Bush may have started them but Obama keeps fighting them. He promised four years ago he would end them. Maybe he meant in his second term which I doubt there is too much money being made.
No one said we should eliminate the military. We SHOULD eliminate the massive “Pentagon welfare” and the two or three wars we are fighting with primitive peoples who can’t do squat to us. And spend it on our failing infrastructure to rebuild our economy.
I really like Mr. Wuerker’s artwork. I also agree with the statement I perceive here. I know people who audit the military and have reason to believe that at least 15 cents of every dollar is totally wasted on fraud, bad legislation, and incompetence. That amount is probably more. There is good reason to believe the same amount of government money is wasted in most services, resources, and poorly drafted/enforced legislation. A major bridge in my area is being closed for 10 days in order to repair and improve it. This needs to be done in thousands of places in our nation. Our infrastructure was once the example for every nation of the world, but now, more and more nations are passing us in the quality and efficiency of their roads, power grids, health care, and even their education systems. And a real quick question for my conservative friends here…Why is it wrong to give tax credits to companies trying to set up solar, wind, and alternative fuels, but it is also wrong to take away subsidies from oil companies? However- any industry receiving federal subsidies shouldn’t be permitted to use those subsidies to help support a political candidate. I do not pay taxes just so that money can be used to elect someone instead of giving good pay and benefits to a person trying to build an industry.Respectfully,C.
The military is a giant money and blood incinerator. Only someone who is sub-intelligent to a Dem Lib could possibly argue that we need more than about 1/4 of the military we already have.
I always thought the “Defense” rationale was sort of an excuse — the government didn’t want to admit it was just in the business of building highways, so they cooked up this idea that having a huge highway system would help in case the US was invaded by….by…..maybe Canada?
The Pentagon should be on that map as well. Not all the money the military wastefully spends goes to wars and fighting. Look at all the expensive perks the military provides it’s top generals.
As a retired military officer who’s served alongside Canadian forces, I’m sure they’d be highly offended by that remark, but probably know you for a fool.
The Autobahn system inspired the Interstate system. Eisenhower the GOA recognized the strategic value of the Autobahnen to the Germans during the war, and the practical value of moving goods and people during peacetime.
America before the Interstates was a trick to cross, and took considerably longer time on poorer, less direct roads than the Interstates.
The predecessor to I-80 across Nebraska was largely unpaved until the 1940s, with a bit of the Lincoln Highway in the eastern end of the state being the short exception. In the West, this wasn’t necessarily the exception!
Why do we have to be in every country but Canada on planet earth? It costs us, the taxpayers, over $60K a year for housing on Okanawa for ONE officer. Multiply that by hundreds of thousands and it starts to add up.
Morty, I am with you on this but want to clarify something. I understand that engineering the F-35 is costing us $300+ bilion, which includes production of some working prototypes. Mix that in with the planned production of 2500 of them and the total price tag is in the range of $1.3 trillion.
It’s a fair description of Obama policy, save enough industry to win the unions but meanwhile burn through all the companies capital reserves keeping the unions happy. Meanwhile supplementing it by raiding the coffers of the southern states who largely don’t benefit from huge government employment and the location of large agencies. All that business is out east.
Then the overall system will be less a north south thing than a NorthEast/SouthWest system of economic destruction. Afterall, gotta save Florida for last, it really came through for Obama with 1.2 out of 1 voters voting this season. Even some dead ones. (the rest were illegal aliens that voted, but by law their provisional ballots must be taken and the government must PROVE they’re not citizens to count it; EXCEPT the FEC has been ordered to be SURE the person isn’t a citizen not to count it. Now, how can they be SURE if a photo ID isn’t relevant, and they have no federal tax ID? You can’t, so you have to give them the “benefit of the doubt”.
Thus we, infested with parasites, take another drug that enhances their lives at the expense of the parasitized.
Yes, our infrastructure is a mess. Yes, the contracting for the F-35 alone in “defense” is now at a total of $1.3 TRILLION over the next decade. That would help a lot on paying for a few things that actually WORK!
BTW, the Bush administration created 33 brand new departments in the government, all within “Homeland Security”. How is that “shrinking government”?
Also, the “announced” “defense” budget isn’t even CLOSE to the total spending on defense, add in “Homeland Security”, and there is room for a lot of economizing, and shrinkage in spending.
Having worked along that southern border everyone calls a sieve, that keeps folks “disturbed”. I opposed years ago the folks leaving water caches for “illegals” crossing, many affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church, NOT “Democrats”. The simple fact is, that on foot, in mid summer, along much of that border, without water, life expectancy of a traveller is measured in a couple of hours. After recovering the bodies of several folks, in several incidents, who just had “car trouble”, the danger of the Mohave, and Sonoran, regions of the U.S. are why they’re so sparsely settled.
Importing water to southern Arizona and California leaves folks with a false sense of security about the “life support” potential. The same can be said for much of the MIddle East. It was the huge expenditures of money that made desert lands “productive”. Take away the water, as in some of that “infrastructure” that’s falling apart, and consequences are dynamic, and dramatic.
Cinci Steve over 11 years ago
4 more years!
Gary Williams Premium Member over 11 years ago
Bush may have started them but Obama keeps fighting them. He promised four years ago he would end them. Maybe he meant in his second term which I doubt there is too much money being made.
Motivemagus over 11 years ago
No one said we should eliminate the military. We SHOULD eliminate the massive “Pentagon welfare” and the two or three wars we are fighting with primitive peoples who can’t do squat to us. And spend it on our failing infrastructure to rebuild our economy.
chazandru over 11 years ago
I really like Mr. Wuerker’s artwork. I also agree with the statement I perceive here. I know people who audit the military and have reason to believe that at least 15 cents of every dollar is totally wasted on fraud, bad legislation, and incompetence. That amount is probably more. There is good reason to believe the same amount of government money is wasted in most services, resources, and poorly drafted/enforced legislation. A major bridge in my area is being closed for 10 days in order to repair and improve it. This needs to be done in thousands of places in our nation. Our infrastructure was once the example for every nation of the world, but now, more and more nations are passing us in the quality and efficiency of their roads, power grids, health care, and even their education systems. And a real quick question for my conservative friends here…Why is it wrong to give tax credits to companies trying to set up solar, wind, and alternative fuels, but it is also wrong to take away subsidies from oil companies? However- any industry receiving federal subsidies shouldn’t be permitted to use those subsidies to help support a political candidate. I do not pay taxes just so that money can be used to elect someone instead of giving good pay and benefits to a person trying to build an industry.Respectfully,C.
Chillbilly over 11 years ago
The military is a giant money and blood incinerator. Only someone who is sub-intelligent to a Dem Lib could possibly argue that we need more than about 1/4 of the military we already have.
lonecat over 11 years ago
I always thought the “Defense” rationale was sort of an excuse — the government didn’t want to admit it was just in the business of building highways, so they cooked up this idea that having a huge highway system would help in case the US was invaded by….by…..maybe Canada?
Jason Allen over 11 years ago
The Pentagon should be on that map as well. Not all the money the military wastefully spends goes to wars and fighting. Look at all the expensive perks the military provides it’s top generals.
hdcanterbelle Premium Member over 11 years ago
love the power tower/person.
ennui_rudy over 11 years ago
As a retired military officer who’s served alongside Canadian forces, I’m sure they’d be highly offended by that remark, but probably know you for a fool.
ARodney over 11 years ago
Once again, not one coherent comment from a conservative. Are you really out of ideas, or does this cartoon just have too much truth to overcome?
DOUGLAS G THOMAS Premium Member over 11 years ago
The Autobahn system inspired the Interstate system. Eisenhower the GOA recognized the strategic value of the Autobahnen to the Germans during the war, and the practical value of moving goods and people during peacetime.
America before the Interstates was a trick to cross, and took considerably longer time on poorer, less direct roads than the Interstates.
The predecessor to I-80 across Nebraska was largely unpaved until the 1940s, with a bit of the Lincoln Highway in the eastern end of the state being the short exception. In the West, this wasn’t necessarily the exception!
rockngolfer over 11 years ago
The military budget just passed was $633 billion, and $88 billion was for the war in Afghanistan. That would fix a lot of bridges.
majormarj over 11 years ago
Why do we have to be in every country but Canada on planet earth? It costs us, the taxpayers, over $60K a year for housing on Okanawa for ONE officer. Multiply that by hundreds of thousands and it starts to add up.
lonecat over 11 years ago
That’s interesting, thanks for the information.
Rickapolis over 11 years ago
The GOP does LOVE to wage war to prevent people from knowing the truth. Then blames the next president for the mess.
Marty Z over 11 years ago
Morty, I am with you on this but want to clarify something. I understand that engineering the F-35 is costing us $300+ bilion, which includes production of some working prototypes. Mix that in with the planned production of 2500 of them and the total price tag is in the range of $1.3 trillion.
caligula over 11 years ago
It’s a fair description of Obama policy, save enough industry to win the unions but meanwhile burn through all the companies capital reserves keeping the unions happy. Meanwhile supplementing it by raiding the coffers of the southern states who largely don’t benefit from huge government employment and the location of large agencies. All that business is out east.
Then the overall system will be less a north south thing than a NorthEast/SouthWest system of economic destruction. Afterall, gotta save Florida for last, it really came through for Obama with 1.2 out of 1 voters voting this season. Even some dead ones. (the rest were illegal aliens that voted, but by law their provisional ballots must be taken and the government must PROVE they’re not citizens to count it; EXCEPT the FEC has been ordered to be SURE the person isn’t a citizen not to count it. Now, how can they be SURE if a photo ID isn’t relevant, and they have no federal tax ID? You can’t, so you have to give them the “benefit of the doubt”.
Thus we, infested with parasites, take another drug that enhances their lives at the expense of the parasitized.
pam Miner over 11 years ago
some people are too into conspiracy theories.
Dtroutma over 11 years ago
Yes, our infrastructure is a mess. Yes, the contracting for the F-35 alone in “defense” is now at a total of $1.3 TRILLION over the next decade. That would help a lot on paying for a few things that actually WORK!
BTW, the Bush administration created 33 brand new departments in the government, all within “Homeland Security”. How is that “shrinking government”?
Also, the “announced” “defense” budget isn’t even CLOSE to the total spending on defense, add in “Homeland Security”, and there is room for a lot of economizing, and shrinkage in spending.
Dtroutma over 11 years ago
Having worked along that southern border everyone calls a sieve, that keeps folks “disturbed”. I opposed years ago the folks leaving water caches for “illegals” crossing, many affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church, NOT “Democrats”. The simple fact is, that on foot, in mid summer, along much of that border, without water, life expectancy of a traveller is measured in a couple of hours. After recovering the bodies of several folks, in several incidents, who just had “car trouble”, the danger of the Mohave, and Sonoran, regions of the U.S. are why they’re so sparsely settled.
Importing water to southern Arizona and California leaves folks with a false sense of security about the “life support” potential. The same can be said for much of the MIddle East. It was the huge expenditures of money that made desert lands “productive”. Take away the water, as in some of that “infrastructure” that’s falling apart, and consequences are dynamic, and dramatic.