Senate Passes $631 Billion U.S. Defense Legislation

[Purveyor]

Source: Bloomberg

By Laura Litvan - Dec 5, 2012 12:01 AM ET

The Senate passed unanimously a measure authorizing $631.4 billion for U.S. defense programs this fiscal year that sticks to President Barack Obama’s proposed spending total while drawing a veto threat with its policy provisions.

The 98-0 vote yesterday in the Democratic-controlled Senate advances legislation allowing about $543 billion for the basic defense budget in the fiscal year that began Oct. 1, and an additional $88 billion to fund wars in Afghanistan and elsewhere. The legislation next must be reconciled with a House- passed version that would spend $4 billion more than Obama wants.

“This bill provides our men and women in uniform the funding and support that they need as they engage in continued combat in Afghanistan, work to track down al-Qaeda and associated forces in the Arabian Peninsula and North Africa, and perform other military missions around the world,” Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, a Michigan Democrat, said during debate.

Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc., Boeing Co. (BA) and General Dynamics Corp. (GD) are among defense contractors that would benefit because the legislation increases funding over this year’s levels for fighter jets, missiles, submarines and other programs.

Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-12-04/senate-passes-631-billion-u-s-defense-legislation.html

[RoccoR5955]

1. This proves

that they are not serious about cutting the budget.

[nineteen50]

5. The United States of War

#1 product War, #1 export War, we have become the merchants of death.

[Vilis Veritas]

10. Become? When were we not?

We have always been a nation bathed in blood, since the first Pilgrim stepped foot on dry land.

From hardships encountered, to wars waged, to enemies fought, to animals slain...our nation, bane.

v_v

[AnotherMcIntosh]

13. "since the first Pilgrim stepped foot on dry land"? The first war, the 1637 Pequot War was started

the Pequots when they intended to kill a person who they thought was Dutch but was actually one of the peaceful English Pilgrams.

There was much confusion on both sides and when the tribe killed an Englishman thinking he was Dutch, war was soon upon them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pequot_people

The Pilgrams landed 17 years earlier in 1620 and had been living peacefully.

It appears that at least some of the Pequots were racists who could not distinguish Dutch from English and thought that all White men were alike.

[closeupready]

8. Of course they are not serious about cutting the budget.

+1000.

[Livluvgrow]

2. hmmm

glad they could finally agree on something that blowing up money is better than building bridges and schools.

[Morganfleeman]

3. A vote for the military industrial complex

is about the only thing that can win on a 98-0 vote.

[closeupready]

9. Pathetic, right?

Just pathetic.

[Owl]

18. Pathetic yes, and sad.

[ck4829]

4. "House-passed version that would spend $4 billion more than Obama wants"

Yeah, those Republicans in the House are really serious about our spending and they remember what they keep saying, that we're 'broke', right? Right?

[daa]

6. So defense was $262 Billion in 2000 congratulations budget busters

And they are still going after Social Security COLA and higher Medicare premiums if you have saved any money for retirement. The transfer of wealth from the middle class to the rich and defense is appalling in this country. Will anybody ever look out for us????

[earthside]

7. At least $316 billion is welfare ....

.... for military contractors, pay-offs to congressional districts with military bases, subsidies to 'defense' corporations and their lobbyists, pass-throughs to double-dipping "veterans"/retirees, the list goes on and on.

I say half that appropriation because even if one is 'pro-military' any reasonable analysis would show that we could more than adequately actually 'defend' and 'protect' the United States of America with doubtlessly even less than $300 billion a year.

The corrupt U.S. military establishment is easily the biggest corporate welfare program in all human history (and to the consternation of the teabaggers and Repuglicans, clearly the biggest make-work jobs program in U.S. history).

And, yes, this 98-0 Senate vote demonstrates blatantly that no one at the White House and perhaps only a handful of 'radical' members of the U.S. House are really concerned about federal debt and spending and the fate of poor and working Americans.

[democrattotheend]

16. What do you mean by pass-throughs to double-dipping veterans/retirees

Can you explain what the problem is there? Are you saying some veterans get the same benefit twice? How does that work?

[earthside]

17. I mean they get their retirement ...

... then go to work for a 'defense' contractor that gets all of its revenue from, yup, the taxpayer.

We get to pay twice for these moochers. In my opinion, that is a double-dip of taxpayer's dollars.

[FreeBC]

11. They still screwing us on the F-35?

The plane that nobody wants except for lobbyists and the politicians they pay off?

[Comrade Grumpy]

12. Let me put this as elegantly as I can: Fuck that shit.

What a fucking racket.

[Gregorian]

14. That's money that could have gone to things that were productive. What a waste. Fear rules.

We let our fears ruin the world we live in.

It's worse than that. This money is spent on things which are counterproductive.

Don't touch the military. It's serious business.

[maxsolomon]

15. 2/3 too large

Fascism is here & now but no one wants to admit it.

[sendero]

19. "This bill provides our men and women in uniform".....

.... no Carl, it doesn't provide JACK SHIT for our men and women in uniform. It provides a gravy train for various contractors, suppliers and mercenaries.

You wait, defense will not be touched but "entitlements" damn sure will.