list of GOP cuts.

[IPorange]

Agreed. DoD is just as bloated as the rest of the govt. Keep training, axe pentagon staff by jillions and stop insider tracks to mil contracts.
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This is a good way to trim a few billion
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[rjd970]

You are going to judge those by the labels placed on them by a partisan commission hoisting them up purely for the political purpose of making it seem like its Democrats who overspend?

All under the complete ruse that its just being responsible with tax dollars?

While at the same time decrying the efforts of one of their own to cut LITERALLY FIFTY TIMES what these people have come up with on the social spending side?

Really?

Tell you what. It is astounding to me the level of superficiality in your view of this process.

Grow up.

You're right, I should just bend over and take it like a man that my tax dollars are supporting government unions.

Please. It isn't the amount that really bothers me, it is the waste and philosophical objections I have to it.

 

[fl0at]

The last time I checked cable, satellite and broadcast television were publicly available. There are many channels on television devoted to being educational as well.

Cable and satellite are paid subscription, not public broadcasting. Those educational channels first require that paid subscription.

PBS is OTA. Unplug your TV from your cable box, pop on an antenna (now you need a digital converter, I believe) and you can get PBS. Tell me how many educational channels you get, other than PBS.

To save you the hassle, this is a Wiki list of major OTA stations:

PBS, NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox, The CW, MyNetworkTV, Ion Television

Which are educational?

 

[azVolFan]

Cable and satellite are paid subscription, not public broadcasting. Those educational channels first require that paid subscription.

PBS is OTA. Unplug your TV from your cable box, pop on an antenna (now you need a digital converter, I believe) and you can get PBS. Tell me how many educational channels you get, other than PBS.

To save you the hassle, this is a Wiki list of major OTA stations:

PBS, NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox, The CW, MyNetworkTV, Ion Television

Which are educational?

I did perform a search on the percentage of households who have subscriber TV and I found numbers from 80% to 91%. I would assume that households who have no television whatsoever is probably about the same who only get OTA.

My point, not that many people use it and I really don't think anyone actually needs it.

 

[fl0at]

I did perform a search on the percentage of households who have subscriber TV and I found numbers from 80% to 91%. I would assume that households who have no television whatsoever is probably about the same who only get OTA.

My point, not that many people use it and I really don't think anyone actually needs it.

Valid point. I guess everyone has subscriber now.

Oh well, I'm sure the worthwhile PBS programs will get picked up by other networks, so I guess it isn't a loss after all.

 

[OrangeYankee]

Ya the DoD really needs to be cut. I forget the figures but the vast majority of our budget is evenly cut between social programs and defense. I'm all for peace through strength but, it is beyond ridiculous. Remember, it's still a gov't program and thus largely inefficient as well. The other thing is... 2.5 trillion over TEN YEARS??? Really are kidding me? You saved us 250 billion a year. A start but hardly anything to pant about when we are in the red by five times that amount.

 

[utvolpj]

Ya the DoD really needs to be cut. I forget the figures but the vast majority of our budget is evenly cut between social programs and defense. I'm all for peace through strength but, it is beyond ridiculous. Remember, it's still a gov't program and thus largely inefficient as well. The other thing is... 2.5 trillion over TEN YEARS??? Really are kidding me? You saved us 250 billion a year. A start but hardly anything to pant about when we are in the red by five times that amount.

Well you have to start somewhere. Start taking away too much gov't money at one time and people will riot. These are easier items while something like the DoD would take some investigation before cutting. It's more than what has been done in years so give it a chance to work

 

[utgibbs]

Disappointed that the GOP doesn't have the balls to cut waste from the DoD. Its a decent enough first draft, though.

That is why the list is so hard to take seriously. A modest 10% reduction is > this list over 10 years.

And we could keep bands in schools!

In truth, although I would line item veto several of these (the rail cuts are absolutely preposterous), some have merit.

But, it's not a serious list. Unless you want to attack the 800lbs gorilla in the room, you aren't serious. You are just playing politics.

 

[BigPapaVol]

Modest 10%. Please.

I'm for it if we do it across the board and we hammer silliness like endowment for the arts and school bands and union ruined education. When you're talking about cutting defense spending, it's senseless to pretend that something else should be salvaged.

And, eff the freaking band. It's the band.
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[overseasorange2]

sorry but times are tough and we got to tighten our belts

Fire up the oven and bake some more cookies

I always loved that line from Management. Then they proceeded to layoff dozens of people before cashing their bonus checks. lol: It always seems like management gets the gold and the worker bees get the shaft.:birgits_giggle:

 

[VolsNSkinsFan]

U.S. to detail $100 billion in Pentagon savings, cuts: sources | Reuters

Defense Secretary Robert Gates is expected to announce as early as Thursday about $100 billion in savings for the Pentagon and cuts to some weapons programs, sources said on Monday.

Defense News, a trade publication, reported in December that the White House Office of Management and Budget had ordered the Pentagon to cut its budget by $90 billion over the next five years, beginning with a $12 billion cut in fiscal 2012.

The Pentagon's fiscal 2011 budget plan had called for a spending of $549 billion in 2011, growing to $566 billion in 2012, excluding war spending.

 

[utgibbs]

Modest 10%. Please.

I'm for it if we do it across the board and we hammer silliness like endowment for the arts and school bands and union ruined education. When you're talking about cutting defense spending, it's senseless to pretend that something else should be salvaged.

And, eff the freaking band. It's the band.
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Very, very modest. 50% is actually getting into some real politics and real priorities and real decisions. Not the current Welfare Dad scheme which is the "Defense" budget.

I suppose it is aptly named, since it doesn't factor in WAR spending.

School bands are the bomb. I am for a completely overhaul of education, but school bands actually provide a lifetime of rewards for kids. One of the best programs in our current school system. Gives them an actual / life-affirming skill in the real world unlike the standardized testing regime.

 

[MG1968]

School bands are the bomb. I am for a completely overhaul of education, but school bands actually provide a lifetime of rewards for kids. One of the best programs in our current school system. Gives them an actual / life-affirming skill in the real world unlike the standardized testing regime.

indeed, because everybody knows that when an employer sees that little Susie played 2nd Clarinet her senior year, or that Charlie was a master of the triangle by 8th grade, that both would be fantastic candidates for the open position in the neurosurgery department.

 

[BigPapaVol]

50%? We don't have the luxury of being Eurovaginas who have someone to fight their battles. Being a douche using little sister isn't how we roll.

As to your band comments, at least I know why the vagisil approach works for you.
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[GAVol]

This one time . . . at band camp . . . we were playing Stars and Stripes forever and an 800 lb gorilla ran in and decapitated a clarinet player. It was so cool.

 

[MG1968]

This one time . . . at band camp . . . we were playing Stars and Stripes forever and an 800 lb gorilla ran in and decapitated a clarinet player. It was so cool.

that's some real-world shiznitt right there

 

[joevol320]

This one time . . . at band camp . . . we were playing Stars and Stripes forever and an 800 lb gorilla ran in and decapitated a clarinet player. It was so cool.

this one time at band camp, by buddy did some drugs and hooked up with a fat girl who he thought was an 800lb gorilla.

 

[DynamiteMcGhee]

indeed, because everybody knows that when an employer sees that little Susie played 2nd Clarinet her senior year, or that Charlie was a master of the triangle by 8th grade, that both would be fantastic candidates for the open position in the neurosurgery department.

Yeah they would rather take the kid who sat in a diversified tech class playing cards while the "teacher" aka defensive line coach for the football team sat behind his computer playing solitaire, but sure whatever. Band is the useless class.

 

[utvolpj]

Band is the useless class.

and I think that's where we have an issue. Most see band as an activity and not a class. You can easily learn an instrument on your own dime

 

[DynamiteMcGhee]

and I think that's where we have an issue. Most see band as an activity and not a class. You can easily learn an instrument on your own dime

And they do. I had to pay band fees. In middle school there was instrument rental. How do you think most people end up with instruments in their hands? It's not like a kid walks in at the beginning of the year picks up an instrument, and keeps it. Instruments aren't cheap. Properly learning something like a brass instrument takes more personal and professional instruction than someone's friend who taught himself the guitar or piano. Also, the point of my comment you pulled that sentence from is that there are far more useless classes than band. That diversified tech comment was first hand experience, not just some fabrication.

 

[utvolpj]

no one is saying there aren't useless classes but you have to start cutting somewhere right?

 

[utgibbs]

indeed, because everybody knows that when an employer sees that little Susie played 2nd Clarinet her senior year, or that Charlie was a master of the triangle by 8th grade, that both would be fantastic candidates for the open position in the neurosurgery department.

This is just the capitulation to Homo economicus. It is one of the saddest statements I think I've seen in a long while, I've got to say. I think this rigid definition of a human being is the source of many of our problems.

I bet a large proportion of neurosurgeons have extended experience with music. I wonder if we can find data. :search:

 

[MG1968]

This is just the capitulation to Homo economicus. It is one of the saddest statements I think I've seen in a long while, I've got to say. I think this rigid definition of a human being is the source of many of our problems.

I bet a large proportion of neurosurgeons have extended experience with music. I wonder if we can find data. :search:

homo economicus??

now you're just making crap up (I know, newsflash!!)

 

[BeecherVol]

This is just the capitulation to Homo economicus. It is one of the saddest statements I think I've seen in a long while, I've got to say. I think this rigid definition of a human being is the source of many of our problems.

I bet a large proportion of neurosurgeons have extended experience with music. I wonder if we can find data. :search:

Short of you finding data where music has bolstered their ability as a DR. its basically irrelevant to the issue.

 

[utgibbs]

50%? We don't have the luxury of being Eurovaginas who have someone to fight their battles. Being a douche using little sister isn't how we roll.

As to your band comments, at least I know why the vagisil approach works for you.
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I haven't looked at the numbers in a couple of years, but I feel confident if we cut our budget in half we would still double the spending of our nearest rival.

And I'd be right.

List of countries by military expenditures - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I doubt the figure even includes our War Budget.

I would never be like Donald Rumsfeld, and walk into the Pentagon and declare the American military the new "enemy" (as he did just before 9/11), and I would never "go private" with the military (as we have). We need a smaller, leaner, and more capable force. Cutting the budget would immediately incentivize to make the fighting force - the pointy end of the spear - more effective.

Unless, of course, what you really need is just bodies for occupation rotations in foreign countries....