Mitt’s Military: a march to Armageddon

$718 billion. $722 billion. 0. $2 TRILLION.

The first number is America’s 2012 military budget. And this does NOT include the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq (the military budgets of past years did not include those wars either!). These wars have cost nearly $1 TRILLION dollars to date, and costs will continue soaring for decades to come.

The second numbers is the military spending of THE NEXT 14 countries combined. America has always had this kind of spending disparity.

The 0? This is the number nations that truly threaten us, long or short term. This number has been about the same since the end of WWII. Contrary to popular belief, largely driven by fear and a lack of perspective on reality and history the Communist world was not a threat. We were allies with the Soviets and China during WWII. Vietnam and red loathing were more the result of raw emotionalism and a lack of understanding that Vietnam and China just wanted to be free of the yoke of colonialism.

The fourth number: despite this historic lack of lethal enemies, during a time when we and the world should be relishing a real “peace dividend” Mitt Romney and the Republicans want to VASTLY increase this already obscenely gargantuan military spending by TWO TRILLION DOLLARS, $2,000,000,000,000.

This is pure arrogance. It is the same arrogance as the Bush neocons who waged illegal, immoral and counterproductive war based on lies and an egotistical sense of superiority. For them might makes right, regardless of how contrary to justice and morality.

In fact, where your treasure is so goes your heart. Such fear-induced negative attitude-based military spending WILL become a self-fulfilling prophecy leading to Armageddon.

Ironically, what will lead to peace is more effort on the POSITIVE. Stuff like, well, Big Bird! Yet Mitt Romney and Republicans want to cut all spending on PBS, a truly great organization.

As Neil deGrasse Tyson tweeted, cutting PBS support (0.012% of budget) to help balance the Federal budget is like deleting text files to make room on your 500 Gig hard drive. All Mitt would have to do is take just .002225% off his proposed military increase and he could save Big Bird. But to that he gives the big bird.

As has been said, and forgotten, many times before: those who forget—or ignore—their history are doomed to repeat it.

No debate: Romney rolled!

No debating: Romney rolled!

Mitt always was a smooth talker. Last night he combined that gift with gusto and confidence. It mattered not that most of what he was saying was flagrantly incorrect, unsupported by history or facts. What mattered was that he said it with such conviction that "on the fence" voters who don't pay that close attention to the nitty gritty detail of policy will believe it. What mattered even more was that President Obama basically let the errors stand unchallenged.

That's where the "debate" part of a debate comes in. One side makes statements and claims and it is up to the other side to challenge, correct and offer a higher standard of truth on the issue presented. President Obama sounded professorial and was technically correct. But on the big he went small. Check that...ABSENT.

Romney kept repeating the infamous lie that Obamacare will cut $716 billion from Medicare for seniors. Where was Obama's stinging rebuke? ABSENT, shockingly nothing but silence.

Romney kept lambasting the power of the federal government to do, well, basically anything. Well, anything but running a huge war machine--he wants to ADD $2 TRILLION, to the military's budget. TWO-TRILLION! Yet where was the President on repeating the long, over 200+ year history of the proven power of the federal government to help order this great nation's affairs, in helping create the world's greatest standard of living for the greatest amount of people--the vaunted MIDDLE CLASS--and thereby creating what most Americans take pride in as the beacon for the world to follow? Where? Where? Where was the lead standard-bearer and truth-teller of our nation's rich heritage of successful collective action through the federal government of the United States of America?  ABSENT, shockingly absent.

Obama even said that their positions on Social Security were about the same. Let's hope not! For starters Romney wants to raise the retirement age and lower benefits for those under 55. The fuller picture is that he is part of the Republican machine that wants to privatize it.

At least Obama stood his (our) ground on Medicare, drawing a sharp line between Romney's voucher plan, which is basically privatization.

But again, he missed a HUGE opportunity to stand for America's absolute dependence on a strong federal government.   When Romney said he wanted the states to be free to deliver medical care and adopt the system he helped usher in Massachusetts when he was governor Obama should have stated the obvious:  the states have HAD that opportunity for a millennium, but for whatever reason they do not or cannot act.  The ultimate and primary defender of not only people’s individual, Constitutional rights but also the services and safety net so many people need for their daily existence is…THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.  It’s been that way forever. 

Power in numbers, power in unity, power in collective action for the greater good.  That’s the truth President Obama should have repeated over and over and over.

Something’s up, for Obama is too sharp to miss such opportunities unintentionally.  Maybe he really does agree with Romney and the Republicans for the most part.  Maybe that is why there was no fight for real financial reform.  Maybe that is why there was no move to end the Bush tax cuts for the highest income group early in his presidency.  Maybe that is why he accepted quarter measures in Obamacare (still, much better than nothing).

Maybe that is the real Obama—a left-centrist social liberal and right-centrist fiscal conservative. 

Perhaps it was too audacious, but we had hoped for more.