Is There No Spending To Be Cut at the Pentagon?

Image used under license from Shutterstock.com

My friend Jon Basil Utley, whom I have had the good fortune to meet at many Cato Institute events, is also publisher of The American Conservative, a source I refer to daily in my analysis. In a December 1 article Jon asks a great question, “Why is Defense Waste Taboo in the Tax Debate?”

With so much waste in the system, it seems unimaginable the GOP couldn’t find something to cut from the defense budget. Jon himself has supplied readers of The American Conservative with 16 Ways to Cut Defense Spending.

The savings from each could have gone into lowering corporate and individual income tax rates even further. But for all the recognized waste the Pentagon budget, no one seems willing to address it. Jon writes:

For all the talk about the big Republican tax cut it’s really only about $150 billion per year.

The waste in defense today is incredible.

My 2013 article, 16 Ways to Cut Defense is still at the top of the search engines after four years. Just to mention a few of the 16 ways: Cut some of the 4,000 military bases in the U.S. Most of them were set up in horse and buggy days before highways and helicopters brought them all closer together. Another, combine the Army and Navy hospital system. Furthermore, TRICARE costs another $50 billion to give mainly non-combat veterans free family health insurance for the rest of their lives.( Link johns article)

The fact that all this waste if off the table in budget debates is almost criminal.

Most Republicans are ready to cut health care, much less reform much of its inordinate waste and monopoly pricing, but they can’t talk about military waste? House speaker Paul Ryan has a sad record on this issue. Years ago, in Tax Collectors for the Warfare State, I wrote how Ryan and many Republicans were ready to sacrifice the home mortgage interest deduction to pay for more war in Afghanistan.

If you’re not already associated with the magazine, I urge you to consider the following from The American Conservative:

Partner with us to advance a fresh vision for conservatism in the 21st century!

There are 4 easy ways to support The American Conservative:

Become a member of The American Conservative with a gift of $60 or more.

Join The American Conservative Publisher’s Club with a gift of $500 or more, and receive a number of special benefits.

Include The American Conservative in your planned or estate giving and become a member of our Edmund Burke Legacy Society.

Give a gift of any amount towards our annual fund or become a sponsor of our annual foreign policy conference.

You can also support The American Conservative with a monthly donation of as little as $5.

The American Ideas Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that publishes The American Conservative and relies on the support of individuals like you. Make your tax-deductible gift today!