Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (497097)	11/22/2003 4:02:39 PM
From: DavesM	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 769670

Sorry, you are wrong. learner.org

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (497097)	11/22/2003 4:13:29 PM
From: American Spirit	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 769670

Who cares what Kennedy's defense budget was? He was in power 1000 days and inherited most of it, plus he had a Cuban Missile Crisis. Given time, perhaps Kennedy would have gotten us out of Vietnam and solved the Cold War. But he never had the chance. One observation about the huge military spending at the time. If 42% of the budget was going to military, that would mean if JFK wanted to turn into a dove and reduce spending there would have been huge financial interests at stake with the "military-industrial complex" as Eisenhower called it. That complex was so rich and powerful that it could easily have engineered such a coup d'etat by slaying the one man who might have challenged their power. The Kennedys also challenged Hoover. He too had a motive and means for murder. Oliver Stone's film seems to hit it on the head. Of course right-wingers and LBJ supporters hate to hear about it.

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (497097)	11/22/2003 4:42:28 PM
From: Stevefoder	Respond to of 769670

I believe Defense spending in the Kennedy years was in considerablely in excess of 50% of Federal spending (e.g. 70% or so). Presently defense spending is about 9%. The share of defense spending of the Federal budget has continued to decline decade after decade since WWII. The only reason Federal spending on social programs has been able to increase so much without major tax increases is due to the shrinking share of defense spending. No other area of the Federal budget has shrunk so much. Since defense is such a small portion of the Federal budget now, further shrinkage will not permit significant social spending growth as in the past. At least not without major tax increases or increasing deficits and borrowing. It has not really hit the fan yet.