To: bentway who wrote (654487 ) 5/10/2012 11:30:00 PM From: tejek Respond to Survey shows public wants deep cuts in Pentagon spending. Mitt Romney would add $2.1 trillion by Meteor Blades Follow Mitt Romney's proposal for Pentagon spending is a ridiculous joke the Citadel CNN has finally gotten around to pointing out that the Romney plan would pile an additional $2.1 trillion onto Pentagon spending over the next decade if the extra percentage of GDP were added gradually. If his plan were in place right now, it would add $100 billion to the 2013 budget, a boost of 20 percent to core Pentagon spending, and $2.3 trillion over 10 years. Coincidentally, that's just about how much an innovative new survey The Center for Public Integrity According to the survey, in which respondents were told about the size of the budget as well as shown expert arguments for and against spending cuts, two-thirds of Republicans and nine in 10 Democrats supported making immediate cuts — a position at odds with the leaderships of both political parties. The average total cut was around $103 billion, a substantial portion of the current $562 billion base defense budget, while the majority supported cutting it at least $83 billion. These amounts both exceed a threatened cut of $55 billion at the end of this year under so-called “sequestration” legislation passed in 2011, which Pentagon officials and lawmakers alike have claimed would be devastating. “When Americans look at the amount of defense spending compared to spending on other programs, they see defense as the one that should take a substantial hit to reduce the deficit,” said Steven Kull, director of the Program for Public Consultation (PPC), and the lead developer of the survey. “Clearly the polarization that you are seeing on the floor of the Congress is not reflective of the American people.” growth in inflation-adjusted Pentagon spending over the next 10 years. His proposed spending for 2013 cuts just $7 billion from the core Pentagon budget, less than 2 percent. The survey found that about three-fourths of respondents wanted immediate cuts in spending. And even more, 85 percent, wanted deep and immediate cuts in spending for continuing U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan. While Republican respondents in the survey indicated they want smaller cuts than Democrats, they still want deep reductions in Pentagon spending. By far the most durable finding—even after hearing strong arguments to the contrary—was that existing spending levels are simply too high. Respondents were asked twice, in highly different ways, to say what they thought the budget should be, and a majority supported roughly the same answer each time: a cut of at least 11 to 13 percent (they cut on average 18 to 22 percent). must , spend. The CPI study provides evidence that he would be far from alone if he chooses to give the MICC a substantial haircut.
