news-record.com

Since more than 50 cents of every dollar of discretionary federal spending goes to the Pentagon, there is no way to bring the deficit under control without making substantial and rational cuts in that budget. Yet, in discussion of the budget in Congress, very little is heard of cutting the military budget.

The Pentagon has a history of cost overruns. One problem is that the Pentagon budget has not been accountable to Congress. It has not been audited and is not auditable. Annual military budgets, adjusted for inflation, have grown by 50 percent in the past decade. That is in addition to the more than $1 trillion spent on operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The military budget is funding weapons systems that the Pentagon does not want or need for current missions. Pentagon contracting is out of control.

National security is the excuse used for such spending. However, presidents from Eisenhower to Obama have recognized that national security interests depend on the strength of the economy at home. Money invested in unnecessary Pentagon weapons will have a negative effect on the economy and lead to a weakened military force, which would seriously endanger national security.

Marilyn White
Greensboro