Obama to Call for $50 Billion Spending for Infrastructure

fixed.

And as for military spending, and someone claiming Obama is cutting defense spending (as if he has the authority to do that without congress):



That's via wikipedia, based on goverment numbers. We currently spend more on our military than the rest of the world's militaries combined, 10x what China spends.

I've not been able to find how much of the DOD base budget goes to salaries, wages, and benefits.

 

Looks like he reduced military spending to me. I see a clear dip after 2010, which I assume are the result of his policies. It's not a huge dip but it is a change in direction from previous years as the chart shows.

 

Ignorance?, or a lie?

 

Or it's the result of withdrawing from Iraq in 2010/2011. I guess that's technically a decrease in spending, but probably not really what people are thinking of...

 

Friedman saturday on America's need to reduce military spending

 

I just listened to the whole Obama speech on -Span. A very good speech. Could it be that Obama is finally getting it?

I'll provide good selected parts later if I can.

It was a great speech. I urge you all to watch it. It was 23 minutes till he mentioned infrastructure, which seems to be the only thing the media commented on. Of course the mainstream media omitted the part about the labor movement. Can't mention that, can we.

http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/295325-1

 

I thought a good chunk of that $800 mill stimulus bill was for infrastructure.

 

It was:

Millions for Road Signs Promoting TARP

 

the US does have major issues with aging infrastructure. It's been neglected for a long time. Kind of sad when a bill has to be passed for the govt to do what it should have been doing all along

 

I have no idea what the percentage is and apparently neither do you to still be making these claims.

The thing is, they are still pushing out the same number of ships. Jets. Weapons. As they were 10 years ago if not more. So if thats not where the cut is, where is it?

On top of that, our salary isnt all that nice as others make it out to be. Then you make our raises less then that of someone working at Walmart. Yeah, lets give our soldiers and sailors and pilots less money for spending so much time away from family and friends for such long durations. And hey, since were downsizing like I post before that you replied to as ludicrous, we have to send the boys out again away from family members sooner then s/he would have before. Oh and since were downsizing, lets make them work harder, long hours. Yeah, this ship that is usually manned by 350 people, double the work (now only being manned by 250 people since were downsizing) and time out!

 

how so

 

Tax cuts to the rich should've trickled down in the form of toll roads and metered bathrooms.

 

The internal infrastructure that Ike spurred had a lifespan of 30 to 50 years. I'm speaking of the Interstates, Highways, and drainage systems for these roads. Of course infrastructure now means so much more with telecom, etc. America has been long over due for makeover. We need effective transit systems, green sustainable developments and obviously less reliance on carbon fuels for power.

Obviously this would create jobs. That is unless you plan on bringing in illegals to do the work (ala the railroads in the 1800's).

You are right it is sad that the two parties cannot agree on the most obvious of things just to spite each other. The right thing to do is get rid of the parties themselves where no candidate can declare a side. They can only declare what they stand for. No automated ticket punching for one side or the other. The two party system is what is and has corrupting this country. That and greed.

 

I'm with you there! I for one cannot stand the co-worker who takes a 45 minute dump with a magazine in pocket. Put a meter on it and **** n Git!!!

 

You must be joking...

Have you seen the percentage of our budget that is spent on defense????

 

I suggest you learn what TARP was. It was not the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act.

 

So what have you done to have seen the way this money is spent? Do you know what the cost difference is between building a guided missile destroyer and a destroyer? What about the cost of manning it?

 

According to the numbers I can find, the US spends about $1.5 trillion on defense per year.

There are about 1.5 million people in the US military. If the average salary for military members was $100k (big overestimate), then total salaries would be $150 billion, or roughly 10% of defense spending. That's an absolute upper limit. And that doesn't include the spending for the wars, which are not part of the actual budget.

So, yeah, I'm going to stick by my claim that we can easily reduce defense spending without cutting back on the salaries of our soldiers.

 

god I swear sometimes...

Infrastructure spending is super great and amazing WHEN YOU DON"T HAVE ANY. Or if they actually need it.

But repaving roads that don't need repaving or building new roads when they just plain are not needed is just a waste of money. By its very nature it takes away those resources from other parts of the economy that might actually use them efficiently.

you might as well just write everyone in America a check to redecorate their homes. Would that stimulate the economy? Yes, if by stimulate the economy you mean raise the increasingly irrelevant economic indicator that is GDP. But if you mean increase actual productive capacity than the answer is a resounding no.

 

Perhaps raises have been at all time low because inflation is at an all time low.