Military Cuts Threaten Defense-Dependent States

[marmar]

(Bloomberg) Virginia, Hawaii and Alaska may suffer the most economic harm from defense cuts of as much as $1 trillion during the next decade, a Bloomberg Government study shows.

Those three states are the most dependent on U.S. military spending, the study found. Virginia, home of the Pentagon and the Norfolk naval base, tops the list with 13.9 percent of its gross domestic product derived from defense spending. Hawaii ranks second, at 13.5 percent, and Alaska is third with 10.7 percent. All other states are in single digits, the study showed.

Bloomberg Government examined military spending by state as Congress considers budget cuts that might threaten the economies of states such as Virginia, where the Defense Department spent $56.9 billion in fiscal 2009, the last year for which comprehensive data were available. The spending came in the form of payroll, contracts and grants.

“It is a big-ticket item for Virginia,” said Richard Brown, the state’s secretary of finance. “That would be quite a blow to Virginia if there would be a major hit.” ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-11-17/military-cuts-threaten-defense-dependent-states.html#

[reggie the dog]

1. these cuts are going to fuck our economy at the wrong time

increase taxes on the rich and we dont have to cut defense nor social spending

but obama will veto any bill that stops these cuts

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

3. No... we need to do BOTH!

BushJr gave the military a big pay raise during his terms and they need to get cut back.

[Owl]

6. Exactly right, we need to do both.

We need drastic cuts in the bloated military welfare program.

[taught_me_patience]

7. Please show the math that only increasing taxes on the rich without cuts

is enough to close the deficit.

[reggie the dog]

8. that is easy

what is the defecit? raise taxes on the rich by that much and they still wont be paying what they paid in 1980.

[NNN0LHI]

2. I was listening to one of my favorite congressmen James E. Clyburn talking about this one day

Defense cuts came up and James Clyburn started listing all the military bases in his state. He got going and couldn't stop listing them there were so many. The news person had to finally cut him off in mid-sentence or he would still be listing them all.

This is a problem.

Don

[onethatcares]

4. the problem is

too many jobs depend on the socialism of the defense industry. they take from us and find ways to kill people in other countries in order to keep their profits up.

I say cuts to defense are in order.

The same people that decry big government beg for big government defense contracts while hating the POTUS.

that's just fucked up beyond recognition.

[PetrusMonsFormicarum]

5. Bank on war

and reap what you sow.

We need to get out of the mindset that this is the way things should be. The Repugs spin the end of the Bush Tax Cuts as tax increases on the wealthy, when it's actually just the end of a disastrous entitlement program. A correction. Similarly, communities around the nation have for decades been taught that the military base next door is necessary. It's not.

As a nation we've been banking on war for so many years that we've built cultures around local bases just as our leaders have manufactured reasons to put that war machine into motion.