They disagree about how, but in the Grand Deal, they do agree, to higher tax income, and cuts, that amount to what we have been over spending every year, that equals what the higher income and cuts would produce over the next decade.
Reducing the rate we are going in debt by 10%, is not much of a deal.
It does nothing to reduce the current debt.
Half of government spending goes to keeping the country running, Social Security, Medicare, take most, but Food Stamps, Unemployment, School Lunches, get some.
The other half goes to the War Machine, and we have lost the last three wars. We do not have enough troops to not send the same ones over and over, more frontline time than any prior war. We have 500,000, a small force, and they do not cost much.
Most of defense goes into things we never hear of, that do not work, are not field tested and applied, they are Defense Welfare.
Cut by half we would still be spending more than the next twenty five countries.
When the shooting starts, it is boots on the ground that wins, and I am with Powell, who said twice the troops sent into Iraq. Also Pottery Barn rules, you break it you bought it, and he was right. Undermanned it turned into a fight, lasted a decade, twice the boots, it would have been short, effective, and out of there.
Troops need rest and training, doubling the boots, creates a half million jobs, and a lot less future cost for battle stress.
As for the Harry Potter Cape, other projects that suck up billions, dump them. troops in the field would also not see their own in the field, and when the shooting starts, no one would know who was where.
There is no worry about a big war, back in the 70s we passed the point of being able to kill everything on the planet ten times over. Saddam got his Nerve Gas from us, and the Brits, we also make weapon grade Antrax in Baton Rouge. We do not need to fund any more Bioweapons, one invisable plane out of Oklahoma can fly around the world, dust whole cities with Parrot Fever, and they will be dead in a day.
We are bad, Russia is just as bad for a lot less money. They are fully able to put an end to us, and everyone else. No matter how much we spend, there is no stopping India from developing Bioweapons, or China, that target round eye white devils. The Black Death and the 1918 Flu seemed to. They are working on it.
Russia developed a high speed version of the Hanta Virus, for ten days you spread it, then die in four. Without hosts it dies out, a month later, open ground.
Nothing beats the nukes, ground, air, subs, game over. We will not be invaded. We have paid for that defense long ago.
No amount spent can ever make us safer, or more a threat to the rest of the world, and for police work, only boots on the ground works.
Then comes the question should we? Africa, we ignor genocide, Bosnia with resort hotel beach frontage, we were very concerned.
The news is, population in Africa is rising much faster than they can feed it, or outside food can be sent in, which just gets stolen by local war lords. The Somalia Famine is the future, and there is nothing we can do.
Drought is not just our problem, Europe, Russia, China, we are a club. The climate shift will bring rain to India, And Kenya, everyone else eats dust.
Containing Global Warming to two degrees, by 2100, we are there already. Also the feedback loop is kicking in, we are in for the ride.
Sending the Army to shoot corn that does not grow will not work. Bombing it will not bring it to the peace table.
I do think we need defense, as in people, trained, armed, and now would be a good time to double the force, because we have some very experenced warriors who should pass on their battle skills. We could also use a half million jobs. Full employment is 300,000 a month, and we are way behind.
What a chance to put a million college grads in uniform, and in a reverse GI Bill, write off their Student Loans. We do it for Teachers.
Planning the weapons of 2025 is not possible, it produces prototypes, not production factories, and there is no telling what will be needed. It is not worth at least a third of all government spending, and cutting it all, we would still have The Marines, who if they can chose their own weapons collection, are the best development possible.
Cutting that, raising taxes to historic rates, Making all income the same, no Capital Gains, it all pays into Social Security, and there is a Transaction Tax on all Securities, we will not have to tax Net Worth to put the country in the black, debt free, very quickly.
We could use a National Irrigation System, the drought could last a thousnd years. We could also fund things like Warp Drive, which seems possible, and ships. 10% of the speed of light seems possible, and forty years to Alpha Centari, there are planets.
We do need an Army because this planet with eight billion, heat and drought, is going to drop to under a billion, and we are within walking distance.
The highest value of life is Species Survival, and we will not make it by not having a clear vision of where we are going. No rain, no food, for a year, it is all over. Generations to come need the basic means of survival if we are to ever get off of this rock and explore space.
We may be insane apes, but it is possible we the best in the universe.
Or maybe we all die, so lets give it a shot.
08 Dec 2012, 12:37 pm
