What will Kucinich cut from the defense budget?

He wants to cut $60 billion from the defense budget for another program he wants to impliment, so where is it all going to come from?

Here's the list I've found so far:
1. - $8 billion - Ballistic missle defense

Where does the other $52 billion come from?

There is something like 2.3 trillion dollars that the DoD hasn't accounted for.
There is also a smart land mine R&D project, that needs to go too.
The DynCorp, Bechtel, Brown & Root, Worldcom contracts need to go too.

The "Defense" budget is at 400 billion dollars. 400 billion dollars is more than the defense budget of all of the countries on this planet combined.

I thought it was over quite a few years.

And it's not like there is a budget listing that says "$52 billion - Waste and corporate pork". There will be waste in any large scale program like the pentagon.

It's also my understanding that the Iraq war and the contracts aren't included in the defense budget, since it was at 400 billion before we went to war, and was something like 380 the year before that.

If Kucinich want to convince critics that this won't impact our national security he needs to tell us where the money is being cut.

"Cold War weapons" like the F-22, the V-22 Osprey that has killed so many in development, stuff like that.No "new nukes." (Stop the bunker-buster nukes.) Reduce the nuclear stockpile together w/the Russians and we don't have to guard so much.

Can you tell I'm not into military things? LOL

that is a biggie...and just how do we justify new nukes when we tell everyone and their uncle that they can't have them???

That leaves about $45 billion left to cut.

I don't think the nuclear bunker busters are even part of the budget yet.

And put it all into universal pre-kindergarten and other new education programs like that.

And since he's saying you have to cut the pentagon budget to balance the national budget (even though he's not going to use the money cut from the pentagon budget to do that) I'd like to know what he wants to cut.

that Bush is developing: like: the lasers that will hit a target from space?
Either Wolfie or Rummy(I forget) was having a hard-on for that one.A totally NON-DEFENSIVE WEAPON,ACTUALLY A WEAPON FOR ATTACK, IMHO.

DK is against weaponizing outer space. Besides the $$, this would be better for international relations. China knows that WMD and offensive weapons in space is only meant to control them.

On edit: the new nukes are already being developed. There was a hearing about a month ago for putting the "waste" from that program into the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant(WIPP) here in NM.

That's what they have allocated in the budget this year.

I'm not sure about the space weapons, It was at $4 billion throughout the clinton years, and I'm sure Bush increased it, but I don't know by how much or of missle defense is included.

I could see having one or two on patrol at any one time, but don't we have about twenty in the fleet?

I'm not an expert by any means, but I believe they are useful for stealth surveillance, and maintaing a presence in high risk areas like China and NK in case those countries decide to do something stupid.

Look I just watched a Discovery channel show on one of these subs. The stats say a SINGLE sub can take out every major city in North America. Somebody explain why we need that sort of power over anyone, least of all our OWN countrymen/women?!

The weapons program is insane and he'll cut it. Thank goodness SOMEBODY shows some sanity in this country!

*edit for spelling errors...HOLY CRAP! Somebody remind me not to multitask and try to post here!Yikes!

I would like to see a cutback in weapons deployment and contracts, and see that money put into improving troop conditions. Ideally, I would like to see a 15% pay raise for them - I think we could scrounge up enough defense waste to cut and then put that into improving the lives of our troops

Personally, I prefer seeing well-educated, healthy kids to rich defense contractors, who are smiling from knowing they've ripped off the U.S. government. I guess Dean has different priorities.

What are the weapons that don't work, and do they make up $60 billion dollars?

he spoke about these cuts; and he mentioned dollar figures. I didn't take notes, so I can't quote you anything. From memory only, the cuts came from:

Nukes--no more nukes

Space weapons/defense--no star wars

Defense related contracts...brown & root, halliburton, etc.

He also talked about the cycle of spending...spending billions on weapons that are declared obsolete by the time they're off the production line, and investing new billions in new stuff to replace them over and over; I'm sorry I can't remember concrete details here for you, this is the general idea, not the specific, exact plan.

He also talked about schools that lose funding when little kids can't pass tests and defense contractors that continue to rake in the $$$ when their products and designs don't pass tests.

There may have been more; that's what I remember. And there are probably transcripts of other speeches available out there that might address it more clearly.

oops How could I forget; he also spent quite a bit of time talking about the trillion dollars that the defense dept. can't account for; gone, but not documented.

http://www.kucinich.us/statements.htm#070903b

All it mentions are the Osprety, F-22, and missle defense which don't add up to the 60 billion he wants to cut.

I also don't see how cutting the budget will reduce waste. Nobody has every figured out how to cut the waste out of huge systems like the pentagon, and cutting spending is no sure way to do it.

Some of those defense related contracts are for maintenence and repair, so not much money would actually be saved as that would have to happen anyway.

Stopping all research and development would probably do it, but good luck with getting that passed.

http://www.globalissues.org/Geopolitics/ArmsTrade/Spending.asp

Truly, we spend 40 times more than the "Rogue" nations of the world. 400 billion to 10 billion.

I think we can afford to cut the pentagon budget up to 50% and still be safe as a nation. Kucinich(who is my candidate) is only proposing to cut it 15%...basically putting it back to what it was under most of Clinton's years as President.

We can eliminate a lot if we work as one nation with the rest of the world and not the world's dictator.

Why do we outspend the rest of the world combined? It is because we are as a nation are dictators. That in my mind is wrong. If we cut back to 200 million, mostly on self defense(CIA, FBI, NSA, etc) and only stockpile our latest weapons(which are bar none 50 times better than any other nations') then we can cut it 50%(or 15% as this is being debated).

From my understanding Kucinich would stop the red tape(the only candidate I hear calling to an end of this radical spending) and bring forth about a new generation of diplomacy. No more going it alone for we wouldn't have the massive army to do it. We would be forced to work with the UN and that my friends is a GOOD THING. If you like american dictatorship over the world Kucinich is not the candidate for you.

We can save billions of dollars(cut taxes or refund the money to more important things like education and healthcare) and by doing so get the nation out of the recession that it is in. There is no real threat left in the world...we are the only superpower left. It is stupid to increase the pentagon budget or hold it at its current levels for it is a waste of money. Our money should go to intelligence and getting america prepared for another terrorist strike...not conventional warfare machinery(that we already have enough of) such as missiles, planes and bombs.

Truly, China isn't going to invade, Russia isn't ressurecting Kruschev's body and North Korea truly doesn't want to end the world with a WWIII nuke fest.

We can do better. Our schools demand to be funded. People should not be slaves and have to work til they're 70. Our children deserve a government that promotes peace. We don't need to dictate the world. Our people deserve decent paying jobs in factories(that are subsequently shipped off to Indonesia. Our people deserve quality healthcare. Our people deserve the right to life once you're born into this world and therefore the Death Penalty should be abolished. The people of America need help in treating their problems, for they make mistakes, not to be locked in a penetentiary for 40 to life for a stupid ass 3 strike rule. And Dennis is the only one pushing for all american citizens to be treated as equals, by allowing homosexual marriage.

Truly now, we can make this country a better place and by doing so, the world a better place. Kucinich is the only one with a vision that can do all of this...heck he's the only one with a vision that can do half of this.

Cutting the pentagon budget 15% will be the starting of making these dreams come true.

we wind up using our equipment (often paid for by them but we still had to buy it). We are the only country with the power to project and that is expensive. There are things which can be cut. Troops in Western Europe and in Asia come to mind. But given the committments in Iraq and Afghanistan that will continue for the forseeable future I don't see how much we can really cut. Salaries are going to have to go up to get our current troops to stay in or we are going to have to have a draft and pay to train draftees. We have the only large Western army and thus even with the UN we are still going to have a huge presence in Iraq. That will cost money no matter how we slice it.

Because he would get up in front of Congress with his no compromise attitude and even the Dems there would turn against him, and he would not get any of his policies in place.

But I'm trying to be diplomatic about this. I think if he's going to make claims that you can't balance the budget without cutting pentagon spending (even though he wants to cut pentagon spending for new programs, not balancing the budget) then he should come out and say what we should cut and how he is going to stop waste.

Better still: ask the campaign!! www.kucinich.us and hit on "contact us!!"

I can't believe that you think there is not that much waste in the defense budget, after they can't account for a $$TRILLION. DK said that he would do A THOROUGH REVIEW OF DEFENSE DEPARTMENT EXPENDITURES, in the Harkin/Iowa Road to the White House.

is what makes Kucinich "unelectable" because in the post 9-11 world in which we live Americans will not go for cutting Defense spending.
Hopefully, they will allow for fat to be trimmed.

Personally I like the idea of a Dept of Peace, and some of DK's ideas, I just don't think a majority of Americans will go for it.

Help get his ideas out there. It can only HELP the country....AND THE WORLD.

not that Dennis isnt liked but people do that well hes unelectable. Come on people, this guy offers genuine hope, we need people like this representing our country.

because anyone who is realistic and honest will realize that he cannot do half the things (maybe more) that he claims he will do.

He CANNOT "cancel" NAFTA.
He CANNOT repeal laws (he has promised to repeal Taft/Hartly and The Patriot Act).
He CANNOT overturn Supreme Court decisions.

I REALLY liked DK (although I did worry over his broader appeal) until I watched the AFL-CIO forum. His performance on that (and performance is definitely the right word) totally turned me against him. From all appearances he wants to play just as fast and loose with the Constitution as Bush, just for the opposite side. It is either that or he does not even know the Constitutional limits of power for the President, which is just as frightening.

Some people need to remember that a man violating the Constution on the left is still a man violating the Constution. Both sides of the political spectrum are vulnerable to corruption and extremism.

>$48B a year.

Problem solved.