Senators Prepare to Battle Against Military Spending Cuts
McCain, Graham Hint at Tax Hikes as Alternative
Though Congress is not expected to formally address the controversial issue of allowing the automatic defense spending cuts (sequestration) until after the November election, a number of hawks are laying the groundwork for efforts to bypass the cuts.
Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta termed the possible cuts, which would bring military spending back to 2007 levels, as an “disastrous” conclusion, and demanding that Congress “find the money” to avoid it.
Sens. Lindsey Graham (R – SC) and John McCain (R – AZ) have even raised the prospect of “revenue increases,” a euphemism for tax hikes, as an alternative to allowing their favorite military programs to suffer even a modest cut.
Graham in particular has been pushing the idea of tax hikes since last summer, and while that would be politically disastrous for most Republicans, there may be less resistance after the November vote.
Last 5 posts by Jason Ditz
- US Slams Russia's Missile Sales to Syria - May 17th, 2013
- Nine Killed, 70 Wounded in Bombings Near Kandahar - May 17th, 2013
- Envoy: Russia May Deploy Troops to Tajik-Afghan Border - May 17th, 2013
- Pentagon in Afghan Budget Crisis, Seeks to Shift $10 Billion in Funds - May 17th, 2013
- Nigeria Launching Massive Offensive Against Boko Haram - May 17th, 2013
Druthers
June 11th, 2012 at 12:34 am
The US Senate is like an Alzheimer ward gone wild with each patient raving in his corner.
They seem smitten with an end of life disease – but they get re-elected.
mike
June 11th, 2012 at 2:56 am
How about closing down filthy racist anti-american SOUTH KOREA–SAVE MEGA BILLION$
curmudgeonvt
June 11th, 2012 at 5:39 am
Regarding "revenue increases"…with the Tea Party and other like-minded radicals rampant in Republican strongholds (like SC), talk of tax increases from long-time pols (like Graham-crackers) is not a move to enhance your career. Sounding like you might agree with a democrat (raise revenues) will get you a Tea Party opponent come election time – can you say Nikki Haley?
richard vajs
June 11th, 2012 at 7:39 am
I like the new focus – it has come down to either we cut the militarism or we have to raise taxes. That attributes the problem of runaway federal debt to its true cause and effect (and not to bs like immigrants or Obama's undisplayed socialism). Maybe, we as a nation, can now make an informed choice. What a nightmare for the GOP – an informed public and a clear choice.
@wilcox66
June 11th, 2012 at 7:40 am
DOD Expenses now run over one trillion dollars. Idiots such as Graham and McCain should be put out to pasture–they are both crazy in the head. DOD has more colonels than weapons. Defense is now big business who support crazys such as Graham & McCain. If we don't get DOD under control this year, the dollar will inflate to 50 cents this year, and gold will go over $2000 an ounce. The couintry is going down in a sea of debt for the third ti is too late. Americans better wake the hell up before it is too late.
Nathan
June 11th, 2012 at 8:08 am
I definitely don’t think the public is stupid, although the majority is politically ignorant because corporate media disinformation campaign wants to keep them that way.
But I don’t know who the hell votes to put these special interest lobbyists aka “senators “in the Congress. There’s definitely something wrong with the election system; it must be badly rigged. If you don’t believe this then please do tell: Why is the Congress filled with anti-people? Is it the people who want to be taxed more? Is it the people who want to put their welfare money into wars for the benefit of the rich? Then what is it? Come on man, the entire system is rigged against the interests of the people. Prove me I’m wrong.
guest
June 11th, 2012 at 9:32 am
How about laying off all those congress critters and staffers. That would be the sort of "tax" I'd approve.
LSA
June 11th, 2012 at 12:19 pm
For sure the system is rigged but polls always seem to indicate that while people disapprove of Congress they think their "representative" is an exception and re-elect them over and over again. Maybe the public is stupider than you think.
W_ThePoster
June 11th, 2012 at 2:20 pm
Feeling your pain! the answer is that the word 'we' in every state is different from the word 'we' as in 'we the people'. It means 'our team' in competition with 'them guys' in every other state. 'Our' Senator is our designated hitter, who allegedly gets more powerful the longer he stays elected. So 'we' vote for 'us' to keep 'getting' our share of the federal DOD pie, even though it's stupid 'we' who are paying for the whole thing. I'm afraid it's that dumb.
Louis
June 11th, 2012 at 3:40 pm
There are many states that are heavily dependant upon military spending.
John Ellis
June 11th, 2012 at 6:25 pm
Black magic — Upper half with all the income, plunders lower half with all the debt
The voting majority being the 51% most wealthy, they would love to see a national sales tax on all the basic essentials like food and clothing that the lower half of society consumes.
curmudgeonvt
June 11th, 2012 at 7:25 pm
Time for them to diversify then…
Rick
June 11th, 2012 at 9:12 pm
Every last base outside the U.S. (and many inside) should shut down and demolished, every war ended immediately, all the troops should be brought home (including 'trainers'), JSOC dismantled, NATO dissolved, every weapons contract cancelled, every nuke destroyed, every ship and submarine brought home, every last bit of 'foreign aid' ended, and then abolish the CIA, NSA, FBI and DHS. Then McCain and Graham hung for their treason. That is what should happen.
But it won't. Instead we will continue the empire and expand it until we are completely bankrupt, with thousands more dead. It has become clear that it is politically impossible to cut anything from the warfare state or the welfare state. Therefore, all we can do is wait for the U.S. to destroy itself. Be prepared everyone.
John Ellis
June 12th, 2012 at 3:15 am
Mainstream society — Worshipers of a church-state religion
Rick — “That is what should happen. But it won’t. Instead we will continue the empire”
Reading what was posted by Rick we see a perfect description of a secular solution to our criminal government. Problem is, it will never happen until we have a moral solution to our immoral society, for we have an ingrate state religion that creates a most ingrate society.
Church of the Creator
“Endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life…”
So, instead of society having a grateful mind toward nature, realizing that life is a free gift and everything we own belongs to nature, society worships the ingrate illusion that life is an “unalienable Right” due and owned to us. Which gives society no choice but to have conviction that we have an “unalienable Right” to the food, shelter and wealth needed to have life. Which gives a deceived society no choice but have conviction that we deserve to “Be All You Can Be,” to earn all you can earn, take all you can take, own all you can own and to be a dictator over all who are on land that you own.
NEW CONSTITUTION
(1) All men are not created equal, and that is why it is criminal for high achievers to own more land and wealth then the slow and careful thinking laboring class.
(2) Life is not an unalienable right due and owed to us by nature, giving us an ingrate superiority over nature, but a free gift that we do not deserve from nature. A gift that should humble and give us a desire to never violate the laws of nature, especially never violate natural instincts that give us compassion and pity for those endowed with less of an ability to achieve by nature.