Originally posted at the Coalition to Reduce Spending
Some lawmakers claim that we cannot afford to cut a dime of Pentagon spending. That is simply untrue. Like every federal government department, the Department of Defense is susceptible to wasteful spending and pet projects. Perhaps more so because many lawmakers do not seriously scrutinize the Pentagon budget for fear of being perceived as “weak on defense.”
But the reality is that a large chunk of the DOD budget has nothing to do with defending this country. Since the number one national security threat is our $16 trillion national debt, we must be willing to cut spending in all areas of government. We all want a safe and stable country which means that we cannot afford to spend taxpayer money on unnecessary projects that have nothing to do with protecting our national security. There are tons of duplicative programs, unnecessary weapons that Pentagon officials do not even want, funding for bizarre studies, and more ridiculous spending in the Pentagon budget.
Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma has created a booklet called the “Department of Everything” to highlight wasteful spending in the Pentagon budget. Here are some examples of ludicrous spending from his report that should outrage every taxpayer.
How Does This Fall Within the Mission of the Department of Defense?
- The Pentagon runs its own microbreweries and U.S. based liquor stores.
- The Pentagon gave $1.2 billion to grocery stores in 2012.
- The DOD will spend at least $580 million this year on programs to promote global health.
- The DOD has committed $180 million to widen parts of U.S. highways.
- The DOD has 127 separate programs for elementary and high school students to encourage the study of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
- The Pentagon is involved in space weather monitoring, research, and forecasts.
- The Pentagon funds breast cancer and prostate cancer research.
- The Pentagon runs U.S. schools when public schools are less than a mile away–the Pentagon run elementary and junior high school at Dahlgren only has five students in the fifth grade, three students in the seventh grade!
- The Pentagon recently partnered with the Department of Agricultural to produce a reality cooking show called Grill it Safe.
Many of these programs are overlapping. (i.e. at least six different federal departments fund breast cancer research.)
Ridiculous Studies Funded by Our Taxpayer Dollars
- The Navy funded research on what the behavior of fish can teach us about democracy.
- The Navy and Air Force funded a study that compared the jargon that New Yorkers vs. Californians use on Twitter.
- The Air Force Office of Scientific Research funded a study that examined how to make it easier to produce silk from wild cocoons in Africa and South America.
- The Navy funded research on developing an iPhone app to alert users when it is the best time to take a coffee break.
- The Pentagon funded a conference that included a session titled “Did Jesus Die for Klingons too?”
- The Pentagon has spent more than $1.5 million to develop its own beef jerky roll ups treats.
- The Air Force funded a study on if men holding guns appear taller, stronger, and more masculine than those not holding guns.
- The Office of Naval Research funded research on the social interactions between robots and babies.
- The Air Force funded a study on the feather colors of the first birds on Earth. They concluded that their feathers were most likely black.
- The Pentagon has spent about $6 million studying the science of storytelling.
Green Energy Scams in the Pentagon Budget
- The DOD launched more than 100 wasteful renewable energy initiatives in 2010. That number is higher than the Department of Energy.
- The Pentagon is purchasing Chevy Volts as part of their green initiative program. These cars cost around $40,000 to buy but cost as much as $89,000 to produce.
- The Air Force is spending $14 million on converting three Alaskan radar stations from diesel to wind turbine energy.
Please check out Senator Coburn’s full report for more details.
There is clearly a lot of wasteful and unnecessary spending in the Pentagon budget. Yet, too few lawmakers are willing to cut a dime out of the DOD budget. Many are even unwilling to reduce the percent by which future Pentagon spending increases–this is what the sequester would do.
Contrary to rhetoric by some lawmakers, sensible Pentagon cuts will not destroy our military. It is time to get serious about the national debt and cut wasteful spending across the board.
I think that the Pentagon should use taxpayer’s money wisely for jobs have been hard to come by for Americans in this tough economic times. If it continues to spend the way it does, then BUDGET CUTS are in order. It is about time to get serious about the national debt due to the serious implications it will bring to the country and the American people.
With the Federal Government owing $16 Trillion and the deficit approaching close to $1.1 Trillion, future tax hikes are in place for both Americans and their children in the future.
Eliminating new government debt will not be easy. The country is way past the point of easy fixes. Raising taxes on the wealthy will not be enough. According to the White House Office of Management and Budget, increasing the tax rates of people with income over $250,000,it would only solve 5 percent of the deficit.
Aside from that, it will make Medicare and Social Security promises meaningless. Both are expected to run out of money within the next 20 years. When that happens, Americans will be asked to agree to reduce benefits or worse even higher taxes.
The government might resort to borrowing more money. And when that happens, it makes it more difficult for small business to borrow the money they need for expansion. The possibility of higher taxes discourages businesses from growing and discourages them from hiring.
What’s even worse it the fact that the Federal Reserve might just be prompted to print more money that would reduce the value of the savings and investments of Americans. The inflation caused by printing money means that the money saved buys fewer and fewer goods as it decreases in value which will only hasten the collapse of the dollar.
Julie, I love the blog you have and I believe you’re doing a great service in pointing out the problems with the current federal government and its reckless spending practices. I just have one question for you though. What kind of libertarian do you consider yourself to be? Are you a consequentialist libertarian or a deontological/natural rights libertarian and can you explain the difference between the two? I’m very supportive of multiple political philosophies that support the ideas of laissez faire capitalism and the economics regarding such a system, even though I’m an independent that doesn’t fit into any one political ideology or movement 100%.
Unfortunately, cutting the defense budget is viewed as “not supporting the troops” and there’s an almost immediate backlash against that kind of language. It’s all about how certain people frame the discussion.
I have a lot of friends and family in the military, and I fully support them – in fact, I think my Libertarian views would benefit them more than whatever the Democrats and Republicans are doing. But the very instant they catch a whiff of “cut defense budget” they get very upset. It’s unfortunate, but most politicians probably know that actually going through with a DoD budget cut would be the end of their careers.
I love your blog, by the way. I saw one of your videos on YouTube, and it inspired me to start up a blog of my own. I like the way you think.
Thanks for helping keep us all informed!
Former Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates stated: “This department simply cannot risk continuing down the same path – where our investment priorities, bureaucratic habits and lax attitude towards costs are increasingly divorced from the real threats of today, the growing perils of tomorrow and the nation’s grim financial outlook.”
The U.S. defense spends around $695.7 Billion or 58% of the total defense dollars paid out by the world’s top 10 military powers that includes China,Russia,France and United Kingdom among others, which combined for $1.19 Trillion in military funding.It outspends China ($120 Billion), the next-biggest military power, by nearly 6-to-1.(Based on FY 2011).Is there any justification for this since we are not at war?What about the impeding Fiscal Cliff in 2013?What about the $16 Trillion National Debt that is expected to rise to $20 Trillion in 2013? Is there any reason not to cut defense spending at all for these reasons alone?
Ending our use of fiat money will end the problems at the Pentagon.
The Pentagon is the wrong focus. (And I get the sense it’s intended to distract from the fiat money issue.)
If we end the problems at the Pentagon but don’t end our use of fiat money, the problems will come back in one form or another. Monetary policy needs to be the focus.
War and the Fed | Lew Rockwell