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It’s time to rein in our outrageous defense budget

August 8, 2016
Jim Duenow

Jim Duenow

OPINION by JIM DUENOW

The conventions and literally hundreds of speeches are now over. None of the speeches, including those by the nominees, mentioned the gorilla in the room. Namely our ridiculously swollen defense budget.

We spend more than 50 percent of our federal budget on defense annually. As Rand Paul pointed out, we spend more on the military than the next eight industrial nations combined.

In addition, we are the world’s supplier of arms and armaments.

We are in the thrall of the military industrial complex that President Eisenhower warned us about. We are not likely to get out since politicians can’t seem to talk of this for fear of being labeled “soft on defense.”

Meanwhile, millions of our citizens wallow in poverty with inadequate education, healthcare and crumbling infrastructure.

We must find a way to reverse this or some sort of fascism may be around the corner.

Jim Duenow has lived in San Luis Obispo County for 50 years. He is a civil trial lawyer, now semi-retired, who has served on multiple San Luis Obispo City commissions and committees.


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I suppose since the world is such a safe place right now we should just disband our military, maybe the police too? Think of the money we’d save!


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The riich wallow in their wealth. The poor suffer in their poverty.


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WOW! How wrong can one guy be.


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I do not know Jim Duenow, and I properly assume he is a sensible and respected lawyer based on his credentials. Missing in his opinion is the explanation — beyond President Eisenhower’s opinion — why he believes as he does on the diminnishment of our military.


He must be acutely aware that many disagree with him. I do, for I believe we are in a dangerous world and that Trump is right in suggesting that if we have a strong military no one “is going to mess with us”. As Teddy Roosevelt confirmed, “Speak softly but carey a big stick!”


Respectfully, Mr Duenow, please explain why your opinion serves our national security.


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As a attorney he has spinning facts for decades, so used to it that it comes natural.


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Yeah, and the world is safer than it has ever been.


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In the meantime both China and Russia have beefed up militarily and are engaging in aggressive territorial expansion. A better thought is to rethink priorities on where we spend our military assets.


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Military spending has in fact increased during the Obama administration, alongside oil production facts.


However, the military increase was a small % of GDP, and probably a necessary expense, to update our outdated cold war military resources.


US oil production has increased dramatically in recent years under our current.administration.

This was a good tactic to make us less dependent on Saudi oil. Of course now drilling has all but ceased & non-profitable.


Many ‘poor middle class Americans today are concerned about the high costs to support the incoming refugees (and migrants posing as refugees). Recent studies find that admitting 10,000 of them presents a lifetime cost to we taxpayers of $6.5 billion. The current plan is to admit 85,000, which will cost $55 billion.


They are asking “what will happen to ‘our’ welfare & s/s benefits when 91% of refugees are on food stamps and 73% receive ‘free’ healthcare?.


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In 2015 the USA actually spent about 15.7% of it’s 3.8 trillion dollar budget on military. Although it was more than 50% of the discretionary portion. Good spin on the facts thought, I got to give you credit for that one. Most people probably believe you without checking the facts.


https://www.nationalpriorities.org/budget-basics/federal-budget-101/spending/


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