"What Bernie Would Do On The Super Committee."

[in_cog_ni_to]

Video at link below...
<snip>
O'DONNELL: Senator, strategically, that Republican position on taxation is a two-pronged thing, because it does obviously completely protect what they want to protect in the tax code. But then it leaves Medicare, Social Security as the big targets because that's what -- when they look for the money, that's where they see the money.

So are Democrats going to unify around this position since Republican leaders are basically openly talking about we won't put anyone on there who will consider taxation? Should Harry Reid-- Harry Reid is asking, what should I do? Tell Harry Reid what he should do.

SANDERS: Well, I told Harry. As a matter of fact, I just spoke to Senator Reid the other day.

And what I said to him is, Senator Reid, do not appoint anybody to that commission who will cut Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. The goal must be, at the very least, to start making significant cuts in military spending, which has tripled since 1997.

O'DONNELL: Now, Leon Panetta, the new secretary of defense, came out today saying that the automatic triggered cuts to defense spending would be very, very difficult for the Defense Department to handle, for him to handle. Was that, in effect, the administration trying to put pressure on the super committee to actually reach some kind of agreement, and not rely on this trigger?

SANDERS: Well, first of all, I don't agree with Leon on that.

The reality is that if you extrapolate over a 10-year period, you're looking at a military budget of probably somewhere near seven trillion dollars; 500 billion dollars is less than one percent. So I think as we move forward toward serious deficit reduction, and as we try to protect education and health care and environmental protection and nutrition and all of the other programs that this deficit reduction package is going to cut, clearly, clearly we have got to take a harder look at military spending than just 500 billion over a 10-year period.<snip>

http://www.nationofchange.org/what-bernie-would-do-super-committee-1312650789

[jwirr]

1. Good for Bernie. Leon Panetta has had his head in the sand for to

long. If he really wants to protect and defend this country then the first thing he needs to understand that we are in deep economic trouble and that it is as much from military overstretch than anything else.