This chart shows clearly the large discrepancy between welfare spending and national defense spending by the federal government. Since the end of the Korean War, defense spending has rarely been reduced, as
Congress members whose constituencies depend on this American form of business subsidization
{"military Keynesianism"} have consistently voted against large defense spending cuts, while decrying aid to the chronically unemployed, widows, and orphans as wasteful or worse, immoral. But the moment of truth may have arrived, at last. Even Pentagon leaders are now willing to
at least slow the almost continuous growth of defense spending in the face of unsustainable debt. The Pentagon is budgeted to received $530 billion for fiscal year 2011 if Congress fails to pass a budget before March. The base defense budget before the Charlatan's two wars began, FY2000, was $400 billion. Secretary Gates' "efficiency" proposals amount to $78 billion ($54b of that figure is attributable to the federal pay freeze), but that is not enough to
actually reduce spending. Obama & Folks have approved the Pentagon requesting $554 billion for fiscal 2012. With the right energized by fiscal conservatives, and the left fighting for more social spending, there may be a critical mass building for putting defense spending on the chopping block. Some weapon programs that could be cut without affecting capabilities are: the design flawed F-35 VSTOL aircraft; the V-22 Osprey which in the words of Secretary Gates is "a turkey" without a clear mission; the unnecessary amphibious Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle; the huge stockpile of nuclear warheads that cost $50 million a year to maintain and which one
retired Chief of Staff called "militarily useless"; the missile defense program which costs $10 billion a year and has
failed yet another significant test; and the Navy's two planned nuclear carriers (a third is already building) as the US already has by far the largest Naval air arm in the world, and "no other country has even one comparable ship" (the US operates 11). In addition, almost all of US armed forces stationed in Europe should be removed at a time when European nations are actively reducing the size of their own military establishments. These sacred cows can and should be reduced in size or eliminated. A few "welfare queens" will never cost this much.
