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Title: Your Lower and Lower Standard of Living Is a joke to the Pentagon
Source:
LRC
URL Source: https://www.lewrockwell.com/2017/11/rep-john-j-duncan/664654-2/
Published: Nov 28, 2017
Author: Rep. John J. Duncan
Post Date: 2017-11-28 15:42:07 by Hondo68
Keywords: President Donald J. Trump, Intervention, Foreign Aid, Grow The Swamp
Views: 621
Comments: 16
Several times over my 29 years in Congress I have wondered whether there are any fiscal conservatives at the Pentagon. It seems that the Defense Department is just like every other gigantic bureaucracy. When it comes to money, the refrain is always “more, more, more.” On November 14, the House passed what one Capitol Hill paper described as a “$700 billion compromise defense bill.” It was $80 billion over the budget caps and many billions more than even President Trump had requested. I opposed almost all the major initiatives of the Obama administration. But it was false to say that the Defense Department was “depleted” or “eviscerated” during those years, or that now we must “rebuild the military.” In fact, public relations experts in future years should conduct studies about how the Defense Department has been able to convince the public it has been cut when it is getting more money than ever. Defense Department appropriations have more than doubled since 2000. In addition, the Department has gotten extra billions in several supplemental or emergency appropriation bills. The military construction bill is a separate bill that has added another $109.5 billion over the last 10 years. It would be hard to find any U.S. military base any place in the world that has not had several new buildings constructed over the last few years. In fiscal year 2016, we spent over $177 billion on new equipment, guns, tanks, etc. We have spent similar amounts for many years. Most of this equipment does not wear out or have to be replaced after just one year. It is ironic that the only President in the last 60 or 70 years who has tried to rein in defense spending is the only President in that period who spent most of his career in the military. In Evan Thomas’ book, Ike’s Bluff, when told by his top staffer that he could not reduce defense spending, President Eisenhower said if he gave another star to every general who cut his budget, there would be “such a rush to cut costs you’ll have to get out of the way.” The book also quotes Eisenhower as saying “Heaven help us if we ever have a President who doesn’t know as much about the military as I do.” Therein lies an explanation for a big part of what has caused much excessive and/or wasteful defense spending and, the willingness, even at times eagerness, to go to war and support permanent, never-ending wars. Only 18% of the current Congress has ever served in any branch of our military. Members are afraid if they do not vote for an increase in defense spending, or if they question waste by the military, some demagogue will accuse them of “not supporting the troops.” It would be a huge understatement to say that I usually do not agree with New York Times editorials. But the Times Editorial Board on Oct. 22 published an editorial entitled “America’s Forever Wars,” pointing out that the U.S. “has been at war continuously since the attacks of 9/11” and now has troops in “at least 172 countries.” The Board wrote that so far the American people have “seemed to accept” all this militarism, but “it’s a very real question whether, in addition to endorsing these commitments, which have cost trillions of dollars and many lives over 16 years, they will embrace new entanglements…” The Times added that the Congress “has spent little time considering such issues in a comprehensive way or debating why all these deployments are needed.” Backing these words up was a cartoon in the Oct. 25 issue of Politico, a Capitol Hill newspaper. The cartoon showed six senators sitting at a hearing. The first senator, reading a newspaper, says “Who knew we had troops in Niger?!” The second says: “Heck, we don’t even know how the military budget gets spent.” Finally, the cartoon shows a senator who looks like Sen. Ted Cruz, saying “War is hell. I say we just give the Pentagon an extra $80 billion and call it a day.” Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen, himself a veteran, wrote on Oct. 23: “But there is something else at work here: the slavish veneration now accorded the military. You can see it every time someone in uniform testifies before Congress.” Since now less than one percent of the people serve in the military, it may be that many people who never served feel, perhaps even subconsciously, that they must bend over backwards to show their patriotism. However, it is not unpatriotic to oppose wasteful defense spending or very unnecessary permanent, forever wars. President Reagan once said “our troops should be committed to combat abroad only as a last resort, when no other choice is available.” We have far too many leaders today who seem to want to be new Winston Churchills and who are far too eager to send people to war. No true fiscal conservative could ever justify spending many billions more than even President Trump requested. Our national debt recently went over the $20 trillion level. A few days ago, it was reported that the deficit for fiscal 2017 was $666 billion. This fiscal year, it may be even higher. Conservatives used to be against huge deficit spending. They also used to be against massive foreign aid. Much of what we have been doing in both Iraq and Afghanistan, training police and farmers, repairing electrical and water systems, even making small business loans, etc., is pure foreign aid. Many of our foreign interventions have been done under the auspices or authority of the United Nations. Conservatives used to be the biggest critics of the U.N. and world government. Most of our so-called “coalitions” have been funded almost entirely by American taxpayers. Most interventionists at some point resort to a slur referring to their opponents as isolationists. This is so false. Traditional conservatives support trade and tourism and cultural and educational exchanges with other countries and they agree with helping during humanitarian crises. They just don’t believe in dragging war out forever, primarily so defense contractors, think tanks, and military bureaucrats can get more money. One last point: We have far too many officers. In Scott Berg’s biography on Woodrow Wilson, it says during World War I, we had one officer for every 30 enlisted men. Eisenhower once said we had too many officers when there were nine enlisted for every officer. Now we have one officer for only four and a half to five and a half enlisted (varies by branch). This is very expensive, both for active duty and retirement, but it also makes it much more likely that we will get involved in every little conflict around the world and/or continue basing troops in almost every country. We simply do not have enough money to pay for defense of so many countries other than our own nor the authority under our Constitution to try to run the whole world. Congressman Duncan served honorably in both the U.S. Army Reserve and the Army National Guard, starting as an enlisted man and rising to the rank of captain.
No Fiscal Conservatives at the Pentagon
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#8. To: (#0)
We spend huge amounts of money and engage in forever war to maintain the Empire. From the end of World War II until Vietnam, the Empire was a pure good for America, vastly expanding our power, influence, wealth and control in the world. Vietnam was a very expensive setback, that brought the profit margin to America as a whole from the Empire down a notch, but Empire remained profitable. The War On Terror has really strained the military and cost a lot. The cost of maintaining the Empire has grown greatly. But we still, on average, profit from the Empire (though the break-even point in the society is much closer to 50/50 now). We'll keep investing in the Empire until the costs of maintaining it are too high for the wealthy powerbrokers.
From the end of World War II until Vietnam, the Empire was a pure good for America, vastly expanding our power, influence, wealth and control in the world. Great subject, Vic. I apologize preemptively for whaling away here... Yes -- arguably and roughly from the end of WW2 through the beginning of the Vietnam advisory "police action," the US benefited from a world still reeling from the aftermath of WW2... But wasn't that the case UNTIL LBJ assaulted us with the escalation of the war in Nam, the respective THIRD WORLD INVASION ACT OF 1965, and GREAT SOCIALIST SOCIETY ACT? Until then America thrived and was cohesively and definitively "American" Red White and Blue -- especially its Middle Class. And then came the Vietnam War -- fought NOT to win (as was Korea.) Only the Vietnam War for the first time in US history spurred on great divisions and questions about "The Empire" and our role as "World Policemen." Q: WHO actually "vastly expanded" their "power, influence, wealth and control in the world? Wasn't it the international monied globalist elites who were the beneficiaries? The Deep State and their cabal of DC bureaucrats? Isn't it true that it has been the American Middle Class who has been burdened with the multi-trillion dollar tabs for waging Fake Wars with no clear objectives and NO commitment to "winning"? From Korea to Nam to this so-called "War on Terror," to Iraq and Afghanistan, what exactly DID "WE-The-People win"?? It appears obvious that We The People have instead LOST. It countless ways. The American people have been easily set up and fallen victim to one massive charade after the next, one "crisis" after the next, benefiting only the military-industrial complex (as Ike had warned long ago), the Global Cabal of One Worlder Elites, AND, the Deep State (as well as its several layers of DC Bureaucrats.) Yes, it appears more obvious than ever that the Elites/Syndicate of Monied Globalists propaganda have sponsored and facilitated several PsyOps and propaganda programs, aided by a willing collusive accomplice -- a lying, highly influential media, academia, and Hollywood. Vietnam was a very expensive setback, that brought the profit margin to America as a whole from the Empire down a notch, but Empire remained profitable. Interesting perspective... The "Empire" (and it's global-first elites) may have remained profitable, but America's Lower AND Middle Class were devastated by being used as cannon fodder in a war that was NOT fought to win; were devastated by strife, social division and upheaval, and ideological PsyOps that scarred and ruined the Baby-Boomer Generation forever. The War On Terror has really strained the military and cost a lot. The cost of maintaining the Empire has grown greatly. But we still, on average, profit from the Empire (though the break-even point in the society is much closer to 50/50 now). There are several ways to parse your assessment here. 1) "The War on Terror" as it's played out since 9/11 has been a "war" on WE THE PEOPLE, our liberties, our freedoms, our privacy. 2) It's hasn't so much been a "War on Terror," otherwise the immigration door to both Muzzies and Mexican invaders would have been SLAMMED SHUT on 9/12. 3) "The War on Terror" is nothing but a lie, a gravy train for the Military-Industrial Complex (and gold mine for politicians.) The evidence suggests that assets-within, rather ENEMIES WITHIN created, facilitated, aided and abetted, and spread "Terrorists," Terrorism as well as its multi-factions. (In other words, we add up 2+2: With world peace and NO "terrorism," doesn't funding for the military-industrial complex dry-up? And those jobs related to "American/World Security" no longer exists? The dynamics have long been dangerously self-serving.) 4) "The EMPIRE" -- exactly whose is "it"?? Surely NOT your or mine. OR "America's." 5) The Monied International/Global Elites have managed to sell out and hollow out 90% of the US's factories to China, thereby sacrificing our traditional self-reliance and independence. We have betrayed by DC. The truth is, fascist-Commie China can indeed hold America hostage, economically. We'll keep investing in the Empire until the costs of maintaining it are too high for the wealthy powerbrokers. In other words, the "wealthy powerbrokers" or rather, our International Overlords with continue spreading OUR wealth around the globe, in doing so, continuing to destroy the American Middle Class. Q: How can the cost of spending trillions of dollars ever be "too high" when all the US Gubmint has to do is order the Feral Reserve to print up more funny-money (backed by nothing but thin-air as it further devalues the middle class dollar? Observations, comments, gentlemen?
You get it. We're on a runaway train that is never coming back, like our ancestors faced in the various mother countries across the sea during the years when things were getting worse and worse. It was comforting to think of yourself as part of a big American "team", where we all had each other's backs. That may have been true, at least to an extent, coming out of World War II and through the 50's. But that team has an owner, and the owner is interested in exploiting the fans, not caring for them. The army, etc., are the hired hands, the players - whose bodies get broken on the field for the benefit of "the team" - with most of the benefits flowing to the owners. So, if you have children, you have to look at the reality and think in terms of your family as being the only PERMANENT team that moves through history. Countries come and go. Blood lines continue or are cut off. The energy and devotion that we would like to invest in country, because we perceive that it is powerful and can advance us, is reaching (and may well have already reached) the point of diminishing returns for you and me. So therefore, the thing to do is to mentally shift colors. If globalism is the future, then make sure that your children are well-prepared to operate in it: be disciplined, learn foreign languages, focus on the skills necessary to thrive in the global economy. It would be grand if we could stop the trend, but we probably can't. So therefore we need to adjust to make sure our kids and grandkids are among the winners in the brave new world, as opposed to the also rans who drop into the water and wash aft in the wake. "In the future there will be two types of people: those who know how to count, and those who don't." - Anatole France
#16. To: Vicomte13 (#10)
You meant to say "the drones that live in company housing and keep the system going",right?
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#9. To: Vicomte13, sneakypete, redleghunter (#8)
(Edited)
We spend huge amounts of money and engage in forever war to maintain the Empire.
#10. To: Liberator (#9)
Observations, comments, gentlemen?
Replies to Comment # 10. It would be grand if we could stop the trend, but we probably can't. So therefore we need to adjust to make sure our kids and grandkids are among the winners in the brave new world,
End Trace Mode for Comment # 10.
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