Military reduction idea

[Bluerobin]

PI, it is an entitlement - I earned it. What did Japan do to earn our bases? They are no longer our enemies, so our bases are not needed anymore.

[privateinvestor]

Mar 16, 2011 9:14:51 GMT -5 Bluerobin said:

PI, it is an entitlement - I earned it. What did Japan do to earn our bases? They are no longer our enemies, so our bases are not needed anymore.

Actually we have had a presence in Japan since the end of WW2...

I don't think it is one of our foreign bases that are on the chopping block...

[Bluerobin]

PI, but it should be on the chopping block, along with all the bases that are not in our back yard.

[Politically_Incorrect12]

Mar 16, 2011 9:14:51 GMT -5 Bluerobin said:

PI, it is an entitlement - I earned it. What did Japan do to earn our bases? They are no longer our enemies, so our bases are not needed anymore.

And you not getting it can likley be blamed on politicians who haven't been able to add or subtract for many years now.

[Bluerobin]

PI, my not getting it, is due to idiot politicians who raided "the trust fund" years ago. I just signed up. I figure once I am getting it, they won't fool with me, just those who are not getting it. If worse comes to worst with Medicare, I will just hide assets and go on welfare.

[privateinvestor]

Ron Paul and Barney Frank co authored a proposal to bring all of our troosp home ASAP and they estimated that would save us $Trillions over the next ten years. However their proposal has gone nowhere in the House..

You can google this issue if you want to learn more or are that interested in this proposal by Dr No and Ole Barney..

[handyman2]

To cut the military to levels suggested would cripple our ability to have a functioning army entirely. There are was to reduce the costs by standardizing equipment among the branches. Streamline the communications systems which is in process and close some bases that are not necessary, eliminate some of the redundancy throughout the services and contract out some VA operations to local medical centers and eliminate or retire a lot of the old brass that just take up desk space etc.

[Bluerobin]

Handy, no, it would give us a right sized army!

[privateinvestor]

Cost studies are being performed to determine if closing a base would cost more than keeping it open.... You could see some overseas bases closing as well as some stateside if the cost justify that closing..

One that I am familar with is the Boston Navy Yard in Charlestown MA that was closed a few years ago. The closing cost thousands of jobs in the Boston MA area and those job losses had a devastating effect on the businesses and stores near that base in Charlestown MA.... So we may have saved $millions but at what other indirect costs to the local economies??

[handyman2]

Sorry Blue Robin I must respectfully disagree. Could they reduce the number to a small degree? yes but not near to the point as the poster mentioned. In a crisis like we have all over the world we must be fully prepared to defend ourselves at all times. As history has taught us we have enemies in many places and it is better to fight them on thier home turf than on ours.

[Bluerobin]

Handy, we have no business defending ourselves anywhere outside our hemisphere. We don't belong in Iraq or Afgahnistan.
PI cost studies are just govspeak for we don't wanna do it. Cut the base, cut the cost!

[privateinvestor]

I cannot speak to today's Defense Dept cost studies and cost analysis but during the Jimmy Carter Presidency we had a team of statistical and accounting groups working 24/7 performing cost studies for Mr Carter and Mr Brown...we had to submit one a week for the plans to rescue our hostages in Tehran and each one was rejected by Mr Carter because he wanted to see more backup cost data which included more cost mitigation studies or more so called contingency cost studies. It drove our Boss a full bird colonel to resign along with many on his staff...

[billisonboard]

One that I am familar with is the Boston Navy Yard in Charlestown MA that was closed a few years ago. The closing cost thousands of jobs in the Boston MA area and those job losses had a devastating effect on the businesses and stores near that base in Charlestown MA.... So we may have saved $millions but at what other indirect costs to the local economies??

What effect will cuts in funding to Planned Parenthood and NPR have on the businesses and stores near their facilities across the country?

[privateinvestor]

Both Republicans and Democrats have complained about President Barack Obama’s lack of leadership on the budget issue. And Wisconsin GOP Rep. Paul Ryan, chairman of the House Budget Committee, gave strong voice to those concerns Thursday, Politico reports.

Read more on Newsmax.com: Rep. Paul Ryan: Obama Just Ignores Budget Quagmire

[billisonboard]

Both Republicans and Democrats have complained about President Barack Obama’s lack of leadership on the budget issue. ...

They need to stop their complaining and get their job done.

[henryclay]

Cut defense? It reminds me of the anchor baby, Gerardo Sandoval, (now San Francisco city supervisor), who, when San Francisco turned down the USS Iowa as a floating naval museum said "we don't need a military at all". When he was asked who should we depend on for protection against our enemies said, "Well we have the police".

Here is a transcript, and it flows into a subsequent interview where Sandoval gets on his stump for illegal aliens. Keep in mind San Francisco has long been a sancuary city. With this kind of city leadership, why not?

www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,190867,00.html