Sign The Pentagon Petition
Please, sign the Committee For The Republic Petition to tell the 112th Congress that no department or program is sacred; they must all remain on the table as we seek ways to cut spending, including Pentagon, and reduce the deficit. CUT SPENDING NOW!!
Here's proof that when government grows too big, it will lose control, you have it here: In January 2011, at a news conference, Adm. Mike Mullen, Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, said: “My own experience here is that in doubling (the Pentagon budget over the last decade), we’ve lost our ability to prioritize, to make hard decisions, to do tough analysis, to make trades.” Adm. Mullen leads the largest government agency in the U.S.A., indeed, the whole world.
"Our exploding federal debt is the greatest threat to the Republic. Republicans are in a unique position to make spending cuts in our largest federal department. Pentagon savings will enable Republicans to exact greater domestic spending cuts from Democrats. By adding your name to The Petition, you are helping address the $14 Trillion plus debt Washington politicians have run up.
Before CPAC, The Pentagon Petition was signed by dozens of leading conservatives, including Grover Norquist, David Keene, Richard Viguerie, Matt Kibbe, Tim Phillips and Al Regnery. By coming together with one voice, The Petition persuaded Congressional Republicans to reverse their policy of exempting the Pentagon from spending cuts.
Unfortunately, our work has just begun. While paying lip service to The Pentagon Petition, the Republican leadership is timid and continues to rubberstamp Pentagon spending. That is why we need you to spread the word among fellow conservatives. We urge you to direct your friends and colleagues to http://committeefortherepublic.org/?page_id=9 and ask them to sign The Pentagon Petition.”
The Pentagon Petition
The 112th Congress, tasked with a clear mandate to cut spending, must look to not only cut spending now, but permanently arrest the bias towards the careless wastefulness, bred of cronyism, that has plagued Washington for too long. To that end, lawmakers must dismiss the erroneous assumptions that have led to sacrosanct budgeting; no longer can select departments and programs enjoy protected status in the appropriations process. Conservatives should enthusiastically reject the notion that any area of the federal budget should be protected from examination. Attempts to isolate departments or programs from scrutiny undermine any serious efforts for positive spending reform — for this and many generations to come. Any policymaker determined to cut government spending must commit to keeping spending cuts in all departments on the table — whether efficiencies can be realized in the Department of Defense or the Department of Education, they must all be considered fair game in the battle to instill fiscal prudence in federal spending.
Comments
Our military has at least one base in each of 135 countries. It has 268 bases in Germany, 124 in Japan, 87 in Korea! Although it is recognized that it is probably wise to have a presence in each and elsewhere, that much infrastructure is unreasonable. Do we need over 1,000 bases worldwide not counting US bases? The DOD budget is equal to the combined total of all defense budgets for the other 192 countries in the world. Come on, there has gotta be some pork there.
No one is implying cuts that adversely affect the mission or well being of the troops. It is the size of the total effort that is in question. Those other departments you mention although, their value is debatable, represent chump change in the overall budget. The DOD is approx. $900 Billion and when you factor in benefits, nuclear weapons and assets and development sourced through other agencies, it is closer to $1.2 Trillion. Using GAO's guidelines in assessing Medicare for waste and fraud savings, we should find close to $100 Billion in savings without even cutting any programs!