Look, I’m no genius. I’m as smart as the next guy, perhaps more intelligent than some. Certainly, when it comes to math, my practical knowledge is confined to algebra. A calculator or spreadsheet is my best friend when doing computations.
But even I know that as a nation we cannot keep spending like this. Tax cuts are great. I want one. You want one. But without spending cuts all we have done is ensure someone else will pay higher taxes in their future.
It is time Congress looks at spending. All spending, and that includes the military. The automatic spending increases have to go. Reducing a planned increases of 5% to an increase of 2% is not a “cut”.
Say you spent $100 on electricity last December and budgeted $130 for electricity this December. At the end of the month your bill was $115. You did not save $15. You spent $15 more than last year. You know it. I know it. Only someone in the fetid swamp of Washington would think they saved money on the electric bill, see it as an excuse to go to the casino and bet not only that $15 on red, but the $15 for each month they “probably” will save in January, February, and March and wonder what happened to that $60 they were going to use to buy little Jimmie that Paw Patrol set he wanted for his birthday.
And yes, that was a run on sentence and you should read it as an indication of my pissed rantings. I’m channeling my inner Lewis Black.
I don’t care if it elects 100 Trumps. I am never voting for an incumbent again.
Military spending will continue to increase do to some issues. Reducing active forces doesn't really reduce the cost, in fact it actually increases it to a degree. When you cut non war fighters, mechanics, supply people, etc, etc the requirement is still there. The past administration used contract people to fill in the support requirement and national guard support. While a lot of equipment has been put in what is called storage, it wasn't repaired to functional standards. Parts are not available to repair equipment that is on hand much less in storage, thus vehicles and aircraft in storage are stripped. Knee jerk reaction by buying equipment that sounds good but in fact is basically useless other than very special uses. Think MRAP vehicles that are horrible to maintain, useless off hard surface roads and hell to move overseas. Google up the Army Pre-position program. We need to get the hell out of a lot places we have troops, but then again what the hell do I know.
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