Lopsided Discretionary Spending

The above graphic is from Think Progress. It shows the discretionary spending (general budget) for fiscal year 2012 (which started in September 2011). The Republicans want to cut that budget without raising any taxes on the richest Americans. And they want to make all of their cuts from only 41 % of the federal discretionary budget. They don't want to make any cuts at all in the Defense budget, which eats up about 59% of the total discretionary budget.

That makes no sense at all. If cuts must be made, then that should include deep cuts in the largest area of the budget -- defense spending. The military spending of the United States comprises about 44% of all military spending worldwide. That's several times what any other country spends, and would equal the military budget of the next 15 countries combined. The U.S. military budget could be cut in half, and still be much larger than that of any other country (and would free up money to help hurting Americans, improve education and healthcare, and create jobs).

The failure of the Super Committee has mandated that $1.2 trillion in cuts will happen (over a ten year period beginning in 2013) across the board in discretionary spending. While these cuts will not help ordinary Americans hurt by this recession, they are at least fair because they also include cuts in military spending. The military cuts are fairly small, but they have the Republicans very upset. They want to protect their corporate buddies in the military-industrial complex.

They are trying to claim it will hurt this country's defense, but it won't. We are spending far more than is necessary for national defense. In addition to protecting profits in the military-industrial complex, the Republicans want a military big and powerful enough to threaten the rest of the world into complying with our policies (especially as it relates to corporate profits and corporate ownership of the world's raw materials). They don't like it referred to as such, but this is nothing less than corporate imperialism backed by our military might.

The Republicans are now trying to stop the military cuts and replace them with deeper cuts in all other programs. And it wouldn't surprise me if they got that accomplished (with the help of some Democrats, especially blue dogs, who are afraid of being branded as unpatriotic). But that is just the opposite of what this country needs. In a time of high unemployment and growing poverty, this country needs to put more of its money toward helping its own citizens -- not maintaining a bloated and unnecessary military.

Deep cuts are needed in the military budget -- far more than the small cuts mandated because of the Super Committee failure. Other developed countries take care of their own citizens. Why can't the U.S. do the same? Why must we keep playing the part of a world bully, which we shouldn't have been doing in the first place and can certainly no longer afford? We can afford to do what's necessary to fix our economy and help hurting Americans, but only if we're willing to significantly cut our military spending.