Return to Article: Defense budget continues to climb
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14784
I agree with DR about my job but he totally is wrong about social security! His money went to the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force long before any of it went to Social Security. He should find out that the "trust fund" does not exist! Social Security was a Democratic program presented as if it were a totally separate operation and it is not! Neither is Medicare and Medicaid. DR needs to learn a little about how his government operates. DR also has to figure out why we are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan -- there was no legitimate reason to go to war with either but we needed to justify the big defense budgets Bush wanted. Your great military had been planning to fight two wars simultaneously but when they got two wars close together they cry that they do not have the budgets to get the goods they need to fight with. Also, Bush used an excessive amount of guard and reserve personnel to the benefit of the volunteer military that we pay so dearly for.
The privates you mention are no longer willing to do the work you suggest because they now are volunteers and if we make them work they will not re-enlist. Enlistments fell tremendously when we went to war but services now show they are meeting requirements by lowering the number in the quotes and increasing the signup bonuses tremendously. If a contractor is making $200k a year the military guy is making almost as much when you add in the overhead to support them, health care for life, retirement, signup bonuses, housing allowances, combat pay, transportation, food, and all the other freebies they get from the taxpayers of the country.
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14713
Taxpayer, we'll start with your job, then move along to Social Security (give me my money back and I will invest it myself!) and so on and so forth. Just say no to more mercenaries (contractors) than we already have! DR
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14698
Some of the cuts that need to occur are the Iraqi contracts. Second, why doesn't the administration place the costs inside its budget? Last year, the Army had to take money from everything to pay for Iraq until Congress passed a supplemental budget. Defense needs to learn to live within its means.
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14677
Yes, after all, look how much we're saving by having Halliburton run the occupation of Iraq. Why pay a private's salary when you can pay a contractor employee $200,000 for the same job? Nothing that this administration does makes sense.
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14671
Has anyone thought of putting up all military functions for an A-76 bid? I bet a private company could do a better job for a far lower amount of my money!
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