Our defense budget is higher than the defense budgets of all other countries combined. What enemy is even worth that? If they want to pay for rebuilding the Gulf Coast, then they need to look at their own budget...
Bush claimed he would not support the Kyoto Treaty because he believed it would harm our economy, yet he never brought forth any solid data to back up that claim.
Bush on Kyoto Treaty.
200 BILLION dollars and counting later in light of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita (and God knows how many others before hurricane season is over,) we are now seeing the effects of his arrogant selfishness and moral cowardice, as climate change now shows itself to be the issue of the 21st Century that so many from Al Gore, to Robert Kennedy Jr., to scientists, climatologists, to many of us on these forums including myself have been warning against for years. And how will we now pay for rebuilding the Gulf Coast in light of deficits in the trillions, a war on two fronts, and a country teetering on recession? We will up the defense budget some more!
The projected budget for 2005 was $401.7 billion dollars, not even taking into account Iraq and Afghanistan. It is scheduled to go up to about 487 billion for 2006. THAT IS ABSOLUTELY OBSCENE with or without a "war on terror." There is no freaking possible way that Al Qaeda even warrants a $401.7 billion dollar defense budget. These figures also far outweigh what was even budgeted during the Cold War, and is more than the defense budgets of all other countries combined.
FY 2005 Defense Budget Request
Just this past April as well, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon also got contracts totaling over 300,640,034 for MISSILE DEFENSE. How much more will they get out of the next budget, and how much more have they already gotten since April? Bush and his henchmen constantly tell the Congress they need to check spending and relay to Americans the need to bite the bullet when many of us are already at poverty's door. Well, my advice to Dr. Strangelove would then be to stop spending all of our hard earned tax dollars ON BULLETS.
The terrorists who attacked us on 9.11 did it with box cutters and by hijacking OUR airplanes. Just how &&^& sophisticated are these people, that we have to sacrifice our own economic security and future? If we do, wouldn't that mean the terrorists have won? If we slash the defense budget in HALF we would still have enough to rebuild the Gulf Coast and secure this nation! It is a travesty to think that people are still falling for their line of BS when it comes to their war on terror.
Is this not what brought the Soviet Union down? It wasn't the fact that Reagan was such a powerful leader that he single handedly brought them down. The Soviet Union imploded economically by supporting a failing war against Afghanistan, and it is now happening to us.
The bottomline then is this: For all the money we need to now fight the climate change we as humans contributed to which will also leave us vulnerable to terrorism, this is a national security issue. Climate change and terrorism go hand in hand. Therefore, in my view it is only right and fitting that money in the defense budget of this country be allocated to relief efforts in areas of this country that sustain the effects of climate change due to the reckless and immoral cowardice of those who have done nothing but use the American people and our hard earned money for their own paranoid, selfish, greedy endeavors.
The missile defense shield doesn't work, is not needed, and is only a vehicle to perpetuate an arms race that continues the cycle of war. On the other hand, using these funds to support efforts to sustain our planet and for relief efforts in areas where disaster strikes which make us vulnerable is a step towards peace. Is that not what these Neocons say the ultimate outcome of their war is? Peace? If so, then step up to the damn plate and use the money already there to fix the mistake you made.
The American people have supported this country beyond the call of duty, and these criminals have squandered that money for their obscene defense budgets while cutting basic programs like hurricane preparedness, besides taking more of a cut for themselves in tax cuts. Either slash the defense budget to go towards hurricane relief, or find that elusive 9 billion that went into Halliburton's pocket in Iraq and put it where your mouths are. Or, you could always give your tax cuts back to use it for the good of America. But I won't hold my breath waiting for that to happen.
There is no enemy on this good Earth that warrants almost FIVE BILLION of our hard earned dollars being siphoned away while we continue to not be any safer! All it would take to protect us is a medium sized defense budget, shoring up security in this country (chemical plants, nuclear plants, ports, borders,) and having competent leaders who know how to govern who aren't corporate whores. It's time for those who continually tell us to bite the bullet, to start biting their own. Climate change isn't going away, and we need to take it seriously NOW.