The Biggest Scandal in US History That We're Still Not Talking About

[Unknown Beatle]

We progressives need to work this scandal into every political conversation we engage in, especially when we talk to conservatives. Cutting government spending and accountability are supposed to be core GOP values.

Combine "Known" Pentagon waste (like the 1.5 Trillion dollar F35) with missing pentagon money and you have a good chunk of our entire national debt represented.

"What's that? Body cameras for all cops will be too expensive? How bout we find 1/10,000th of the money we sent to the pentagon."

"Oh really? There's 500 million in provable food stamp fraud going to poor people how bout the 8.5 TRILLION the pentagon can't account for?"

"Oh really? You think Obama care is going to cost us almost a trillion dollars over 15 years? How about the 8.5 Trillion that just disappeared into the ether at the pentagon? What's you're take on that?"

"Oh really, you're concerned about deficit spending and the debt? Fully 1/3 of the national debt it is money we sent the Pentagon and they can't tell us where it went. It's just gone."

"College for everyone will cost too much? You must be really pissed at the 8.5 Trillion, with a 't', dollars the pentagon's spent and can't tell us where it went."

More: Daily Kos

[Thinkingabout]

1. The GOP called Democrats tax and spend the we got Bush and it was cut taxes and spend, spend, spend.

[Unknown Beatle]

2. You're spot on.

Republicans spend tax dollars like drunken sailors.

[orpupilofnature57]

3. On WMD's that didn't even exsist .

[RobertEarl]

4. Bernie will try to fix it

Clinton probably not.

I have been talking this for years. The imbalance of expenditures for weapons of mass destruction, relative to expenditures for keeping us healthy and alive is ridiculous and is a scandal.

Bernie is the best hope I have ever seen for ending the scandal.

[maxsolomon]

6. Bernie will try.

Call me a cynic, but most likely he will fail. The POTUS is not a king. Cutting the DoD down to size is nearly impossible given the GOP will control the House through 2022, at a minimum, due to Gerrymandering after the 2010 Census.

Though it is the best path to cutting the deficit, and necessary for the health of the republic, they simply too afraid, and love aggression and defense contracts too much.

[RobertEarl]

7. Bill Clinton did pretty good

If you think Bernie will fail then you have no hope for change. Which I grok, but do not share.

The wave that puts Bernie in office will also place many progressives in office. That and the elements of the wave - People- will demand a correction of this scandal from congress.

Of course that is my hope for real change.

[maxsolomon]

8. The DoD is > half our budget. If Bernie could knock it down by 10% I'd be ecstatic.

Change happens, but not quickly. America is a giant aircraft carrier. It doesn't spin on a dime - it takes years, several election cycles, to change the course.

The opposition would be ferocious, well-funded, and sustained. Even O's modest cuts were greeted with GOP hyperbole that is echoed throughout the media: HE'S GUTTED OUR MILITARY. WE'RE VULNERABLE TO ATTACK BY ISIS. This sort of fear-mongering works very well on the half-awake.

And as I said, the GOP will control the pursestrings for the entirety of the next president's first term. You want a budget, you have to compromise.

I have hope, but not a lot of faith.

[RobertEarl]

10. Bernie may just veto such spending

Bernie, you may not have noticed, is leading a revolution. A People's revolution. An awake and motivated People who are sick and tired of the same old, same old.

If it don't work and change happens, there's no hope.

[maxsolomon]

28. He doesn't have the line-item veto

So he has to take some chaff with the wheat if he wants to govern. That's the way this shit show is built - to limit change.

[Psephos]

21. Defense is about 18% of the budget.

I would like to see it cut in half from that, but you're doing no one any favors by spreading such wildly inaccurate numbers.

Medicare/Medicaid + SS = 49% of the budget.

Income Security and allied programs = 20%

"Defense" = 18%

Interest on the debt = 6%

Everything else together = 7%

Source: CBO

[dreamnightwind]

23. SS does not come from the budget - eom

[Psephos]

29. Yet the "surplus" revenue from SS goes into current year income.

A cynical cheat indeed. Can't call one "off-budget" without tagging the other as the same.

Enough of technicalities and semantics. OP's assertion was that defense ate up over half of federal expenditures. Actual truth is less than a fifth.

Meanwhile, the $trillions of stolen SS surpluses will come due soon enough and will have to paid from the general budget. Deficit will go to Zimbabwean levels; so will inflation of the fiat currency.

The innumerate will blame it on politics.

[dreamnightwind]

30. So take it out all out of the budget

That is more accurate, since SS has its own funding mechanism, and the total SS expenditures are much larger than the surplus revenue, making your figures on % of military expenditures inaccurate. plus you aren't counting everything that needs to be counted for defense spending, the true figure once all is accounted for is very near 50%.

[uponit7771]

24. Bill Clinton didn't have an overly gerrymandered congress either

[A Simple Game]

13. But Bernie will talk about it, and ask people if they want a cure for cancer or more

jet fighters. More war or more research on heart disease? Etc.

All it would take to make a difference is a national conversation about the options WE have with OUR tax money, not the options bought and paid for Senators and Representatives have.

We now have no one willing to start that conversation.

Terrorist? I know 9/11 was a tragedy but I knew no one that died that day, And as far as I'm concerned the main reason we were attacked was because of our military meddling in the Middle East. I do know several victims and survivors of cancer and I myself have heart disease. Then there is Diabetes, etc. Ask me where I would spend the money.

[dreamnightwind]

22. +1, nt

[uponit7771]

25. Gerrymandered GOP Congress, what about those three words to politicos miss!?!??!

[Dustlawyer]

18. None of what Bernie is talking about can be done by just a President, that's why Bernie says

he will need millions of us for a political revolution. Our job would only be beginning once we elect him. If we ever want to fix our corrupt system it will take many of us to do it and a President who is committed to using the Bully Pulpit!

[uponit7771]

26. He can have Billions of "us" for revolution... that's not going change the GOP congress

[Scuba]

5. If we can't afford to educate our children, to heal our sick or care for our elderly ...

... just what is it the defense budget is defending?

[RobertEarl]

11. I know I don't have to tell you, but here....

Defense for the corporations to do business anywhere in the world is why we are being jacked.

It sure isn't protecting the health and lives of US Citizens.

[smirkymonkey]

9. K&R

[colsohlibgal]

12. Blame The MSM

Oh and talk about suspicious timing - Rummy announces 2+ trillion is missing on 9/10/01 - curious timing to say the least.

[GoneFishin]

16. That, and an endless number of other "coincidences".

[jwirr]

14. During the bush administration they did not even audit Defense. I wonder

if anyone has gotten that done yet? If Bernie can just get a real audit that would be a step ahead.

[I hate liars]

15. Amen!

This and campaign finance reform are the most important problems we face as a country.

Spot on!

[KrazyinKS]

17. Don't get me wrong-

the Defense Department is way too bloated, The money they spend is outrageous. BUT-they do employ a lot of people, when you include contractors, the military and the domino effect it has on the local economy, it is hard to fight. That happens at the expense of people who have no voice.

[Hydra]

20. It's a nice idea

But the waste is atrocious. We could probably take 10% of the defense budget and provide all of those people a nice salary to do jobs we need done.

[daleanime]

19. K&R....

[snot]

27. K&R'd & Bookmarked. That said . . .

. . . it would be great to be able to source the $8.5 trillion number.