America has ‘reached the point of no return,’ Reagan budget director warns

[Bones]

Exclusive: America has ‘reached the point of no return,’ Reagan budget director warns | Raw Story

The Obama administration's $78 billion cut to US defense spending is a mere "pin-prick" to a behemoth military-industrial complex that must drastically shrink for the good of the republic, a former Reagan administration budget director recently told Raw Story.

"It amounts to a failed opportunity to recognize that we are now at a historical inflection point at which the time has arrived for a classic post-war demobilization of the entire military establishment," David Stockman said in an exclusive interview.

"The Cold War is long over," he continued. "The wars of occupation are almost over and were complete failures -- Afghanistan and Iraq. The American empire is done. There are no real seriously armed enemies left in the world that can possibly justify an $800 billion national defense and security establishment, including Homeland Security."

Short of that, he suggested, the United States has "reached the point of no return" with its artificial creation of wealth, and will eventually face a sharp economic decline.

Hold onto your hats, ladies and gentlemen. It's going to be a long, bumpy ride. The economic situation has reached critical mass.

 

[zzzz]

Why do we have to have soldiers and naval bases all over the world when we have the "reach" to hit anyplace within a few hours from the continental United States or subs? Do we really need to protect foreign countries from occupation when we are occupiers? Why do we still have 80,000 troops in Europe? Do we really need 11 carrier groups and all those ships? Is there really any crdible threat our navy? Aren't these ships really outdated and obselete in today's missile war? The war in the Falklands shows what aircraft and missiles can do to a navy vessel and todays missiles are far more deadly.

But how do you move an entrenched rock? The military industrial complex has become entrenched in American society and is blanketed in patriotism. I daresay that this post will recieve criticism for just saying what I did but the facts are there. Do we really need a an almighty military and be nation building around the globe. Do we need over 400 military bases around the world, excluding Iraq and Afghanistan? Who are we fighting?

 

[loosecannon]

Stockman has been sending this message for quite a while. The deficit reduction commission drew the same conclusions.

But more entrenched than the military industrial complex is the propensity of Congress to spend money, more each year. They aren't gonna stop until they break us.

 

[Bern80]

No one has the balls to do anything major in Washington. No one is going to rock the boat. They are more concerned about re-election than doing what needs to be done.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

The military is the problem? LOL The one expenditure clearly enumerated in the Constitution.

 

[Bern80]

The military is the problem? LOL The one expenditure clearly enumerated in the Constitution.

Come on Frank. If us righties are serious about shrinking government then everything needs to be on the table. No sacred cows and that includes the military. And just because it's in the constitution isn't an excuse to be wasteful. We don't need to BE spendng billions building 'back up' jet engines that are never going to be used....even as back ups. We don't need one military base (or more) in a hundred plus countries. We can defend this country and not be the world police. If we want to make a meaningfUl dent in government spending then you have to start with the biggest pieces of the pie; Miltiary and entitlements.

 

[Bones]

The military is the problem? LOL The one expenditure clearly enumerated in the Constitution.

Nobody said that the military is the problem. The problem lies within how much is spent on the military, defense and the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, including the plethora of U.S. military bases operating around the world.

Even if it is an expenditure enumerated in the Constitution, 663 billion dollars is overkill.

 

[Norman]

The military is the problem? LOL The one expenditure clearly enumerated in the Constitution.

Nobody said that the military is the problem. The problem lies within how much is spent on the military, defense and the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, including the plethora of U.S. military bases operating around the world.

Even if it is an expenditure enumerated in the Constitution, 663 billion dollars is overkill.

Yeah this is the truth. Obviously other kind of spending is problem as well.

Anyway I don't even understand why these kind of drop in the water cuts are talked about much... 100 billion is nothing in the grand scheme of things. It is like 10% of military spending. And even then I am pretty sure that what it actually means is that they are not increasing the spending by that 10%.

 

[uscitizen]

Interesting since we started down the final trun on the road of no return under Reagan.

 

[loosecannon]

The military is the problem? LOL The one expenditure clearly enumerated in the Constitution.

No the military is symptomatic of the problem. Cutting $78 billion, or 1/4 of 1%, of the military budget is the kind of drop in the bucket reform that will destroy us.

 

[Revere]

Interesting since we started down the final trun on the road of no return under Reagan.

Actually, Republican Congresses eliminated the deficit in the 1990s.

 

[loosecannon]

Interesting since we started down the final trun on the road of no return under Reagan.

Actually, Republican Congresses eliminated the deficit in the 1990s.

You mean Clinton. Congress doesn't submit the budget.

 

[william the wie]

My problem with this discussion is that we are likely to see a major turn around this year that will cause everyone to forget this problem.

The US as best of the worst is the safe haven of last resort.

China and Australia as well as the EU are deteriorating rapidly. China has released their latest trade figures and the surplus is dropping like a rock. Australia is an economic basketcase because of flooding and overpriced housing. Portugal is in the tank with Spain and Italy likely to follow this year.

The Taliban and Al Qaeda have a published withdrawal schedule for US involvement in Afghanistan so they will lay low.

Everything will look like it is coming up roses or at least that will be the spin and all sense of urgency will disappear.