The Horror!

[Orange_Juice]

Canada might see a chance here and invade us now! If only we had people checked for box cutters before 9-11 we wouldn't have had to waste so much money.

National Defense= Checking for sharp objects on passengers going on jets

Crisis could crimp defense spending, now at World War II levels - Yahoo! News

WASHINGTON — With the U.S. economy in crisis and military spending at its highest level since World War II, military officials and experts are worrying that America may have to start reining in defense spending.

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In the fiscal year that just ended, the U.S. spent $694.2 billion on defense, up 52 percent from the 2000 defense budget in constant dollars. (That year, the department spent $292 billion .) The fiscal 2008 total includes $514.2 billion in the defense budget and another $180 billion to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan , which have been financed through so-called "supplemental" budgets.

Eight years of borrowing to pay for the Iraq and Afghan wars, coupled with an aging baby boomer population, growing health care costs and a push to enlarge the Army , could force legislators to make tough decisions about which needs should take priority, and the next president to reassess how much the military can do.

Congress' decision earlier this month to approve a $700 billon bailout for the financial industry adds to the strain on the federal budget, and the stock market decline and the credit crunch could slow economic activity and eliminate jobs, which in turn could reduce tax revenues.

"How the U.S. government funds its military answers the question of: How committed it is to fighting these kinds of war?" said James Quinlivan , a senior military analyst and mathematician at the RAND Corporation .

The pressure is likely to be felt most acutely by the Army , the military's largest and most expensive branch, which is already strained by the war in Iraq and planning for another decade of sustained conflict. Both presidential candidates have called for more troops in Afghanistan while maintaining a substantial force in Iraq .

The Army plans to add about 30,000 soldiers by 2010, and expanding the force to 547,000 would cost at least $5 billion , according to Army estimates. Some internal estimates put the cost of repairing or replacing worn-out and damaged equipment and procuring new technology at another $150 billion a year.

"People ask me how big an Army do you need. My first question is: What do you want it to do? My second question: How much are you prepared to spend on that Army ?" Gen. George Casey , the Army chief of staff, said this week. "We're looking at a decade of persistent conflict . . . . We are actively working (how to balance those needs) right now."

Since World War II, the defense budget has ebbed and flowed, reaching sudden peaks during conflict and dropping quickly after wars ended. Since 9/11, however, the budget has undergone sustained growth because there's no end in sight to the war against terrorism.

 

[editec]

Canada might invade us an impose their nationalized health care on us!?

Oh Lordie-lou PLEASE don't throw me in dat brairpatch, Bother Fox!

 

[rayboyusmc]

They already do that in South Florida every year. There are more "je souvien" plates than "I Love Obama" plates

I don't know about the medical costs, but the golfing fees just about double.

 

[Chris]

Bin Laden said his goal was to bankrupt America.

Bush is helping him accomplish that goal with his borrow and spend policies.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

 

[dilloduck]

Bin Laden said his goal was to bankrupt America.

Bush is helping him accomplish that goal with his borrow and spend policies.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

yes Kirk---it is all Bush's fault. We know