Guest Post by Rand Paul
Is our military budget too small, or is our mission too large? Since 2001, the U.S. military budget has more than doubled in nominal terms and grown over 37% accounting for inflation. The U.S. spends more than the next eight countries combined.
It’s really hard to argue that our military is underfunded, so perhaps our mission has grown too large. That mission includes being currently involved in combat operations in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia, Niger, Libya, and Yemen. We have troops in over 50 of 54 African countries. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have cost over a trillion dollars and lasted for over 15 years.
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Unfortunately, none of these wars have been authorized by Congress, and Afghanistan and Iraq have gone far beyond their original authorizations. And when all combined, these wars are draining our treasury. A country can only remain strong as long as it remains solvent.
In Afghanistan, we spend about $50 billion each year. Where does the money go? For troops and weapons, of course, but billions have also been spent on roads, bridges, and schools for Afghanistan. Seems a shame that bridges, roads, and schools crumble here while we persist in nation-building abroad. Maybe it’s time to do some nation-building at home.
Don’t get me wrong. I supported going after the jihadists who attacked us on 9/11. But that mission is long past over. We killed the plotters and their supporters. The question we need to ask is, “When will the Afghanis be able to defend themselves?”
Most conservatives believe welfare should be temporary, and that ultimately the able-bodied must stand on their own. Foreign assistance is no different. If the U.S. coddles and comforts and does all the fighting, the Afghanis will never become self-sufficient. People argue that the Taliban will take over Afghanistan. Not if the Afghanis stand and fight. We’ve given them 15 years of training and billions of dollars of the most sophisticated weapons known to man. Surely, the time for them to step up and fight is now.
Is it worth one more American life to try to build a nation for people unwilling to fight for their own country?
The recent 21% increase in the military budget will buy a lot of weapons, but it won’t win the war in Afghanistan. President Obama already tried that. Obama increased our troops to around 100,000, and, sure enough, the Taliban ran and bided their time for the inevitable troop withdrawals.
The Taliban now controls a sizeable area of Afghanistan. I just can’t, in good conscience, ask our soldiers to go back to Afghanistan to take back the same villages they’ve taken twice, first in 2002 and then again in 2010.
Candidate Trump wisely ran on a platform that the Iraq War was a mistake. But President Trump is surrounded by Generals who’ve never seen a war that they believe cannot be won. And so the wars continue.
My hope is that President Trump will remember Candidate Trump and tell the Generals who surround him: “Enough is enough. I’m bringing the boys home.”
Why contemplate this? It doesn’t matter what we think including the good senator. The MIC is going to do what they damn well please and everyone can get use to that fact.
Vote, my ass.
Why pay any attention to it at all if you actually believe that?
Because paying attention is the smart thing to do. Assholes bury their heads in the sand.
Now tell me if what I wrote was wrong.
It was wrong because you don’t bother to do anything about it, like vote.
Why pay attention to anything you have no attention of doing anything about?
“Don’t bother to vote”. That’s a simpleton’s view. I choose not to participate in a game rigged against my best interests. Every vote validates their ability to lord over us.
So I say fuck your precious voting ‘rights’.
The thrust of my comment, as any fool can fathom, is that the MIC is immune from public accountability. They do what they want and don’t let any rabble get in their way. Trump was elected in large part on ending these stupid wars. He was going to pull the plug in Afghanistan-until the MIC told him otherwise, in which case he added more soldiers. When the public could voice an opinion on staying in Syria they shut down the d.c.switch board voicing their disapproval. Another fuck you.
If you need the sacrament of democracy then vote your ass off but don’t give me that shit that it changes things in any important way.
The American people are being fleeced by the banking/Millitary industries. The rats will suck out every living cent they can before everything goes down the tube.
Listen, what is happening is we are being conned – constantly. We have the media and Madison Avenue telling the sheep to keep consuming. Then, that consumption is paid with debt. Then that debt requires service, which requires the debt slave to work more and more hours. Those hours worked are taxable, and therefore finding (at least about 47% of it) all of this nonsense. There is a simple solution, and Karl Denninger has spelled it out quite well – https://market-ticker.org/akcs-www?post=233005 – Read and comprehend what he is saying. Legal tax revolt is entirely possible, and it WILL stop ALL of the stupid, as it will literally starve the beast. Or, you can continue to be a sheeple, and complain while continuing to make a “payment” towards that you are against. Lifestyle change, just like in the case of obesity is a choice.
Whoa! “OUR mission”?! Getting really tired of all this “presumption” by “others” that just possibly SOME of the other remaining “squatters” here do NOT CONSENT!
The Defense budget is three quarters of a Trillion dollars! Where, oh where does that money go??? Oh I know, it goes to supporting countries that hate us, boondoggle unnecessary fighter planes that cost $100 Million apiece (!!!) and unnecessary, poorly designed Navy uniforms!
If your voting process really mattered “THEY” wouldn’t allow it to take place . Typically we have a choice low life slime ball one or two . There is a modest difference with each side of the same coin blaming the other , in reality “THEY “ are all on the same side . The politicians are only concerned with 2 things , staying in office and feathering their own nest or that of their wealthy supporters profiting from the circle jerk of Wall Street to K-Street to Capitol Street .
It should be obvious to any observer with a modest ability to think independtly what is really going on in our country now .
I believe President Trump thought he really could make America Great Again . I also believe he had no fucking clue how screwed up everything really is ! As for Senator Rand Paul , nice try but your dad tried for decades .
Imagine if 35 years ago we as a nation really listened to Dr Ron Paul and actually forced the many issues he attempted to make a priority . Ahh to sleep , per chance to dream !