Disclaimer: This story is based on conversations I had 10 years ago, so it is obviously dated. If you have more current information please let me know.
Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump's budget proposal includes a $1.3 billion cut to the US Coast Guard, congressional sources told CNN Tuesday.
The cuts would be applied to an operating budget of about $9 billion, which hawks on the Hill were quick to slam as too deep a reduction to the military branch's funding.
Two sources familiar with the administration's FY2018 budget request
told CNN the plan is to boost the Department of Homeland Security's total budget by 6%, up to $43.8 billion. That increase would primarily go to border security and would be paid for with the Coast Guard cuts and reductions to other agencies.
www.cnn.com/...
My friend’s son served in the Coast Guard for several tours. He was on one of the elite teams which, armed to the teeth, boarded ships at sea to look for contraband and people trying to enter the United States illegally.
He told me that in order to facilitate the endeavor they usually radioed the ship in advance to tell them that they were coming and to stop.
He said that some of the ships they searched were so big it was less than even money they would find anything or anyone illegal on them.
He also told me that they were drastically understaffed and their ships were frequently in dry dock being repaired. Furthermore, he said that if the public knew how poorly defended our ports were they would have cause to be worried. Very worried.
He said that the Coast Guard ships, with shinny coats of paint covering their antiquated hulls, often moored at docks, are mostly for show. They typical Coast Guard sailor spends most of their time waiting to rescue careless or unlucky boaters.
Now we have a military man, General Kelly, in charge of Homeland Security. He’s not only the “humanitarian” who wants to separate mothers and children at the border, a logic that made sense to concentration camp guards, but he wants to cut the Coast Guard to concentrate on the Mexican border.
Well, I suppose that’s what to expect from a landlubber Army man. Last time I looked at a map we have only two long dirt borders and three long water borders.
Perhaps Trump can be excused for his monomaniacal obsession with rapists, drug dealers, and killers coming across from Mexico. After all, he’s delusional. But what’s Kelly’s excuse. His department is even called Homeland Security.
Anybody sensible knows that the real danger from a terrorist comes from the sea.
And when it comes to smuggling drugs across the border….>>>»
Below, here’s a way to save some money: stop spending so many weekends at Mar-a-Lago.