tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1138570918413841323.post558142965897853700..comments2024-02-23T03:29:54.261-05:00Comments on The Unreligious Right: Good Question of the DayUNRRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17093711439992855042noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1138570918413841323.post-8501868621799098732009-04-10T15:29:00.000-04:002009-04-10T15:29:00.000-04:00Nah, from the average Democrat's perspective milit...Nah, from the average Democrat's perspective military spending is a black hole that's already sucking up too much money.<BR/><BR/>The things you list would be beneficial relative to current wasteful expenditures, so redirecting funds as Gates means to do will be a plus (assuming congress can overcome the parochial interests)<BR/><BR/>But you'd never convince an average Democrat that a dollar spent on one of those military projects is better spent than on something like expanding health benefits, stem cell research, or environmentally-friendly energy research.Gherald Lhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14018224925808657621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1138570918413841323.post-27934117233291848952009-04-10T14:56:00.000-04:002009-04-10T14:56:00.000-04:00"But it isn't useful past a certain point..."But it isn't useful past a certain point, and we're definitely well past that point."<BR/><BR/>No we aren't. There are all sorts of military expenditures we could make that would both be useful and would stimulate the economy, if you believe government spending helps the economy. Here's a few examples:<BR/><BR/>1) Build more VA hospitals. Aside from the benefit to veterans, this would create jobs, not just for the hospitals, but also in construction and related fields.<BR/><BR/>2) Increase benefits for veterans and their families -- putting more spending money into their pockets. This would also help recruitment. <BR/><BR/>3) Build more sealift and airlift capacity. This would create jobs in both shipbuilding & the aircraft industry. And it would improve our ability to deploy/redeploy forces abroad, among other things.<BR/><BR/>4) Create one or two more army divisions. We can use more ground forces. They will have to be equipped, and they will have to be based somewhere, allowing us to reactivate idle base capacity, and providing massive stimulus to the local areas where they are based.<BR/><BR/>Military spending isn't limited to producing unproven weapon systems with 10 year development windows, that we aren't even sure will be all that useful.UNRRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17093711439992855042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1138570918413841323.post-87263294102184324922009-04-10T13:35:00.000-04:002009-04-10T13:35:00.000-04:00> You can make that same argument about virtual...> <I>You can make that same argument about virtually everything the Democrats want to spend money on.</I><BR/><BR/>You can make the case that it's inefficient and unnecessary, not that virtually everything they want to spend on is useless.<BR/><BR/>> <I>Defense spending doesn't have to mean bloated unnecessary projects.</I><BR/><BR/>But it isn't useful past a certain point, and we're definitely well past that point.Gherald Lhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14018224925808657621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1138570918413841323.post-46258695228110420772009-04-10T11:59:00.000-04:002009-04-10T11:59:00.000-04:00" I'd like to see the defense budget cut significa..." I'd like to see the defense budget cut significantly. "<BR/><BR/>I'd support that only as part of across the board cuts.<BR/><BR/>"The reason defense is an exception to stimulus plans are because it's bad economics. Theoretically paying people to dig holes and fill them back up might have a stimulating effect if unemployment is too high. But are you creating a useful product? If not, work is going to waste."<BR/><BR/>You can make that same argument about virtually everything the Democrats want to spend money on. That's the point.<BR/><BR/>"but since they insist on spending it may as well be on things we have some use for."<BR/><BR/>Yeah, like defense -- one of the main reasons we need a government in the first place. Defense spending doesn't have to mean bloated unnecessary projects.UNRRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17093711439992855042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1138570918413841323.post-20462881444347809312009-04-10T11:13:00.000-04:002009-04-10T11:13:00.000-04:00We're in the middle of a couple wars right now so ...We're in the middle of a couple wars right now so that throws a wrench to things, but for the long term I'd like to see the defense budget cut significantly. There's too much cold war-era crap and other wasteful programs. I imagine many Democrats feel the same way, but it's politically difficult because of all the parochial interests (don't cut programs in <I>my</I> state!) and of course all the bitching that will come from the Right no matter how good the case for cutting a particular program is.<BR/><BR/>It's also generally a bad idea to cut many programs in an economic downturn.<BR/><BR/>The reason defense is an exception to stimulus plans are because it's bad economics. Theoretically paying people to dig holes and fill them back up might have a stimulating effect if unemployment is too high. But are you creating a useful product? If not, work is going to waste.<BR/><BR/>Basically Democrats think stimulus spending on infrastructure and social services offers more benefits than building extra tanks or re-filling holes.<BR/><BR/>I'd much prefer something like a payroll tax cut, but since they insist on spending it may as well be on things we have some use for.Gherald Lhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14018224925808657621noreply@blogger.com