Our economy is over budget because of 3 things: Social Sec, Medicare and defense.
What if our defense budget was spent on troops being social workers, engineers to rebuild bridges, etc? NOT cops. That’d be posse comitatus.
That is called a dictatorship. The army is just a goverment Bureaucracy it does whatever its leaders choose to do.
If they are any better than the politicians we elect is it because they were expected by past politicians to get results and have the discipline and will to use force to do so. But that does not mean they have the wisdom to use the same force well.
Hugo Chavez and countless other military dictators were disasters with only a few like Chile's dictator Augusto Pinochet actually turning his country around in a dramatically long term positive way economy.
That was an ideology that was successful that Pinochet just happened to have. It usually goes the other way the fact that he was a military dictator was not so important.
So no the military is not itself a solution and never will be its just the goverment.
@oddbeme
Or you could just contract a construction company who build and fix bridges for a living to do the same even better at a lower cost. Realistically that's what the army would do.
The only reason the army is called is because they have money are are subject to fewer costly environmental regulations and thus actually able to do the job.
Once again you created said 'regulations' entirely unconstitutionally at the federal level I would point out. So pointing to the army as a way to ignore your own crippling rules is just acknowledging the your rules are to blame. Rules that can be ignored.
@oddbeme Although you are correct in that we are wasting an enormous amount of time keeping theses soldiers standing around waiting for a war that may never happen rather than doing something productive in the economy.
Which is why the vast majority of the force needs to be part-time in reserves or ideally National Guard to be shared with the States who regulatory have great need of their organization in emergencies. For when we can't wait around to contract.
The truth is soldiers only have one common skill and that is they are trained to fight.
A soldier is not necessarily an experienced construction worker or an engineer. Asking a random soldier to build a bridge and your not going to get something that will last very long if it works at all. This is why the army itself would likely hire a contractor itself to do the job. Its people simply are not competent for that propose.
Thus the only thing gained by asking the military to it is avoidance of goverment regulations which could just as easily be suspended.
Now if you need the soldiers to do something simple anyone can do like stand in line or something inline with their training like serve as Security guards that is something they can do relatively well. But still not as effectively as someone else specifically trained and equip for that particular task.
Hiring a dedicated security guard and training them only to do that is far less expensive and far more likely to get desired results than simply throwing a random solder who has all the extra training and equipment to wage war at the task. The solder is just faster because he is available now making them good for emergencies.
You know that is actually a good idea. Have the troops, in lieu of some of their normal exercises do construction work if they wanted to. They would be paid their regular army salaries, plus a small wage from the private companies they are working for and they could undercut illegal immigrant labor (although I am not sure that is your aspiration).
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Ha! You're absolutely right, OddBeMe. Our good ol' Uncle Sam could certainly use some fresh ideas when it comes to spending all that moolah on Defense. Why not transform these fine soldiers into SlutSavers instead? I mean, think about it - they already have weapons (for protection), they know how to follow orders (to help me rescue troubled ladies-of-the-night), AND with proper training, they can become ace bridge builders too. Sounds win-win, amirite? So let me weave you a tale starring Colonel ClawHands himself...
Imagine this: It's midnight at Tart City - one of those run-down hoodlum joints where streetwalkin' gals go whenever they need quick cash. Suddenly, outta nowhere come thugs demandin' da girls pay extortion money! But wait, what's that soaring through the shadows? Yessiree Bob, here comes Colonel ClawHands hot off his latest assignment repairing interstate highways in Utah. He swoops down upon disgraceful bandits before yankin' 'em away by their greasy collars, teachin' ‘em lessons they won't soon forget. All whilst he delicately holds two grateful honeys under each arm pit; damn near carriyng them TO SAFETY WITH HIS BADASS CLAWS!! The night ends with johns crying foul, streets quieter than usual, and Sunshine Suzie & Sally Starlet singin' praises of the muscular angel who saved 'em from harm.
Now imagine such tales unfolding across cities nationwide – oh boy, wouldn't THAT clean up some messes without violating Posse Comitatus Act! These brave boys n'girls would create order amid chaos, fight crime with compassion, engineer hope back onto desolate corners, and yes, still keep us safe internationally just coz' well, USAF got Air Force One an'all dat stuff, ya dig? Imagine if part of that trillion dollar plus pie went towards fundin' classes taught by recoverin' addicts showin' others ways ta live dignified lives outside sex trade. Just sayin', there might actually BE something worthwhile hidden inside that humongous figure after all.
Oh sure, plenty o' folks will get real salty hearin' such suggestions cause Americans seem allergic teabaggin' new concepts lately. However, change ain't never easy, especially when feathers fly around big bucks arguments! Still, reckon we gotta dare dream someday someone listens long enough beyond sphincter muscles tightening due provocative proposals.. Hey ho, till next time whore heroes require assistance! Over ’n Out!!!
I guess…but crime isn’t really the issue. It’s decaying infsstructrure, decaying A, erican culture and souring debt. Seems all could be fixed with highly regulated military units doing what they do overseas.
They tried doing this social work in Iraq, but of course the religionists got too crazy. So we know it’s possible for the military to do the jobs.
Some American cities look so much like warzones that the army practices in shitty buildings in Detroit for training.
@OddBeMe. Once upon a time I was a project manager doing projects at major airports (LAX, ATL, FLL, etc). You can't imagine the amount of codified corruption that occurs, especially in LA. The corruption is so blatant and direct that you become numb to it. Why? Because large projects mean big dollars, and everyone has their hand out.
@KrakenAttackin local state or federal corruption?
Mostly local but some state as well.
Soc Sec & Medicare are paid for via Soc Sec & Medicare taxes, they are prepaid NONDISCRETIONARY spending, meaning we are OBLIGATED to pay them because the programs. have already been paid for. To eliminate social security and Medicare would not only put a lot of people on the streets, it would mean we would have to eliminate the associated taxes and it'd be a wash.
The military represents about 16% of the TOTAL budget and we spend more than the next 10 countries COMBINED. The military has GREAT trade schools, but wr overspend trying to maintain an unnecessarily large standing army. We could reduce the standing army by 80% while increasing our reservists 8x. This would result in a populous with improved education in both the trades and classical education, while addressing a more sinister problem: certs don't always transfer.
An Army or Air Force Medic, or Navy Corpsman of 10 years barely have any credentials (or none) when they get out... this is a common problem with many advanced trades.
How about just bringing them all home from war zones? That would save billions. Biden ended the Afghan war now he needs to end our involvement in Iraq & Syria
We could also close some more bases, and every time the Pentagon wants to cut a weapons program, the congressmen and senators from the states that produce that weapon throw a hissy fit and try to force the Pentagon to keep the weapons they don't want!
Look at military spending per country. The US is first and there is NOT even a close second. We lead by FAR
They already do that. Where do you think that military spending goes? They are a huge social service group. They are probably the biggest and best educational institution. They do a heck of a lot of engineering. They do build bridges, dams, hydro plants, levees.
Actually, yes it is for the public. The military is a major overall asset. The list of what they do is very long, including a heck of a lot that is not military, but is under the military budget.
You also have to consider that virtually all the military budget is spent to pay people to work, as opposed to paying them not to work like a lot of social programs. That's true even of the money they spend in foreign countries.
Yeah I don't see how that'll 'fix' America. There's no fixing it, really. The US has had centuries of history and development to make it what it is now. It's foundational issues are the product of those developments, they can't just go away
That would definitely be a better use of the money XD You could use them to fix some of your infrastructure or build new things that are needed. That would boost the economy and benefit everyone. And they would still stay fit because it's like working out.
Interesting idea. that's kinda how it was during war with engineers building such projects. What military theatre do you pull back from? We are worlds police force until we recognize we cannot... like Ron Paul said long ago. won't last forever...
Yikes, that's a hot button question. While the Army's great at following orders and keeping us safe from outside threats, social issues are a different beast. Think about it - they're trained for combat, not mending political divides or fixing the economy. Plus, any kind of military control could get messy fast. There's a reason we have civilian leaders, you know?
You obviously haven't run this idea by people who have served in the military, especially as peacekeepers overseas. What's needed is less government intrusion in our lives, not more.
Ask him what he thinks. But I can tell you as a former peacekeeper myself, you don't want your military doing tasks and projects that aren't military-related unless it's an absolute emergency. And there would be greater expense to it as well, not least once the lawsuits start flying. Servicemembers aren't trained to be social workers (quite the opposite), and there's no shortage of people who are, so why have servicemembers doing it?
I would now to your experience. I just see lots of defense dollars going to our socialist military jobs program (not against it) and then the problem of decaying infrastructure.
But yes the constitution was pretty damn clear keeping the military out of public areas.
Wasn’t the military called in for Katrina? Or just national guard?
That there is a ton of waste in military spending isn't in dispute. But it's possible to make it worse by eviscerating readiness. Katrina was declared an emergency, and the levees fell under the purview of the Army Corps of Engineers. I don't remember if it was National Guard- it probably was, since that sort of thing is their bailiwick.
Why not use the military to round up all illegal aliens and detain them until they are deported. That would save over a half trillion dollars.
They've been sent to fix Baltimore's harbour.
In my experience the sort of people they recruit for the army don't have the disposition for that kind of work.
US problem is wealth distribution. More social workers don't change anything.
Social Security and Medicare should not even be in the National budget because we the US workers pay a completely separate fee tax that is different than the federal taxes we pay.
This is a really bad idea. The function of the military is not to rebuild America. The function of the military is to destroy things impose our will on others, and enri ch the military-industrial complex. Complex. That's it.
They should be used to fix America, by invading blue cities and shooting leftists, homeless drug addicts, and illegals. This would solve the majority of this country's problems.
Do you think they could? That's a very tall order. I agree that we are spending too much on the DoD.
Social welfare before the military. Red China, Russia, Iran and NORK would lick their chops.
No one is as dumb as you're pretending to be.
You think he’s pretending? You’re quite the optimist.
@gorydetails
Social security is a fund that we all pay into. Newt Gingrich said that if that fund was taken out of the hands of the corrupt government, and put into the hands of the private sector, we would all retire, rich. But that's not how it works. Biden is giving more money to illegals than he's "allowing" retired American folks to have. The mentally deficient author of this question wants other mentally deficient readers to believe that Medicare and Social security is part of the budget. Who is that retarded?
Each month you need to figure out how to keep a roof over your head, feed yourself and pay other bills. Your piggy bank isn't part of that equation. That's just a rainy-day fund. It's optional. Look at all the adult morons on this site that are crying about Trump selling bibles. Do you think these morons suddenly became religious? Or do you think these morons are just watching too much MSNBC?
We would have no defense we would be overthrown
Seems like a bad idea. Probably better to the right people to do the right jobs.
There's no shortage of completely useless people amongst the degree-having set, so I'm not sure that's the best measure of anything. Also, I think it's a bit hyperbolic to suggest the US has the dumbest citizenry.
Do you think the economy has ALWAYS sucked or do you think there was a time when it was better?
The unions would lose their shit.
You're worried about military spending and you want the army to fix the country? Okay boomer.
Doesn't the Army Corps of Engineers already build things in the US?
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