Panetta: Defense Budget Cuts Will Damage Economy

[Purveyor]

Source: Associated Press

By LOLITA C. BALDOR
Associated Press
Wednesday, Feb. 06, 2013

WASHINGTON Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is laying out a grim list of spending cuts the Pentagon will have to make in the coming weeks that he says will seriously damage the country's economy and degrade the military's ability to respond to a crisis.

He is slamming members of Congress as irresponsible and willing to push the country off a fiscal cliff to damage their opposing political parties.

He says if Congress doesn't pass a budget the Pentagon must absorb $46 billion in spending reductions in this fiscal year and will face a $35 billion shortfall in operating expenses.

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/02/06/3836997/panetta-defense-budget-cuts-will.html#storylink=cpy

Read more: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/02/06/3836997/panetta-defense-budget-cuts-will.html

[Hard Assets]

1. How about auditing your whole damn department.

And in the meantime, Department of Defense should get 1% of the total budget until the audit is complete.

Contractors can find work elsewhere.

Troopers can be sent home.

[DisgustipatedinCA]

2. Suck it up, Leon. The fear isn't working anymore

I'd let the sequester go into effect today if I had the power to do so.

[Arctic Dave]

3. Now you know how the rest of us feel.

Because of your obscene budgets we are in the mess we are in.

Now go fuck yourself Leon.

[A Simple Game]

4. How about we cut the defense budget and improve the economy?

How about we stop sending money overseas?

Let's close bases in Japan, Germany, South Korea, and many more. We can stop supporting those countries' economies, bring the troops home and let them spend their wages in this country not abroad. That will save us money and boost our economy, not damage it. We don't need to cut troops immediately, we can do it through attrition.

[TwilightGardener]

20. Probably not closing Pacific bases--

we're actually moving more resources there, from what I understand.

[TheCowsCameHome]

5. Have a yard sale and raise some cash

Do like the rest of the real world does.

[Solly Mack]

6. Wonder what troop services the DoD will cut or do away with.

[DJ13]

7. One more bomber, or feeding millions

Tough choice 'eh Leon?

[Angry Dragon]

8. ANY CUTS will damage the economy

[Kablooie]

9. Well, there are 3 million people who do not work for the government...

who's income is dependent on military funding.

Defense cuts will not only affect the military but millions of jobs in the private sector.

These certainly need to be cut back, there shouldn't be that many people depending on military money, but if it is not scaled back in a reasonable way over time a lot of Americans will suddenly be out of work and that won't be good for anyone.

I think about this because my dad was an electronics engineer and most of his company's money came from the military for electronics that were put into target practice missiles. He tried to expand into non military areas such as theft detection devices but the military contracts were the only thing that reliably paid the bills.

[dipsydoodle]

10. Sounds like

Goodbye to contractors which isn't necessarliy bad.

[LeftinOH]

11. Maybe close a few hundred foreign military bases;

there would still be quite a few left over to pick up the slack-

[Orrex]

12. Whatever they do, I hope that they keep funding the F-35

God knows we need a fleet of quarter-billion dollar aircraft now more than ever!

[Purveyor]

15. Speaking of: How The F-35 Turned Into Such A Disaster

http://www.democraticunderground.com/11792478

[arcane1]

13. This is what happens when an entire economy is based on war

[DCBob]

14. I dont think he is exaggerating or playing politics.

The sequester cuts will no doubt have a major negative impact on our economy. Thousands of companies and millions of jobs are directly or indirectly tied to the Pentagon budget. This will affect everyone eventually. No one should be hoping for this to happen. The Pentagon seriously needs to have its budget reduced but not in such drastic abrupt way like this... imo.

[gussmith]

19. Now Is The Time

DCBob, of course there will be pain. We have a faulty economy built on war; the rest of the world needs to share the burden of defense. We can't continue spending so that local economies and states have income to the detriment of so many other of our country's demands for dollars. Rebuild infrastructure and cities now.

[TwilightGardener]

21. You are right. The Pentagon budget is out of control, but cutting it suddenly

and drastically is not a good idea. It will be messy if it happens, and nobody's going to like it.

[gussmith]

16. Change for American Betterment

Money spent for the Defense Dept. contains so much waste. As a small example, I've seen recruiting offices in summer, Arizona, with the doors propped open because the a/c was too cold!! Put that Defense money to work fixing the country; it is alright with me if the jobs transfer with the money but stop the waste with troops sitting in Germany and other cushy assignments.

[Roland99]

17. Merely a short-term drop in defense contractors' profits

[Arkana]

18. I'm glad this stinknuts is not at the DoD anymore.

Say what you want about Hagel, but at least he realizes that it's time for a post-Cold War defense budget.

[Myrina]

22. Ok, Mr. Panetta, pivot your weapons-tech/R&D and 'military manufacturing' contractors ...

... to work on infrastructure projects instead of building military shit we already have 1,000 of and don't use anymore. Contract them to hire local folk to build roads, bridges, schools, to expand communications corridors and high-speed rail, to plant trees and grass and work on greening the economy.

It can be done. It SHOULD be done.

[JDPriestly]

23. No matter what you cut, it will hurt the economy.

I think that the Republicans are about to find out what happens when our government doesn't spend money.

It's going to hurt --- bad.

Bring the jobs back home.

[Mutatis Mutandis]

24. when will we ever be done with Panetta, this utter shill???

[Purveyor]

26. Might be awhile as 'our' Senator Levin caved to the GOP and has postponed Panetta's replacement,

Hagel.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014392403

[Crepuscular]

25. cut defense

Cut defense by 20% and put the funding into the Presidents high speed rail plan and other infrastructure improvements and you won't see a negative economic impact.

[Dont call me Shirley]

27. Panetta's military is severely damaging this world!

TURN YOUR WEAPONS INTO WINDMILLS AND SOLAR PANELS!

ENOUGH WITH YOUR STUPID WARS!

[indepat]

28. All cuts, except those to social security, medicare, Medicaid, food stamps, and the like

will hurt the economy, but the fact that many elders, the frail, and the poor will not get to eat, nor take their meds, nor heat their pads, nor have access to medical care will hurt no one and is good for America, continues the sick reich-wing meme that many Dems buy into.