On September 10, 2001, Donald Rumsfeld gave a speech at the Pentagon where he stated:
“According to some estimates, we cannot track $2.3 Trillion dollars in transactions.”
“The adversary is closer to home, it’s the Pentagon bureaucracy.”
“In fact, it could be said that it’s a matter of life and death.”
".....As we now contemplate how to cut government spending from the current 23% of GDP down to the 18% that can be sustained on our new Bush-Obama tax cuts, I believe the next majority of cuts must come from defense as our social programs are now underfunded, and we will need more to implement Obamacare.
Meanwhile, we need to ask why we are spending hundreds of billions in nation to keep basis and troops in Europe to protect Europeans from a anachronistic tank blitz from the Soviet Union that does not even exist anymore. Most of the Warsaw Pact nations are now in the European Union and many European nations refuse to spend more than 1.9% of their GDP on military expenses as they do not view that threat as worth sacrificing their social spending.
If they don't see this threat why should we? Meanwhile a study last week indicated that Europe was investing 4.5% of their GDP on infrastructure investments to improve their economies and the Chinese are spending over 9% on theirs.
Any guesses for the US? 2.5% which is insufficient to even replace existing roads, bridges, electrical networks, let along move into the 21st century to compete with modern economic powerhouses.
We need an urgent blue ribbon commission to reduce military spending in a first step by 20% to be followed by others. We can start by closing 25% of the 800 military b basis we maintain that no longer are justified by national security needs, and must be cut before turning Medicare, Medicaid, and other of our poor, sick, elderly into the streets, and start slashing tuition assistance, nutrition programs, and shuttering regulatory agencies as the GOP will now demand.
If they don't see this threat why should we? Meanwhile a study last week indicated that Europe was investing 4.5% of their GDP on infrastructure investments to improve their economies and the Chinese are spending over 9% on theirs.
Any guesses for the US? 2.5% which is insufficient to even replace existing roads, bridges, electrical networks, let along move into the 21st century to compete with modern economic powerhouses.
We need an urgent blue ribbon commission to reduce military spending in a first step by 20% to be followed by others. We can start by closing 25% of the 800 military b basis we maintain that no longer are justified by national security needs, and must be cut before turning Medicare, Medicaid, and other of our poor, sick, elderly into the streets, and start slashing tuition assistance, nutrition programs, and shuttering regulatory agencies as the GOP will now demand.
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