Why not ask 'what are acceptable cuts in defense spending' instead of Social Security?

[ThomWV]

If someone wanted to cut a bloated program how about starting with Defense? It is by far the most bloated, the most heavily corrupted by the influence of its own contractors (well I have to admit, maybe DOE beats them out on that one) and the one which admittedly buys entire weapons systems that its own leadership does not want.

[Freddie Stubbs]

1. 8/10/10: Pentagon to cut thousands of jobs, defense secretary says

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/09/AR2010080904903.html?sub%3DAR&sub=AR

[Warren Stupidity]

3. There is no cut in the war budget.

Total military spending for FY2011 is $895 billion. That is a base budget of 548.9B - compared to 533.7B for 2010 plus Endless War Special Spending of around 340B that raises the total to nearly 900B. 2009: 782B, 2010: 855B.

What freaking cuts?

When are we going to get mad about the perpetual screwing we are getting?

[glitch]

11. Cutting jobs!

Why do I get the feeling you don't get the irony of your post?

[niyad]

2. can't touch our sacred cows, doncha know.

one of my favourite t-shirts, which I always wore when the recruiters were around, reads:

"it will be a great day when the schools have all the money they need, and the air force has to hold a bake sale to buy a bomber"

[lldu]

4. According to Gates, cutting Military retiree's health care

is quite acceptable. He wants to cut our health care and charge us more.
When I went in the Air Force I was promised free health care for me and my wife from then on. When I retired, they said "No more free healthcare, sign up for Tricare", which I did.

Now they are saying it is Ok to raise Tricare rates for retirees. SO I am looking at a health care increase, Social Security decrease and longer wait before I can get it, and possible medicare increase or even elimination.

Yep, My country sure takes care of its veterans.

[RaleighNCDUer]

5. Acceptable cuts?

#1 - stop using contractors. The military used to do everything the contractors do with military personnel - from driving & maintaining trucks, building bases, providing mess. GI Bill is all fine and good for the men and women who want to go on to higher education after service, but far more vets moved straight from their military jobs to doing equivalent work outside, as cooks, machine operators, mechanics. With all those being done now by contractors, at greatly inflated cost no less, it leaves today's vets far less employable after service, exacerbating the unemployment situation.

#2 - abandon the empire. Pass a law that we can have no more bases overseas than other countries have bases in the US. If we have 900 bases overseas, we should reciprocate and allow 900 bases of other countries here. Fair is fair.

[area51]

6. +1 (n/t)

[gratuitous]

7. I'll believe the defense budget is getting cut when . . .

I'll believe the defense budget is getting cut when a commission concomitant to the catfood commission looking at social security is put together to look at our defense spending. The catfood commission is made up exclusively of people who aren't dependent on social security, and whose personal wealth makes it unlikely that they or their families would ever need social security. It's just another $1,500 flowing into their bank account every month, hardly even noticeable. A concomitant defense commission would comprise a bunch of people not dependent on defense spending for their livelihood, maybe a few Christian Peacemaker Team folks who see the results of our defense spending (up close and personal) all over the world. A few Quakers and Mennonites. Some other simple living devotees. All combing over the billions spent annually on gold-plated weapons systems, cost-plus no-bid contracts, and independent contractors providing essential services that the military has historically done for itself.

I'll bet they'd find enough savings to fund quite a few other things, given half a chance.

[DirkGently]

8. Exactly. Defense cuts need to be "on the table." Along with

"raising" taxes for the rich back up to say, Reagan-era levels.

[Warren Stupidity]

10. The Reagan screwage collapsed the rates on the rich down to include the upper middle class

what we need to do is to increase the number of brackets so we can actually raise taxes on the rich without screwing working people.

[nashville_brook]

9. ding ding ding! eggsactly.

[phantom power]

12. Because TerrorTerrorTerror Why Do you Hate America!

Or, something.

[Vincardog]

13. Because cutting defense would actually cut the defect. SS is actually hiding its true size.

You would not want a RW talking point to have ANY truth to it would you ?

[blindpig]

14. While I prefer to cut the Pentagon funding by 90%...

as a preliminary we could cut it's petro-chemical allotment by 50%. Besides the obvious savings other salubrious effects would be to massively reduce US oil consumption(somebody dare tell me that's a bad thing) and would force an end to the imperial wars.