09 Feb 2012, 22:06
The US federal budget is over 40% in deficit. Much of the funding gap is covered by borrowing from the Chinese. That situation cannot continue indefinitely. There are three options: One; cut spending across the board by 40%. Two; raise taxes by 40%. Three; do something in between, like cut spending by 20% and raising taxes by 20%. Options one and two are not realistically achievable, so some version of option three is going to - eventually - be required, whether we like it or not.
Let's assume that we - eventually - get to option three, requiring a 20% cut in military spending. What do you plan on cutting? You can try to keep all the missions and tasking and facilities and personnel and benefits that you have now, but fund them at such a low level that eventually you end up with a "hollow force", which has happened before. Alternatively, you can decide to cut some 20% of tasking and capabilities, and fully fund the remaining 80%. Which do you prefer? Keep fighter squadrons based in Europe 67 years after the end of WWII, or bring them home and use those funds to fully pay personnel plus purchase new equipment?
Some will argue that there is an option four; don't cut the military at all, but instead do all the cutting in social programs. If the military and servicing the national debt are untouchable, then that means ALL of the cuts have to come from Social Security and Medicare. That means that the 20% cut in of the entire federal budget would result in a 40% cut in social programs. This forum is for fans of military fighters, and is not representative of the average American out there. When "Average Joe American" gets a call from the nursing home telling him that Mom is out on the sidewalk in her wheelchair and he needs to come pick her up because Medicare and Social Security are no longer paying enough to cover her, what do you think his priorities are going to be? Is he going to call his Congressman and tell him to keep buying F-35s and putting them on bases overseas, or is he going to tell him to trash the *@&# airplanes and shut down the ^%$@+ bases so he can stick his mom back in the nursing home?
Realistic options, guys. If you absolutely HAVE to cut the military 20%, where are you going to do it?
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