Cato: US should cut military spending in half

I like to think of it as W, and W the sequel.

http://i42.tinypic.com/23st76b.gif

One of these days I'm going to make that my avatar.

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Originally Posted by sam1617

12-18 hours? Lucky. I got friends who were working 24-48 hours with no real sleep.

I will never complain about the military spending on individuals as even PFC's deserve more than they get paid, even while saying that they spend to much on some stuff.

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I'm not infantry, so I'm not working 24-48 hours in a row, thankfully. I think it's somewhat stupid that they allow soldiers to stay up for that long, as many studies have documented that after so long without sleep, alertness, decision making and many other mental faculties become severely impaired.

Still, the needs of the mission go on, and commanders must make do with what they have, so it happens.

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Originally Posted by coyotes_geek

Cut by half seems a bit extreme.

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Very extreme. I cannot imagine such cuts. It would be devastating.

In what way would it be devastating?

If we cut military spending in half we could lower taxes and stimulate our economy, or better yet, fund things like education and healthcare.

Given all the vested interests by various congressional members to keep jobs at bases and factories for their districts this is a total un-possibility though.

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Originally Posted by ChumpDumper

In what way would it be devastating?

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It would be devastating to those who live vicariously through US military actions.

Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.
Dwight D. Eisenhower

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Originally Posted by RandomGuy

If we cut military spending in half we could lower taxes and stimulate our economy, or better yet, fund things like education and healthcare.

Given all the vested interests by various congressional members to keep jobs at bases and factories for their districts this is a total un-possibility though.

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Wow... Cutting it in half would be what. about 2% of the budget? About about 0.5% of GNP, and Obama's budget is something like 25% of GNP.

Right. It's really going to make a difference.

I know. Lets cut social spending in half.

Someone check my numbers. I didn't look it up, and I think I'm off a bit.

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Originally Posted by RandomGuy

Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.
Dwight D. Eisenhower

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Leftist Emo Socialist...

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Originally Posted by Wild Cobra

Wow... Cutting it in half would be what. about 2% of the budget? About about 0.5% of GNP, and Obama's budget is something like 25% of GNP.

Right. It's really going to make a difference.

I know. Lets cut social spending in half.

Someone check my numbers. I didn't look it up, and I think I'm off a bit.

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$500 bil out of a $3 tril budget isn't 4%.

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Originally Posted by WC

Wow... Cutting it in half would be what. about 2% of the budget?

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2% of the federal budget isn't chump change.

However, CBO shows defense outlays are 21% of the budget.

Where'd you get your figure?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi..._-_FY_2007.png

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Originally Posted by WC

I know. Lets cut social spending in half.

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Fine by me, but that ain't gonna happen either.

Of course, the military can never be considered a part of "big government."

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Originally Posted by Marcus Bryant

$500 bil out of a $3 tril budget isn't 4%.

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You're right. That should have been of GNP. Not of the budget.

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Originally Posted by Winehole23

2% of the federal budget isn't chump change.

However, CBO shows defense outlays are 21% of the budget.

Wild Cobra, [w]here'd you get your figure?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi..._-_FY_2007.png

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Same place he gets most of his "facts". It rhymes with "his grass".