketed while the income of the middle class has declined.

Reagan was first to proclaim the title of this commentary and then broke all deficit spending records at the time during his 8 years in office and the national debt increased 186% on his watch. He failed to tell the people it would be Reagan himself who gave Washington a "spending problem." During Reagans 8 years in office total federal spending increased 75%.

Those who speak for the republican party today have no character, no courage, no respect for the country or its people and no respect for the truth. They embrace an unAmerican ideology, are aware of its implications and are determined to kill any social program that helps America and its people.

The country and its people are fortunate that President Clinton came along when he did. If it were not for the Clinton administrations positive effect for the middle class I hate to think where the average American would be doing today.


Note 1: See Federal Spending: Facts vs. Myth, dated October 31, 2009

The Missing Link In The United States's Political System

President Obama was the best political candidate for the 2008 election over the republican field, and now as of this writing he is the best political candidate over any republican challenger so far for the 2012 Presidential election. However, what the country and the people need most now is a President Obama with the leadership and display of character and courage of President's Franklin Roosevelt, Truman and Kennedy.

All three former Presidents would have put these republicans we have today in their little boy places, concerning deficit spending, the national debt, divisive issues, the need for a active federal government where it counts, regulation and would have exposed the republican party's leadership for what they are, liars. They would have also taken on corporate America and their business monopolies head on and held them accountable for their misdeeds and unAmerican behavior.

President Obama's action on several issues with the republican party has lacked leadership and courage and has allowed the republicans to control the debate where they have no credibility what so ever. President Obama also has not properly dealt with corporate America's greed and their appetite for tax breaks they do not need or deserve.

The President needs to step up to the plate for the balance of his first term with leadership and courage to lead the way instead of letting the republicans control the agenda. The democrats control the White House and the U.S. Senate, that is 2/3 thirds of the federal government. It is time to lead and point out that the republican party has no positive record on any issues.

Top Louisiana Fishing Guide Had Late Learning Curve

In a Times Picayune story written by Staff Writer Bob Marshall titled. "The Tipping Point" was on target relating the story of Charter Captain Ryan Lambert and his battle with BP to be compensated for damage to his business resulting from the BP oil spill. Part of the head line of that story was Mr. Lambert trusted oil companies and was skeptical of environmentalists. The story in the opening paragraph says Ryan Lambert can distill his opinion of BP and the oil industry down to one word: liars.

Readers of politidose know from my past commentaries on the oil industry I came to that same conclusion years ago. It seems like it took a disaster like the BP spill to hit Mr. Lambert in the pocket book to realize the oil industry lies. Yet in the same story Mr. Lambert speaks about coastal erosion being a real problem. Because of the business Mr. Lambert is in he certainly had seen first hand the erosion problem, the destruction of wet lands and marsh and other environmental problems caused by oil industry operations. Mr. Lambert surely also witness first hand that the oil industry has not cleaned up their mess and restored the land like it was before the oil industry changed all that. I am surprised it took Mr. Lambert so long to come to his conclusion about BP and the oil industry.

If more people in the business Mr. Lambert is in would have spoken up years ago our environment in Louisiana would be a better place for all concerned. I applaud Mr. Lambert for speaking up now and telling his story. It needs to be told. It is my hope that Mr. Lambert receives the compensation that is due him for his losses. I have a gut feeling Mr. Lambert wishes he would have spoken up earlier.

Another First For Politidose

Lawrence O'Donnell's opening monologue on his show "The Last Word" on the evening of April 13 told his audience how the Republican's so called budget cutting plans are designed to end medicare and other successful democratic programs and do not really address the deficit problem or national debt. If that sounded familiar to his viewing audience it is because they read it here first on politidose many times over for the last two years.

Finally we have a journalist who has figured out what the republican party is really up to. It sad when one watches the Sunday news programs how so called experienced journalists have no clue. There was one smart democrat Senator who actually understood what the republican party were up to over 25 years ago. That Senator was Fritz Hollings from South Carolina. The Senator recognized that Reagan's record deficit spending spree and debt creation (at that time) was to starve the federal government of needed revenue so medicare, social security and other needed programs would have to be cut or eliminated. Hollings said that many times. That is what is behind the conservative ideology of tax cuts that benefit the wealthy.

The George W. Bush administration proved that while the republicans controlled both houses of congress. They rubber stamped Bush's record deficit spending and debt. They never once lifted a finger to control deficit spending, never once warned Bush about shutting down the government and always voted to increase the debt ceiling when it came due.

Now the country has a democrat President and the republicans threaten to shut down the government and not increase the debt ceiling. The republican budget presented in the U.S. House reduces the highest tax brackets for the wealthy and has $4 trillion in tax exemptions for Corporate America. They also propose to privatize social security and medicare. The warped un-American ideology of conservatives in the republican party is still the same, bankrupt the federal government to eliminate the programs the American people need.

Louisiana's Three Stooges In The U.S. Congress: David, Steve and Jeff

The original three stooges Moe, Larry and Curley were funny and did what they did best, make the people laugh. I still laugh when I watch their reruns. They were always faithful to their fans. The present republican three stooges that represent Louisiana in congress, David as in Vitter, Steve as in Scalise and Jeff as in Landry are not even funny. In fact their recent actions show their disdain for the people who elect them to office. All three show they are beholden to the oil industry and the oil lobby instead of the citizens who elect them to office. Vitter unveiled his republican energy plan that would give quicker approval of drilling in the gulf with limits on federal and judicial over sight. Just what the industry wants. He also laid out a rosy picture of new federal revenue, jobs and economic activity. Of course any one from Louisiana knows that prior to the BP spill the federal government's regulators were laxed. Vitter also knows that the offshore rig count for Louisiana dropped drastically on the watch of George W. Bush as reported here in politidose in several previous articles. Landry in a recent congressional hearing put on his oil industry hard hat and used harsh questions of BOEMRE director Michael Bromwich. Landry's own republican chairman of the committee, Doc Hastings had to put a stop to Landry's follow up questions they were so stupid and harsh. Landry also wants a speeded up permitted review and less regulation by the federal government which toe's the oil industry line. Scalise in a point of view editorial of 4/6 in the Times Picayune really showed his little boy "know nothing" mentality concerning a possible shut down of the federal government and cutting spending. He blames Senator Harry Reid and President Obama for not embracing the $100 billion cut in federal spending by the house even though Scalise knew the democrats would not accept that and leave trillions of dollars in tax exemptions for Corporate America untouched as Scalise supports. Now listen to this statement by Scalise, "It is clear that we have a major spending crisis on our hands." What Scalise failed to say was that crisis happened on George W. Bush's watch while the republicans controlled both houses of congress and also while Scalise was a member of the house. And Scalise and his republican little boy brothers were silent. Scalise failed to mention that the national debt more than doubled on Bush's watch. Scalise was silent about that also. He also leads the charge for the oil industry and wants to see less regulation. In fact the republican party has never seen a deficit they did not love. The three stooges owe their allegiance to corporate America and the oil industry. The are the ones who dole out millions every year to elected officials to get their way, especially for massive tax breaks and a lack of regulation. Scalise, Vitter and Landry have been silent all the years the oil industry has damaged our wetlands, marsh, coast and environment. That lack of action really tells their story. Those three stooges are not funny at all. The democrats need to slap their little boy faces and send them to the corner. Hopefully they can find a large enough dunce cap to fit on their swollen heads.

Part VI: Conservative Republican Presidents: Unfit To Govern: The Barack Obama Administration

President Obama took office in January of 2009 and immediately had to deal with the worst economic recession and record job losses since the great depression, rising unemployment and the meltdown of the financial industry of Wall Street. That was only the beginning. The President also had to deal with the largest federal deficit spending spree ever and the largest ever increase in the national debt by the Bush administration. No American President faced such a wide range of serious problems since President Franklin Roosevelt. At this time in the Obama Presidency one can not compare records because he has not even completed one full term in office. However, we can report what is known. His economic policy has turned the economy around despite republican opposition. The economy is creating jobs instead of loosing them and the GDP is in positive growth and stronger than predicted. Budget wise the Presidents first fiscal year budget that ended 9/30//10 can be compared to Bush's last fiscal year budget that ended 9/30/09. Total federal spending for Bush's last fiscal year budget was $3.52 trillion. Total federal spending for Obama's first fiscal year budget was $3.456 trillion, a reduction in federal spending of 1.6% over Bush's last year. Deficit spending for Bush's last fiscal year budget was $1.416 trillion. Deficit spending for Obama's first fiscal year budget was $1.294, a decrease in deficit spending over Bush's last year. The national debt at the end of Bush's last fiscal year budget was $11.909 trillion, up $1.885 trillion from his previous fiscal year. The national debt at the end of Obama's first fiscal year budget was $13.561 trillion which resulted in an increase of $1.652 trillion in the national debt but down from Bush's last fiscal year. President Obama is the only administration in the past 50 years where year to year total federal spending was down and it happened despite all the problems he inherited. Once again, like the Clinton administration it is another democratic administration that acted instead of talking hype. When Obama's first term is completed he will then have to be judged on the merits when compared to previous administrations. Obama's second fiscal year budget ends on 9/30/11 and then a comparison can be made between his first and second fiscal year budgets. It is to early to judge if President Obama is fit or unfit to fiscally govern the nation and its people but we will have the answer in due time. We can say his first fiscal year budget is encouraging. RECAP AND CONCLUSION: History has already been written and recorded concerning the administrations of Reagan, Bush 41, Clinton and Bush 43. The CBO has recorded and published the final numbers shown herein. Those numbers tell of a fiscal disaster that occurred on the republican watch even though they did not face the problems Clinton and Obama faced when they took office. All three said they were going to balance the federal budget and never even came close. All three said they would reduce federal spending but increased spending instead. None of the three republican Presidents had a true economic plan such as Clinton did and none of the three made a commitment to even balance the federal budget. The nation became a debtor nation on Reagan's watch. President George W. Bush was the worst. Not only was his deficit spending and debt creation horrific, he handled the cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan out side the budget process, a slap in the face to the nation and its people. He also did not have the nation share the burden of the cost of those wars. It fell completely on our men and women in uniform. If it was not for the Clinton administration living up to its fiscAl responsibilities and reversing the record deficit spending and debt of those three republican Presidents there is no telling where we would be today. One can understand the reason republicans hate to talk about the Clinton administration, it would remind the people just how well Clinton handled our fiscal problems and how well the country and its people did on his watch. Conservative Republican Presidents? The record proves there is no such thing. And that really says it all.

Republicans, The Federal Budget And Government Shutdowns

The Republicans in congress have a record of shutting down the federal government, the democrats do not. The last republican shutdown of the federal government happened during the Clinton administration because Clinton's economic policies were working and they did not want the country to succeed under a democratic administration. Those republicans used federal spending as an excuse much like their party is doing today. Republican administrations do not have a record of balancing the federal budget or cutting federal spending in over 50 years, the democrats do. The Clinton administration was reducing deficit spending at the time of the republican shutdown and went on to create record surpluses and also paid down the national debt. Republicans don't like that. President Obama's very first fiscal year budget that ended 9/30/10 reduced total federal spending by 1.6% compared to the last fiscal year budget of George W. Bush. Republicans don't like that either. The republicans push to cut federal spending is their disguise to bankrupt the federal government of supporting social security, medicare, medicaid and other needed programs. They had their chance to cut federal spending under the Bush administration when they controlled both houses of congress during Bush's first 6 years in office. Instead they broke all previous records of deficit spending and debt and rubber stamped Bush's record 8 year deficit spending spree and record debt creation.

The present republican threat to shutdown the government is to continue the policy of opposing the success of the Obama administration. They hate to see the good news coming out of the economy and the fact that job creation is coming back and unemployment is falling. They are angry because once again, it is a democratic administration that is bringing the country back from republican failure. They also know very well that their own party had no part in turning the economy around. The tea party is one and the same with the republican party. They are bedfellows. Both are extreme and practice an un-American ideology. The newly elected tea party people were also silent while Bush was creating record debt with his reckless deficit spending habits. When you belong to a party who's only accomplishments are deficit spending and the creation of debt, you adopt a position of divide and conquer, lie, go the extreme, blame the democrats and try to create a con game and in the process loose sight of what America and its people are all about. Regardless how this budget process ends, it will be a democratic administration again that actually cuts federal spending. This years budget that ends 9/30/11 was submitted to congress by President Obama with a reduction of $40 billion from last years budget and tacked onto that will be what ever is agreed to in the present budget show down. The President is being serious about addressing the deficit problem and he needs to keep up the pressure on the republicans in congress to try and act like Americans for a change.

Part V: Conservative Republican Presidents: Unfit To Govern: The George W. Bush Years

George W. Bush became President in January of 2001 with the nation at an all time high employment, record budget surpluses, a paydown on the national debt, a record economy and a projected $5 trillion surplus for the next 10 years which Bush campaigned on for a reduction in taxes that benefited the wealthy over the middle class. Bush's lack of a fiscal and economic policy turned the previous four straight years of federal surpluses into deficit spending in his first fiscal year budget. President Clinton's last fiscal year budget ended in a surplus of $128 billion. President Bush's first fiscal year budget ended with a deficit of $157.8 billion. A horrific turnaround in the nations fiscal house. Bush's continuation of Reagan's trickle down economics had the same negative affect for the nation's fiscal health as Reagan's did, only this time it was much worse. Trickle down economics is no match against a economic and fiscal policy that Clinton had and that was approved by the democratic controlled congress. Bush ended his eight years in office with out balancing one federal budget and his total deficit spending over that time period which ended 9/30/09 in his last fiscal year budget was $3.53 trillion. In just 8 short years Bush turned the country's fiscal house into a fiscal nightmare. Total federal spending at the end of Bush's first term in office, fiscal year ending 9/30/05 was $8.936 trillion, up $1.929 trillion or 28% from the previous four years. Total federal spending for Bush's second term in office ending with fiscal budget 9/30/09 was $11.883 trillion, up $2.947 or 33% from his first term in office. The national debt stood at $5.807 trillion at the end of Clinton's last budget 9/30/01. The national debt stood at $11.909 trillion at the end of Bush's last fiscal year budget that ended 9/30/09, an increase of $6.1 trillion or 105% from the previous administration. A fatal turnaround for a so called conservative President who really stuck it to the country and its people. The above numbers speak for themselves and is proof that President George W. Bush was unfit to fiscally govern the nation and its people. Stay tuned for part VI, The administration of President Barack Obama. Note l: All numbers above taken from the CBO and Treasury Departments.