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@1, The Stranger staff is in full “re-elect Obama mode” And that means they will happily lap up the santorum draining from Obama’s asshole for the next 11 months.
ENJOY!!
Cutting defense spending is going to boost the economy. Cash is king.
@2, feel free to vote for the guy who has promised to bomb Iran and start a shooting war with China instead. That’s your alternative. Your dream Kucinich is not a viable candidate.
@4: His dream candidate is Obama, he just doesn’t realize it.
why would anyone assume that obama will be doing anything other than strategizing for ways out of the defense cuts?
Here’s a problem with the left wing call for drastic defense cuts:
It will cost jobs. Military *and* civilian jobs. Far more than you realize.
You crow on and on about reducing the size and scope of the military – and that’s well and good. I can personally think of at least fifty guys in my battalion that I’d love to kick the fuck out.
But I don’t think you understand how many jobs are supported by military personnel. The whole town of Lakewood is sustained solely by JBLM. And I’d even say that at least a quarter of Tacoma’s economic output is due in some part to the base and it’s personnel. Because there are no unemployed military members (obviously). If there are 20,000 soldiers on a base, that’s 20,000 soldiers putting money into the local Economy. Going to Best Buy, Costco, Wal Mart, Snoqualmie Pass, McDonald’s, Fred Meyer’s, etc etc etc. Even a small reduction – and these cuts will be big – will have a drastic effect on the amount of money going into the area.
That’s not even counting the civilian contractors – thousands of them – who work on base.
I’m not against austerity measures, and the military should do it’s part. But I don’t want to see good soldiers losing their incomes, vital equipment being lost, or even getting a reduction in pay. That’s not right.
So, in other words, you want the military to make no sacrifices. Got it.
Isn’t it funny how most service members consider themselves “conservative”?
Point 1: Now that Obama has been getting the Daily Intelligence Briefing for 3 years now, he’s fully versed in the geopolitical chess game that the US is playing. So I doubt he’s seriously going to cut anything “important”.
Point 2: @jj41243 – Interesting enough point, but given that we need a standing army to combat “terrorists” and whatever else from which the oil barons need protection, Lakewood, Tacoma and anywhere else is not going to suffer any day within our lifetimes from lack of military spending. The existence of money itself is historically tied very, very closely with the existence of armies. So you needn’t worry, the military will get paid.
The problem is running an empire that is crumbling slowly. Being swallowed by the bankers. How do you pay for that?
The military: it’s kind of like welfare for the poor, isn’t it?
hilarious post charles. right on.
dont want to re-elect obama? so, uh, are you ok with the supreme court loaded up with more christian fundamentalists?
@8 Yes, that is the most damning argument against cuts. Basically it is the concept that the government can invest money into it’s infrastructure and economy, including providing healthcare, and it is better off than otherwise.
With some transitional planning it can work. Scale down, redirect funds to scholarships, business investments, social safety net, re-purpose industry. Maybe build some high speed rail across the country instead of a bunch of bombers. Solar farms in the desert. Wave generated electricity.
So he can brag about being able to detain people indefinitely without trial and how much he’s not going to use it? Someone quick, roll out the gold plated carpet for our king.
@14 people don’t disagree with your point here and sgt doom generally, but for christ sakes, its politics. we know our ideals but practical politics is all about what you can practically get. as similar as a dem and repub president may be, the truth is that real lives are at stake and a repub president would be way worse than obama. even chomsky says this much. be more pragmatic, less hyperbolic. the enemy of the good is the perfect…..