Senate passes $607B Defense bill

[NoTeaPartyPleez]

Wonder why we can't get the debt under control?

Senate passes $607B Defense bill | TheHill

The Pentagon is the biggest welfare queen of all, redistributing our wealth throughout areas of the military that just need to be shuttered and closed.

 

[Truthseeker420]

Nearly three-quarters of Republicans joined most Democrats in voting for the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which authorizes $527 billion in base defense spending and $80 billion for the war in Afghanistan.

another $80 billion for the war in Afghanistan? Wasn't Obama going to end that war at the same time he closed Gitmo, and stopped the seas from rising?

so he's not a dictator?

 

[DiamondDave]

Defense needs to be audited and budget cut like every other legit government department or agency...

 

[Wry Catcher]

Nearly three-quarters of Republicans joined most Democrats in voting for the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which authorizes $527 billion in base defense spending and $80 billion for the war in Afghanistan.

another $80 billion for the war in Afghanistan? Wasn't Obama going to end that war at the same time he closed Gitmo, and stopped the seas from rising?

I'm sure your sarcasm is considered substantive by you, others may find it ridiculous or naive - as do I. Remember the Republican uproar when an empty prison in the Midwest was proposed to house those at Gitmo? Remember how many jobs that would have provided? Remember the hysteria created by the Republicans? Remember how the R's wanted military courts to decide on the truth of allegations of terrorism. That's worked well, hasn't it.

The fiasco in Iraq is over, at least for us. We left a mess and many innocents died curing that the war of choice. Afghanistan is less of a fiasco but not by a lot - and their President is no friend of ours. I would like to see us out completely but unlike you (sarcasm alert, sometimes it works) I don't have all the facts, nor have I sat in when every scenario was vetted by Defense and State.

Face the facts, the members of congress will authorize this money 'cause most states don't want the machinery of war which provides jobs in their state to leave. Wouldn't it make more sense to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure and modernize transportation, the electrical grid, repair and rebuild bridges, tunnels, canals and their levees?

 

[Wry Catcher]

Defense needs to be audited and budget cut like every other legit government department or agency...

What needs to be done is for the government to establish priorities: define the problems and needs, how critical and what are the costs? The Benefits? What might be the costs if delayed? And for the President to lay it out for the American People in the SOTU next month.

Then let the debate and negotiations begin, leave ideology at the door, leave finger pointing at the door, discuss alternative solutions and establish priorities.

The process is muddled by the rules in the H. of Rep. and the Senate; the Committee System, by the ability of the power elite to influence (read bribe) members of Congress and by self serving political parties, elected and appointed officials whose first priority is "how will this effect ME?"

Every agency and every Member of the Congress ought to have the Preamble to our Constitution posted on doors and walls, for it is both a Mission Statement and Vision Statement we ignore at our own peril.

 

[HenryBHough]

Why are we spending any money on defense?

After all, all the world loves us and has since January, 2009.

Hasn't it?

 

[ScienceRocks]

We need to spend on the defense of our own nation. No more nation building outside of AMERICA.

Spend on building America
-infrastructure
-Science
-education

This is a thing called investing in our future. I am all for spending 400 billion/year in making sure nations like China don't feel cocky enough to attack our homeland.

 

[Jackson]

Can we bring some bills to the Senate floor and pass them while Reid is indisposed?

 

[RetiredGySgt]

Yup, leaving Afghan to its own devices, like Reagan did, is a great idea...Pub dupes....chickenhawk shytteheads....

I guess you missed where Obama approves of the war and the entire democratic legislatures voted for the continuing of the war? How very stupid of you.

 

[Jroc]

Can we bring some bills to the Senate floor and pass them while Reid is indisposed?

Schumer runs the place if Reid is unavailable... He worst that Reid

 

[RetiredGySgt]

7 trillion in raw mineral deposits.

So I guess that's why Obama calls Afghanistan "the good war?"

Buck up, BOzo. It's much easier to never invade in the first place than to get out after 100,000 troops have been put in country over eight fucking years.
You act as if Bush had nothing to do with this. Idiot.

No, YOU act like Obama has nothing to do with this.

 

[Moonglow]

Take the $3 billion we will give to Afghanistan in living expenses for the dictator...er...I mean foreign aid.
Then take the $80 billion to keep fighting a war that doesn't exist.
That is $83 billion.
Take just 20% of that, $16.6 billion.
Think of the infrastructure that could fix.

Or not cut military retirement pay to save 6 billion.

 

[Sarah G]

We certainly don't need that much money allocated for defense especially if plans are to get us out of Afghanistan in 2014. We don't have anything allocated for Vets and others who have served in some capacity.

I don't know why Democrats especially would do this right now.

 

[Vox]

Yup, leaving Afghan to its own devices, like Reagan did, is a great idea...Pub dupes....chickenhawk shytteheads....

oh, look at this leftard dove turned hawkish when the war is owned by the dimocraps.

talking about hypocritical dupes

 

[Unkotare]

Wonder why we can't get the debt under control?

Senate passes $607B Defense bill | TheHill

The defense budget is not the cause, nor can it be the solution, to our economic woes.

 

[g5000]

Take the $3 billion we will give to Afghanistan in living expenses for the dictator...er...I mean foreign aid.
Then take the $80 billion to keep fighting a war that doesn't exist.
That is $83 billion.
Take just 20% of that, $16.6 billion.
Think of the infrastructure that could fix.

So you want to keep spending the money we had to borrow to pay for the war?

This is Obama-think. During the 2008 campaign he kept talking about what he was going to do with the savings from ending the wars.

Suppose you had to borrow 50 bucks a week to go watch a boxing match, and then said you were going to stop going to boxing matches and use the "savings" to build an add-on to your house, can you see the problem with your logic, newbie?