Crazy scenario: pull the trigger.

[joshcryer]

Let the trigger lapse. Defense cuts go into effect, we can no longer afford Iraq and Afghanistan. We're immediately forced to pull out, even though the cuts don't "really" go into effect until 2013, it takes a long time to get tens of thousands of troops out of a warzone. Social programs would be hurt, bad, but it might be possible to divert the immediate savings from the Pentagon's budget to those social programs, after all, we're saving something like $50 billion a year by pulling out immediately. That would stem the tide for reelection, maybe.

Naive reasoning? Probably. :P

But the best thing about having the troops home is that it'd effectively "create" tens of thousands of "jobs" here, that is, rather than troops getting deployment pay and letting it fill their bank account they'd be home buying big screen TVs and boats and cars and stuff (yes some do have family here and they spend whatever stipend they get, but generally speaking there are still a whole bunch of unwed men with bank accounts getting full). It's the same thing as having hired that many people.

[Amonester]

1. Yes, and bring the troops home from Germany too, as well as...

well, most of them.

Why STILL having bases in Germany, FDS?? For what, soon to be 75 YEARS already????

[Horse with no Name]

2. because that isn't what would happen

they would cut the troops pay, benefits, healthcare, etc and then run on the platform that the Democrats don't support the troops.

[joshcryer]

3. Obama could say "cut their pay," or he could say "leave Iraq and Afghanistan."

I dunno that the former is really an option for the empire.

[alcibiades_mystery]

4. That's not how it works

Across the board cuts refers to very real sub-items within Budget Function 050. It's not really a "pick-and-choose" sort of thing.

[Kalidurga]

5. I hear what the OP is saying...

I can't figure out why the military wouldn't keep them on payroll, they could say they have to you know to fight terrorism here since we won't let them do it there.

[Cerridwen]

6. I'd like to see them come home and start working on rebuilding our (edited)

infrastructure. Make them all "engineers" and let them help rebuild places that have been destroyed by storms. There is plenty to rebuild here in the US.

Let them start working on high-speed rail. Upgrade our aviation systems.

I can see many things our military could do here in the US; if we could get a little "creative".

Think of the additional jobs they could create in the civilian sector as well.

Start planting hemp and we can save some loggers' lives while we're at it.

Yeah, I know. Won't happen. Can't be done. It's not practical or pragmatic.

I just had another thought; what about military doctors staffing clinics for vets and civilians?