As we have reported before, Robert Gates, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, has come out in support of trimming his department’s budget over the long run. Today, the Associated Press reports that Gates is pressuring his department to live within its means.
“The department must start setting priorities, making real trade-offs and separating appetites from real requirements,” Gates said.
Gates vowed to review every corner of the budget, including the military’s rising health care costs.
“There are no sacred cows,” Gates said.
Besides shutting down Joint Forces Command, Gates wants to:
- Trim by 10 percent the budget for contractors who support the Defense Department;
- Freeze the number of employees working for his office, defense agencies and combatant commands for the next three years; and
- Cut at least 50 general and flag officer positions and 150 senior civilian executive positions over the next two years.
Other departments could certainly learn a thing or two from Secretary Gates. Unfortunately, today Washington will be engaged in belt-loosening, not tightening, as Congress is set to vote this afternoon on a measure that will cost taxpayers $26 billion.
OK guys here is the real deal, we are all sick of what is going on in the government. we know we have crooks in office and some of the nasty jokes we all laugh at are about lawyers, and yet we keep electing lawyers to run our country. we all need to wise up to the fact that most lawyers did not go through law school to “help” anyone but themselves. long term solution is to hire (elect) people who have run thier own companies made thier own fortunes and know how to run things. the original idea on congress was that the congressmen had to pay for the expenses, and they did not earn money for being congressmen. ok we need to re-evaluate that kind of thinking , maybe have lawyers as advisers and real people serving short terms, kinda like jury duty.
ok i got distracted the truth we need to see is that if we STOP the illegals send em home stop feeding them , housing them and paying for thier medical expenses and educations we could shave a huge expense off the the hole we are in. we need to stop whining about the states that are passing laws to ask for proof of citizenship. in countries throughout the world if we go there for vacation we have to prove we have followed the laws to enter , and leave again. we need to make our country a place that welcomes anyone who comes in by legal channels. and sends home anyone who doesn’t. I see what the conditions are right now in mexico , I do not blame anyone for wanting to get away from a druglord run country. so do it the right way. pay your taxes like everyone else,work like everyone else,we do not need people who are not responsible for themselves.
I firmly believe that the last few administrations have been lax intentionally in allowing cheap workers in to help thier friends to have large profits in thier large companies. time to stop it. we have frightening un-employment issues for people who are born and raised here, by parents that paid thier taxes. we do not need the compitition in the job market for people who do not pay taxes , and usually get all the free hamdouts they can scrape up, which costs us even more money. WE NEED TO STOP IT NOW !!!