Obama is about to ask for the largest Pentagon budget in history

[n2doc]

On Tuesday, news broke that the President is planning to request the largest Pentagon budget in history.

You read that right. President Obama will likely ask for a $534 billion base budget, in a move that’s being sold as part of a strategy to beef up responsiveness to emerging worldwide threats and fund efforts against ISIS and others.

This plan will blow past budget caps to the tune of $34 billion in 2016 and $150 billion over the next five years.

Many in the new Congress, it’s sad to say, are eager to both hike overseas spending and ignore budget controls, with some Republican leaders saying they’ll do anything they can to “fix” sequestration.

Read more at http://rare.us/story/obama-is-about-to-ask-for-the-largest-pentagon-budget-in-history/

[dissentient]

1. Thanks, Obama! This is absolutely necessary to protect us from the terrorists!

More billions and trillions wasted to continue Bush's "war on terror". What a disgusting state of things we are in.

[Turbineguy]

77. What's more,

it's necessary to protect us from republicans.

[Malraiders]

2. Well that will probably be passed with bi-partisan support. nt

[Art_from_Ark]

70. Hooray for bi-fartisanshit!

[GeorgeGist]

3. More American Exceptionalism™

[Autumn]

4. Kind of gives you a warm feeling....

[Fred Sanders]

5. "Likely ask".....based on a preliminary Pentagon wish list? Please proceed with the outrage....

the guy ended two wars and has ended half a dozen foreign conflicts with diplomacy and not the military the war hawk lobby wanted.....but evidence be damned.....let the Foxified outrage begin.

[elias49]

21. But, Fred, having ended 2 wars, etc

why must the 'defense' budget be increased? I don't get it. Seems as though the opposite should be true.

[Fred Sanders]

24. I will wait until Obama speaks, not upon hearing of speech by others with an agenda who speak for him without his consent.

[AgingAmerican]

25. The money is for war

War is what military's do.

[Vattel]

38. Um, we have been at war the whole time he has been in office.

We are back at war in Iraq. We are at war in Syria. Obama escalated the war in Afghanistan and achieved virtually nothing. He took us to war in Libya with questionable results. He continues to do drone strikes in Yemen and Pakistan, and you may have noticed that just the other day one of those strikes apparently took the life of a little child. He is not a dove, IMHO, though he is much less of a hawk than most republicans.

[Fred Sanders]

48. None of those are wars, those are skirmishes.

[DesMoinesDem]

53. Obama apologists. Redefining war since 2009.

[Fred Sanders]

55. Am I on the right site? Is this DU? Better double check the URL.....

[DesMoinesDem]

59. Let me check the url. Just as I thought, it's not redefiningwar.com

This is DU, where it is still ok to call a war a war, even when the president is a Democrat. Redefining war because of who the president is just makes you look like an idiot.

[Fred Sanders]

62. Ditto. That was my original point.

[former9thward]

58. We have military fighting in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

He has not ended anything.

[n2doc]

82. Care to eat crow?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/obama-budget-proposal-raises-discretionary-spending-above-caps/2015/01/29/95b0ad3a-a7cb-11e4-a06b-9df2002b86a0_story.html

I know, he hasn't 'spoken' yet. I suuuuure things will be different then

Your poutrage is comical.

[Fred Sanders]

83. Why do you care if Fred Sanders dines on crows? 7 percent over "sequester levels." Do the math, all the math, save a crow.

Military spending continues to go down under Obama.

Not to mention that same level of increase applies to All domestic spending as well, keeping the sequester 50/50 split mandated in the Budget Control Act.

Somewhere in the article one may have failed to read is the fact the militsry budget is proposed to be increased about 3.5 % over Sequester set levels, that part is important, and, equally to the domestic spending side...all he is proposing is lifting the legal caps as a whole for everything, restricted by the BCA.

I know, stuff is complicated. Like dividing 7% by 2. And the BCA.

Put the crow away in the freezer for your own future use. Obama is doing way better than before, remember that?

P.S. We are on the same side, military spending is a crime of epic proportions. It will take time to turn around the bloated and entrenched and politicized Holy Cow of America.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/01/07/we-dont-have-a-spending-problem-we-have-a-military-spending-problem/

[A HERETIC I AM]

96. Sacred.

Sacred cow.

Not "Holy Cow"

[bigwillq]

6. Yuck.

[HereSince1628]

7. We spent a 12 years fighting for freedom...where is the dividend????

It NEVER comes.

Some ass-hat in the MIC ALWAYS gets a lever on the politicians and subverts peace.

[AgingAmerican]

26. The dividend is

...programs get cut to pay for more war and expendable ammo.

[Dreamer Tatum]

8. As long as people can post bitterly sarcastic barbs on message boards

it's all good.

[Fred Sanders]

11. More bitter than sarcastic in my opinion.

[Owl]

9. Waste.

[KingCharlemagne]

10. The military and its offshoots are 0-2 in the past 10 years (having lost both

Iraq and Afghanistan now). Sure, let's throw still more money at them. That's sure to lead to victory next time.

(in case it's necessary)

[dissentient]

12. Unpatriotic! Go and see American Sniper immediately, that will fix you up, and get those patriotic

juices flowing.

America doesn't lose wars, buddy. We always win!

[F4lconF16]

13. Yeah!

Look at all the freedom we brought!!!11!!!


All those silly communist hippies sure look pretty silly now, huh???

[Amishman]

14. Have to buy new military equipment to free up the old

So it can be distributed to state and local agencies to further militarize US law enforcement.

Not to mention further profits for certain companies.

[leveymg]

51. +1

[Roland99]

15. Wait! Wait! Wait a doggone second here....

Sooo...the military base budget was *lower* when we were fighting *two* full-fledged wars?

[abelenkpe]

16. But we don't have the money to repair infrastructure

provide health care for everyone, feed the poor and disabled, educate our children by properly funding public schools and making college affordable without onerous student loans, or provide proper care for our veterans and senior citizens. Yeah it's not because we spend more than any other country in the world on defense. Greatest country on earth right?

[LanternWaste]

17. Frustrating. Very, very frustrating

[7962]

29. Not a defense of our budget, but do you REALLY trust the Russia/China numbers?

Russia has doubled their spending over the past 10 yrs and plan to double it again over this decade. And neither Russia or China have any plans to reduce military spending.
I compare using the % of GDP. Using that, russia now spends more than we do. Remember, a dollar is not equal everywhere.

[LanternWaste]

34. You will of course, supply us with objective, peer-reviewed numbers

You will of course, supply us with objective, peer-reviewed numbers of the military spending for the two nations in question which invalidates the above information, yes?

[7962]

46. I simply asked, do you TRUST what their govts say they're spending.

I dont know how anyone could prove otherwise with numbers from closed societies, I just know there's no way I'd believe them based on past history. Even here in the US, we can "hide" some spending, but not much because there are too many people looking over all the numbers
And again, if you compare spending to GDP, the US does not lead the world in spending, Russia does

[MattSh]

47. While we're at it...

do you trust what the US government says they spend on defense? You really underestimate the ability of certain departments and agencies to "hide" the numbers here in the USA. A whole lot more than "some" is hidden.

[Lurks Often]

68. A more accurate measurement is the % of the GDP allocated to defense spending

Using the total amount does not reflect the disparity between standards of living and wages here in the U.S. and in, among others, Russia and China.

Using the 2013 numbers at the link, which is sortable by 5 GDP, the United States is ranked 4th and 5th for the amount of the GDP spent for defense. The European Union as a whole spends more, in dollars, then the rest of the world except for the U.S.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_military_expenditures

[freebrew]

66. We have another cost here...

PROFITS for the MIC. Most of the countries listed build their own armaments.

We're lucky, see, we get to pay private companies to build government weapons.
So, you have to add in the stockholder's share, the CEO's Golden Parachute, etc.

One must wonder, though, if an F-35 costs $35M to build one, why can't it keep up with the new MIG?

The chart shows that the US wastes more money than any other nation, keeping the MIC rich.

[7962]

69. Certainly there's wasteful spending, but at least most of it stays here

And people working for defense dept related companies are also pretty well paid. Comparing to countries that you say build their own stuff, the old saying "you get what you pay for" comes to mind. Sure, we've had expensive failures, but overall we have the best equipment in the world. Slave wages get you crap products.

[ladjf]

31. The name of this chart is "A Portrait of Lunacy". nt

[Newest Reality]

18. Well,

if this is an empire, then we must be prepared for the escalation of resource wars disguised as ideological battles for _________ .
(fill in the blank with whatever propaganda and rhetoric that will work to convince people we are the good guys.)

The way I think of it is by comparing the behavior of the ultra-wealthy and their "winner takes all" perspective right here in the USA. When countries become chessboards, then the world itself can be seen as a giant chessboard and we know how expendable the pawns are and how important the "King" is.

So, we are number one in building a capacity to capture and control valuable and diminishing resources, not so much for the sake of the masses, but to assure power and control over them in order to assure continued profit along with a sense of imposed and artificial scarcity. Yes, that may sound contradictory, but our wasteful use of those resources is what makes them seem scarce and worth the effort to create military initiatives to dominate them.

Considering the size of the US population, compared to the rest of the world, our endless growth and consumption model, (with the infinite garbage can implications) is a form of energy and resource gluttony on steroids, hence, we must fight for what is right no matter what.

On the other hand, our technology could improve and enhance our capacity to utilize resources much more efficiently than ever before while providing an effective counter-balance to resource issues across-the-board. Greed, profit and inequality, (read power, control and influence) will assure a rapid ride with building momentum into a solid wall of diminishing returns with a cataclysmic crash that may be heard the world around. The bust is built-in to this current paradigm, so it may contain the seeds of its own construction.

Sadly, we may just be on the verge of actually trying "civilization" for a change and, by realizing that we have not yet had any true from of democracy, we may have begun to recognize it, initiate it and actualize it.

[Baitball Blogger]

19. He'll be alright.

The military is the big government that Republicans can support.

[ND-Dem]

20. inflation-adjusted? i don't quite believe that...

[whatchamacallit]

22. He's owned... we're fucked... this country will continue to degrade into a shithole... n/t

[Pisces]

23. This keeps a lot of uneducated young men and women employed. This is part of our welfare system,

only it's labeled differently. No new recruits, more unemployed youth to cause trouble. I am sure it is also in anticipation to
global issues on the horizon other than ISIS, such as water wars, refugee issues, and pandemic control.

[braddy]

32. Lack of education means you don't get in.

For enlistment purposes, the military breaks education into three overall categories: Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3. The vast majority (over 90 percent) of all enlistments are from the Tier 1 category.

Tier I

Applicants in Tier I have a high school diploma, or at least 15 college credits. This means a high school diploma, not a GED. Depending on state law, completion of high school by home study may or may not be considered equivelant to a high school diploma.

Tier II

Tier II includes GEDs, home study (in some states), Certificate of Attendance, Alternative/Continuation High School, Correspondence School Diplomas, and Occupational Program Certificate (Vo/Tech). The services limit the number of Tier II candidates it will allow to enlist each year.

In the Air Force, the limit is less than one percent each year. In such cases, the applicant must score a minimum of 50 on the AFQT to qualify (Note: The "AFQT" is the overall ASVAB score).

The Army will allow up to 10 percent each year to be Tier II candidates, but they must score a minimum of 50 on the AFQT.

The Marines will only allow about 5 percent each year to be Tier II, and the Navy about 10 percent. Like the Army and Air Force, Tier II recruits must score a minimum of 50 on the AFQT to qualify.

The Coast Guard only accepts Tier 2 candidates if they have prior military service, and even then requires them to score higher on the AFQT (50 for prior Coast Guard Service, 65 for prior service in other branches).

[rgbecker]

27. Remembering that Bush kept the two invasions off the budget, I wonder if it is any actual record.

Anyone wanna do the numbers?

[hifiguy]

28. That he is so willing to keep shoveling insane amounts of money

down the Pentagon rathole shows just who he is answering to.

And it ain't the people.

[ladjf]

30. He may have made a good sounding State of the Union Address,

but now he's back to his usual terrible disappointments, i.e. oil drilling off the Atlantic Coast and a record breaking military budget.

[Fred Sanders]

49. Of course that is exactly what Republicans might want to say to deflect???

[ladjf]

85. I'm not concerned about what the Republicans might say.

I voted for Obama. Many of his initiatives have been constructive. However, time after time he has come down on side of big business with disregard for the environment and mainstream Americans. We don't need to obtain oil from the Atlantic coastal region and we don't need to have the largest military budget in history.

I've never voted for any candidate that wasn't a Dem and never will.

[Fred Sanders]

86. Sure, you can say you voted for Godzilla on the Internet and of course it must be true...

No regard for the environment?? Please, this is hilarious, please stop it.

[ladjf]

89. I've been posting for over ten years on DU. You are the first person

to accuse me of being a liar.

Secondly, there is ample information all over the INTERNET to show that despite the President's occasional positive comments about the environment he has actually come down on anti environment position on a number occasions.

I don't think it's hilarious to oppose fracking or oil drilling in the Atlantic. Do some research on Obama's real record on the environment before ridiculing others who might disagree with you.

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/1/29/obama-s-state-oftheunionspeechleavesenvironmentbythewayside.html

[Fred Sanders]

90. The protection of vast amounts of Alaska, outraging the oil companies, runs counter to your conclusions.

[onenote]

33. The administration indicated that this was its plan back in early 2014

This isn't anything that anyone who has been paying attention should be surprised about.

http://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/Documents/defbudget/fy2015/fy2015_Budget_Request_Overview_Book.pdf

page 1-4

[whatchamacallit]

42. Oh... it's all good then...

[onenote]

64. Did I say that?

I just pointed out that this isn't unexpected. Didn't say it was good.

[msongs]

35. helpful when putting down unrest of the common rabble in the USA nt

[progressoid]

36. Hooray! I was beginning to feel a little unsafe.

I will sleep well tonight knowing this.

[Gary 50]

37. If the United States handed out 500 billion a year

to the worlds poor, there wouldn't be anyone left to fight.

[whatchamacallit]

43. ^^^ THIS! ^^^

Of course there's WAY more to be made on the killing floor...

[G_j]

67. ///1000\\\\

[Enthusiast]

39. This is what I keep telling you about Obama.

[Octafish]

40. Wonderful news.

Keeps America strong.

And how about that F-35?

[jakeXT]

63. Pro Bowl flyover

This four-ship formation is the first flyover involving the F-35. Aircraft from the 61st Fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona participate in a flyover at the University of Phoenix stadium for the 2015 NFL Pro Bowl. Video by Tech. Sgt. Michael Jackson and Airman 1st Class Bethany La Ville.

[SammyWinstonJack]

41. And this is why we can't have nice things, kids.

[neverforget]

57. The defense contractors get the money and we get

the bill and budget cuts.

[djean111]

44. Wonder who is gonna lose their peas, in order to pay for this.

[woo me with science]

95. [phone]

[colsohlibgal]

45. Insanity

We hear all the time from the right that it's not a revenue problem it's a spending problem. Except for Defense, which dominates a pie chart of our expenses.

We could cut it more than half and still be as safe. But this is still the #1 sacred cow,

[drray23]

50. well is not the budget increasing every year anyway ? its not like it ever goes down. nt.

[ann---]

52. While the

poor and needy starve. Disgrace.

[Skittles]

54. well isn't that special

[Karmadillo]

56. "The war is waged by the ruling group against its own subjects, and

its object is not victory over Eurasia or Eastasia, but to keep the very structure of society intact." 1984

http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/01/14/dude-wheres-my-peace-dividend/

Dude, Where’s My Peace Dividend?
by ROBERT TED HINDS

<edit>

...In an October 2014 interview with USA Today to promote his book Worthy Fights, President Obama’s former Secretary of Defense and CIA Director, Leon Panetta, stated that “we can expect kind of a 30-year war” that would need to include Nigeria, Yemen, Libya and other threats...

[JonLP24]

60. There is an easier way

Unless the goal is for private defense contracts to make enormous profits than this is a success.

War means we're buying more oil From Saudi Arabia and its Eastern neighbors. The money & weapons they receive will be funneled back to ISIS. Second any war fought, civilians casualties, Fallujahs will create a chaotic environment as well as more indefinite detention & torture which will spur recruiting. Also, the bad move to install the Al-Maliki as PM of Iraq created this because he brutally oppressed & denied Sunni or Kurdish participation in the new government. Syra is a whole nother mess that won't be solved in the near future no matter who "wins" or "loses" that conflict.

As far as defeating ISIS. Stop propping up Wahabbi dictatorships would be a start but I like these women's suggestion who also show they understand the issue.

More arms and more bombs, they said, are not the answer.

They insisted that the only way to fight this extremist threat is to return to the negotiating table and hash out a peaceful political transition to heal the divisions ripping Syria apart.

“Oppression is the incubator of terrorism,” one woman told us as the group prepped for meetings with high-level officials in D.C. and New York. Her participation in peaceful protests during the early days of the revolution led to her two-month imprisonment in a four square meter room shared with 30 other women—yet she was adamant: “We cannot fight ISIS except through a political approach.”

So what do they recommend? To create stability (which is kryptonite to extremists), Syrian women say three things must happen.

First, humanitarian aid must get to the millions in grave need. Almost three million people are registered as refugees in neighboring countries and over six million are displaced inside Syria. That’s in a country with a pre-war population of just under 18 million. Approximately half of the remaining inhabitants live in extreme poverty.

In response to this disaster, the UN made an urgent appeal for $2.28 billion just to meet the critical requirements of the internally displaced. So far, Member States have committed only $864 million—a little over one-third of the total. Last month, the UN was forced to cut the delivery of food aid by 40 percent.

http://time.com/3513830/syrian-women-defeat-isis/

Gee, I just thought of a better use for all that money to be spent on. Out of $534 billion, we can't spare a few billion to actually help people?

[lpbk2713]

61. I would rather see more money go to veterans' care and active duty paychecks.

But the VA and hospitals aren't budgeted through the DoD.
And too many active duty families live below poverty levels.

[johnnyreb]

65. General Dempsey, the essay-contest fellow: "conflict is timeless".

January 20 at 7:51am ·
Today, after completing a very productive visit with my Italian counterpart, I walked through the Roman Forum and stood in the shadow of the white marble Arch of Septimius Severus--a triumphal arch commemorating Roman military campaigns at the end of the second century. It reminded me that conflict is timeless, and it reaffirmed my commitment to building strong relationships with allies and partners for today's conflicts. Current and emerging risks to NATO's southern and ea... (See More)

http://www.facebook.com/GENDempsey

I don't wanna be a Roman. Please push your rep for the 28 pages.

[workinclasszero]

71. $$$$$MIC$$$$$

No money for social security, education, living wages, infrastructure, universal healthcare, food assistance etc.

But....

TRILLIONS and TRILLIONS and TRILLIONS to infinity and beyond for the bloody damned MIC!!!!!!

[Major Hogwash]

72. The Republicans in Congress HAVE to pass it, or else they will be accused of cutting the defense . .

. . budget for our nation!!

The ball is in their court now!!
Hard to play handball without a wall to bounce the ball off of!!

[daredtowork]

73. What happened to the deficit?

If we have so much extra money, couldn't we put it back into the money clipped from food stamps, WIC, Pell Grants...the threats to Social Security...

Seriously, it's moves like this that make me cry BULLSHIT! whenever someone starts handwringing about taxes and how the American people have no money to do anything. We could house all the homeless people in the US with that kind of money.

[CountAllVotes]

76. +1

Well said.

[nilesobek]

74. Is this why there are so many homeless

and poor people one paycheck away from homelessness? On another thread half the families in America exhaust their salary. Bridges and infrastructure are crumbling. Yes this whole Middle East scenario has paid off handsomely, so well that they think they can do it to the whole world.

[NanceGreggs]

75. About "Rare" from their own website ...

"What is Rare?

Built by conservatives for conservatives, Rare brings you the best in conservative news, political and lifestyle content from a wide range of respected sources."

"On Tuesday, news broke that the President is planning to request ..." Broke from where? By whom? No sources named whatsoever. This is followed by, "President Obama will likely ask ..." Likely ask? Seriously?

[Bonobo]

78. If he winds up requesting the biggest military budget, will you post an opinion here on DU about it?

Enquiring minds, etc.

[NanceGreggs]

91. Oh, probably not.

I'll just read what the conservative websites have to say about it - right here on DU.

[polynomial]

79. What’s under reported

What’s under reported happens to be a generous portion of the military budget that goes to research and development programs spread through the Academic University system.

In a sense this money likely will be the new factories of the future. Mental factories, in Research Laboratories, throughout the University education system.

Hopefully inviting American citizens in good standing, preferred rather than foreign students that take the technology away. Or invite the regular electorate rather than special interest such as those tightly connected to Congress or the military families.

The past practice is sort of a whisper culture that siblings of well-connected political persons get inside leverage to very sophisticated cutting edge technology.

Many times I hear the story about Bill Gates not being a college graduate, however, Gates came from a prominent banking family which says volumes in having the edge to be successful.

Or after reading Russ Bakers book about family secrets, that Herbert Walker Bush is named after the financial transportation mogul the Herbert Walker. The Walker family also tightly connected to the Harriman family that controls the Union Pacific Railroad.

The media is avoiding a conflict in controversy, involving the Bush family that is troubling alongside the deep problem of alien immigration that has been totally out of the media.

There is a breach in safety operations in the Union Pacific Railroad that is a principle issue contributing to alien immigration and contraband. Imagine aliens transported by Union Pacific rail via MexTex railroad all the while America spends billions on military, electronic technology, and fences.

[coyote]

80. This money is needed for what???? to protect our jobless economy?

our falling apart infrastructure?

I say let the evildoers invade.

[woo me with science]

81. Lies upon lies upon lies. What was that pretty speech last year

about hammers and nails and reining in the military?

Corporatists and warmongers lie. The Third Way lies. It's what they do.

[kelliekat44]

84. You have to keep the military in the military...there are not enough jobs out here yet. nt

[Hotler]

87. More war! More war! More war! More war! n/t

[Renew Deal]

88. What is the percentantage of the overall budget?

Lots of people make more money in actual dollars than ever before, but it is a fraction of inflationary equivalence.

[woo me with science]

92. Kick for Third Way LIES and warmongering

[woo me with science]

93. Third Way: Watch what they DO, not what they say.

They are LIARS.

[woo me with science]

94. kick again for rhetoric versus actions

[woo me with science]

97. Watch what they do, not what they say.

[woo me with science]

98. kick