In response to:
The claim that the defense budget is heavily influenced by defense contractors is also a blatant lie. The defense industry is, according to ACTUAL DATA, one of the smallest political donors in this country; unions are by far the biggest. The biggest defense contractor, Lockheed Martin, is barely 33rd on OpenSecrets' list of donor organizations; Boeing is 51st; Northrop Grumman, GD et al. are even lower.
The vast majority of the defense budget has EVERYTHING 2 do with protecting America. It pays for the troops' salaries, benefits, healthcare, and care for their families (who have also borne the burden of war); for their training, operations, and the maintenance of existing equipment and bases; for the development and acquisition of neweq.
The U.S. National Debt has surpassed $16 trillion. Out of control spending habits of both Republicans and Democrats got us into this fiscal mess. The only way out is through dramatically slashing spending across the board—no exceptions.
Both parties must be willing to cut their “sacred cows” from the bloated federal budget. Democrats need to put social welfare spending on the table and Republicans need to stop protecting Pentagon spending at all costs. Or else we will pass on a mountain of debt to the next generation.
At a time when our nation is in a dire...
comrade