A lot of defense spending is earmarking in disguise
President Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates are trying to curtail wasteful defense projects, which in many cases are nothing more than congressional earmarks that are laundered through the Pentagon. Such projects thus acquire a “national security” sheen that makes them tough to fight.
A good example would be the “second-engine” contract for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program. The Pentagon has an engine it considers reliable already under production at Pratt & Whitney, but Congress is insisting that it also proceed with a second engine, this one built by GE and Rolls-Royce, “just in case.”
The House has insisted on funding the second-engine program; Obama has threatened to veto the measure if it comes to his desk in a defense spending bill, and I hope he makes good on that threat if necessary.
Not surprisingly, the defense industry is lobbying like crazy to keep taxpayers’ money flowing their way. I’m no fan of Kentucky Senate candidate Rand Paul, but on this issue, he makes a lot of sense. Under his plan, any company with $1 million or more in federal contracts must voluntarily surrender their right to lobby government or make campaign contributions. As he notes, “It is galling that companies can receive billion-dollar no-bid contracts, then turn around and spend millions on lobbyists, who immediately begin to plead, “Please, sir, can I have some more, sir?”
In fact, Politico points out that Gates and Obama might be able tap into the Tea Party movement as allies on this particular issue:
“Key tea party players, on and off Capitol Hill, are expressing a willingness to put the Pentagon budget on the chopping block if it will help rein in federal spending and eliminate a projected trillion-dollar-plus budget deficit.
Although generally hawkish and conservative with a libertarian streak — “we’re for strong defense” is an oft-repeated mantra in the movement — tea party leaders and allies contacted by POLITICO said that both fairness and common sense dictate that the military budget be scrutinized for such cuts, a view that puts them in sync with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and some of the most liberal members of Congress.
“Everything is on the table,” insisted Mark Meckler, a national coordinator with the group Tea Party Patriots. “I have yet to hear anyone say, ‘We can’t touch defense spending,’ or any other issue. … Any tea partier who says something else lacks integrity.”
“Possibly, the tea party movement could help in that regard,” said Rep. Paul Broun (R-Ga.), a tea party favorite, when asked about whether tea partiers would back Gates.
“Most of these people want to look at all federal spending and put it all on the table. They want to spend on strong defense, they want to support our troops, but they want to get rid of all the fluff, the fraud, the abuse, the waste in the federal government. They want to see the federal government shrink in size.”
Broun, a bitter critic of Obama — and no fan of Gates or the history of U.S. military intervention since World War II, including NATO — said the country “cannot be a protector of the whole world. We cannot do that any longer. We don’t have the money to do it anyway.”
I’m also no fan of Broun, but that last point is important. We have committed ourselves to the role of global policeman even though we no longer have the economic dominance to sustain that role, and it’s going to be fascinating to see how that imbalance is rectified over the next decade or so.
Politico also quotes U.S. Rep. Mike Pence, an Indiana Republican, Tea Party favorite and chairman of the House Republican Conference, as stating that “if we are going to put our fiscal house in order, everything has to be on the table. We have to be willing to look at domestic spending, we have to be able to look at entitlements, and we have to look at defense.”
That’s nice in theory. Then there’s reality:
“Pence, however, supports the second engine for the F-35 JSF. Rolls-Royce — which has secured the first procurement contract related to the F-35 — is the second-largest employer in the Hoosier state. The company has more than 4,000 employees in the Indianapolis area alone, demonstrating once again that all politics is local, even for tea party backers.”
I also suspect that if push ever came to shove on this issue, you could silence Tea Party calls for lower defense spending pretty quickly with a few false appeals to patriotism and national pride in playing global sheriff.
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225 comments Add your comment
RW-(the original)
June 7th, 2010
4:21 pm
Anybody that’s listened to Helen Thomas over the years shouldn’t have been shocked at all. She’s said pretty much the same thing dozens of times.
AmVet
June 7th, 2010
4:22 pm
Hey! I’ve got an idea!
Why don’t we have multiple and consecutive blog topics on whether Helen whats her face is an anti-Semite or not!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hignzKHphvQ
josef nix
June 7th, 2010
4:22 pm
SoCo
No, I don’t think we will, but I keep trying in hopes that my grandbabies and your little one will be able to…but, then, as we all know, I have a bad habit of subscribing to lost causes…
@@
June 7th, 2010
4:23 pm
josef:
I was jogging with a friend this morning, and she commented that she had no idea that anti-semitism was as prevalent as it is. We discussed the reasons for the resentment. For instance…
too much wealth and power in the hands of “The Jews” — that could be applied to neo-nazis or wealth envy on the part of left-wingers.
Then there’s the naivete of those who believe that if Israel was gone/relocated, all the hatred would subside, and we’d be sitting pretty here in the U.S.
On another note, Turkey has, in their attempt to discredit Israel, created some serious internal problems for their government.
This oughta do your heart some good:
LOS ANGELES – As anti-Israel protests are being held throughout the world following Israel’s raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla, a rally in support of Israel was held Sunday in Los Angeles in which 5,000 people participated. The keynote speaker at the rally, which was organized by the Israeli consulate in the city, was none other than California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Supporters of Israel marched along Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills carrying Israeli flags in the largest pro-Israel rally in the US since last week’s flotilla raid. In addition to Israelis and Jews, the rally was also attended by leaders from the Iranian, Armenian, and Mexican communities…
God luv ‘em.
Pogo
June 7th, 2010
4:23 pm
Got to agree with you on this one Jay. Too much money has been wasted on the military bureacracy and under the table deals with defense contractors. And unfortunately, as in civilian society, the money usually doesn’t go to those that need it and that deserve it (in this case, the soldiers).
As far as Palin and the “death panels”, the reality is that what we are going to experience in healthcare will be way more subtle and hidden than to be defined by such a vulgar term. BUT, the effect will be the same. Call it triage, call it resource allocation or call it what you will. I don’t like Palin and I really think she didn’t know enough other than to use the term “death panels”. But she was right. There will be rationing and it will impact older Americans more as they are not as productive to society and their healtchare cost the American taxpayer way too much money. It is simple economics and the time has come to where these decisions are going to have to be made. We are broke as a nation. The reality is that people over 50 who have not saved for their own welfare and that depend upon the government for healthcare (or anything else) are far too expensive to be maintained. Old people are as much as anyone are part of the “entitlement society”. Therefore in the future, they will take a second (or third or fourth or fifth) place in line for healtchare services. That is what this whole Healthcare bill was all about. That isn’t scare tactics, that is reality. The rub will be if the spineless politicians have the stuff to actually enact the Medicare cuts in the Healthcare plan or will they continue to sell out the younger people in our society and burden them with endless debt.
Union
June 7th, 2010
4:23 pm
saw the article in the ajc today about hamas sending a suicide attack in.. that didnt work out too well.. my advice to obama.. leave israel alone.. someone is going to have to clean up a mess in iran.. and i dont think a nobel prize winning scientist or some union appointee is going to be able to help
RW-(the original)
June 7th, 2010
4:25 pm
In keeping with his commitment to not rest until America’s crises are solved, President Obama attended his second party of the week on Sunday. Kelly Clarkson, Renee Fleming, George Lopez, Lionel Richie, Robin Roberts, and Dick Van Dyke, among others, all joined Obama at Ford’s Theatre for a gala honoring the arts.
The kicker? Sunday was the anniversary of D-Day, the beach invasion Allied powers executed as part of the effort to free Europe of the Nazi grip in 1944. It was a success that came at the cost of thousands of lives and yet the White House website made no mention of it. There were no remarks from Obama. Silence. Still, just the day before, Obama issued a statement on the passing of legendary college basketball coach John Wooden. Was Obama even aware of the significance of June 6?
https://www.lauraingraham.com/b/Party-president-disses-D-Day/-575188666680911650.html
AmVet
June 7th, 2010
4:26 pm
A Cherokee County couple who lost their home in a mortgage dispute with Countrywide Home Loans got some satisfaction Monday.
The Federal Trade Commission (Boo! Hiss!) announced a $108 million settlement with the massive mortgage lender over allegations that it mishandled the mortgage accounts of thousands of struggling homeowners like Robin and John Atchley.
Robin Atchley, a postal worker, was the only consumer to speak during the Washington press conference where the settlement was announced. The Atchley’s story, featured in a 2008 article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, was among the cases that prompted a federal investigation of abusive mortgage servicing practices by Countrywide.
The investigation found that two Countrywide mortgage servicing companies added inappropriate fees and charges to the accounts of borrowers who had fallen behind on their payments. The company also made false claims about amounts owed by consumers in bankruptcy court.
http://www.ajc.com/business/cherokee-couples-mortgage-case-543423.html
Scooter
June 7th, 2010
4:26 pm
AmVet
June 7th, 2010
4:16 pm
Do you have a bee in your bonnet or did I miss something? Whew!
Southern Comfort
June 7th, 2010
4:28 pm
josef
A cause is lost only when nobody cares about it.
DebbieDoRight
June 7th, 2010
4:29 pm
josef: . You just can’t get it through your head, can you, I have my issues with the President and I’m not real fond of him on a lot of them, but I have come out swinging in his defense and have referred you previously to when and on what issues…if you will recall, I was one of the few here who thought he did the symbolically right thing in the invitation to the beer in the Rose Garden.
Well hi josef!! And NOPE — never saw much of that swinging in his defense stuff. Must’ve been one of the days that I wasn’t on the boards….
DebbieDoRight
June 7th, 2010
4:32 pm
AmVet: A Cherokee County couple who lost their home in a mortgage dispute with Countrywide Home Loans got some satisfaction Monday.
They were just shiftless, lazy, good for nothings who beg at the government’s table for scraps!! They should be held responsible for their own failures!! (Unlike big businesses like Tyco, Enron, BP, etc. because it’s “UnAmerican” to speak badly about them).
AmVet
June 7th, 2010
4:34 pm
Nah, just poking the baby bruins, Scoot.
Debbie, good to see ya here!
Speaking of Countrywide, I remember last winter when was in SoCal and was driving form LA to Ventura, I could almost feel the nastiness in the air as I drove past Calabasas.
No telling how much of other people’s money those scofflaws strolled off with…
josef nix
June 7th, 2010
4:35 pm
@@
I can’t remember who it was now who said it, but “if there were no Jews we would have to invent them.” So many people have no real idea of just how deep it lies in our cultural psyche. I cannot begin to tell you the number of times otherwise decent people have said to me, really with no malice, “you don’t look Jewish” or when their less decent peers say, “you don’t act Jewish.” It’s really not too far a leap from there to Helen Thomas and from her to Torquemada…you learn to live with it and you learn to deal with it, but as SoCo said, “it stings.”
josef nix
June 7th, 2010
4:39 pm
DDR
Okay…his address to America’s schoolchildren, the beer in the Rose Garden, his stance during the Iranian election crisis, his taking of his beloved for a night on the town, his modelling of family values with his own children and his unabashed doting on them, his order to his followers to lay off the Palin kids…just for starters…all of which brought out some negative postings
FinnMcCool
June 7th, 2010
4:40 pm
Pssst, They don’t like Helen Thomas cause she poked fun at W all 8 years.
Bunch of little punks with their feelings hurt. “Waaaa, where’s my mommy?”
Curious Observer
June 7th, 2010
4:41 pm
the intonation and selective pauses…it is there that anti-Semitism enters into the question…but that is not my issue nearly so much as is just how widespread is that sentiment…
I have to agree with you, josef. I was reading some news articles on the Iranian threat to send “relief boats” to break the Israeli blockade, possibly accompanied by Iranian warships. I was simply astonished by the virulent reader comments that followed it, including many who openly wished for WWIII to break out and for Israel to be wiped off the map. We are living in some sick times.
josef nix
June 7th, 2010
4:42 pm
DDR
@ 4:32
And I’m coming out in your corner on that one…! I’m putting up a little monument to you in my garden…”Our Lady of the Shiftless!”
josef nix
June 7th, 2010
4:45 pm
curious
And, sadly for me, all of this comes on the heels of Friday night’s music when our fellow bloggers not only indulged mine and AmVet’s roll in MOT pride, but joined in with us…that was the best feeling I’ve had in a long time on hope for a better world…and now this…sad…
Pogo
June 7th, 2010
5:23 pm
Germany is now cutting back on government pensions, re-negotiating government union contracts and cutting its government entitlements. And they are in the best financial shape of any European country! What we are witnessing in Europe is the death of the socialist dream which Obama and the liberal/progressives here so much admired and wanted to model America after. What we are also seeing is the death of the Obama administration and the progressive movement here. Obama’s liberal teachings were built upon fantasy and what does he do? He parties with celebrities at the Whitehouse while the rest of the country suffers. “Let them eat cake”, right Obama?
Paul
June 7th, 2010
5:36 pm
Hillybilly Deluxe 3:15
“We can all say anything we want to, at any time. That’s free speech. To think that we can say anything we want to, at anytime, to anybody, without repercussions, is unrealistic.”
Josef nix “She’s being made the fall guy for a whole train of thought you see plenty of examples of right here on a regular basis.”
Was watching Letterman on my trip. Don Rickles was the guest and was doing his normal rapid-fire schtick. Then he said “there, I got the Jews and I got the Italians. But you can’t get the Blacks. You get in trouble for that.” The audience went “ooooohhhhhhh” and Letterman broke for a commercial.
Union – AmVet
Humvee was designed as a modular-type replacement for rollover-prone Jeeps and other assorted vehicles. Armoring was not even thought of. The military minds thought the future engagements would be what we’d faced in the past – rather like the Redcoats never though irregulars without uniforms would hide behind trees and wouldn’t line up in formation. Anyhow, I see it as an example of new tactics leapfrogging traditional technology or tactics.
josef nix
““if there were no Jews we would have to invent them.””
Always gotta have someone else to blame……
Paul
June 7th, 2010
5:39 pm
Finn McCool
“Pssst, They don’t like Helen Thomas cause she poked fun at W all 8 years.”
So THAT’S why Robert Gibbs, White House Press Secretary, condemned what she said….
Paul
June 7th, 2010
5:43 pm
Curious Observer 4:41
“Radio messages sent from the Turkish Gaza flotilla to the Navy contained chilling anti-Semitic abuse, the IDF revealed on Friday when it released audio recordings of communications with the vessels.
“You are approaching an area which is under a naval blockade,” a Navy radio operator said in a message broadcast to six ships taking part in the flotilla as they sailed on the Mediterranean Sea towards Gaza.” “Shut up. Go back to Auschwitz,” a male voice said in reply. The message was broadcast to the Navy from one of the flotilla ships, the IDF confirmed on Saturday.
“We’re helping the Arabs go against the US, don’t forget 9/11 guys”, a man said later on during the radio exchange.”
http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=177566
josef nix
June 7th, 2010
5:46 pm
PAUL
Zionist propaganda, I tell ya…!
Southern Comfort
June 7th, 2010
7:07 pm
What we are witnessing in Europe is the death of the socialist dream which Obama and the liberal/progressives here so much admired and wanted to model America after.
I fail to see that. America has been a hybrid capitalist/socialist economy for almost as long as I’ve been alive. It’s always been private profits and community risks as long as I can remember. The risks were not always financial as they appear nowadays. The risks were sometimes financial, sometimes health-related, and sometimes environmentally adverse. Contrary to popular opinion, I haven’t witnessed a huge shift in socialism here. It’s only because of news and internet exposure that it appears that way now.