When I first heard the news that the Bush administration was going to be closing military bases I was initially gleeful. The prospects of disillusioned Republicans danced in my head. I imagined all the thousands of service men and woman who bought into the Bush bullshit finding out that the guy they thought they knew had just indefinitely relieved them. I thought back to all the comments by all the pinhead conservatives who tried to paint Kerry as the anti-defense candidate.
"He voted against this piece of hardware and this billion dollar gadget that's guaranteed to kill thousands. Oh, the horror!"
The horror indeed. I remember looking at the records of the dark lord Cheney when he was a congressman, and Powell and Bush I back in the day when they were championing the "peace dividend" and advocating cuts in the military that were much deeper than what Kerry voted against. I know the hypocrisy and thought that now the predominantly Republican military would find out the truth.
Then reason kicked me in the head. No news is ever good news, with Bush loose. Sure they're saying that we're going to save $48 billion dollars over 20 years but my question is where are they going to spend the savings. After all this "conservative" President is the most spendthrift commander-in-thief this country has ever known.
Let me take a couple of guesses. How about battle-field nuclear weapons, or maybe the fantasy program that continues under the assumption that it's wise to spend trillions of dollars in the stratosphere for a sci-fi wet dream known as "Star Wars" targeted at stopping Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles?(It's a dream because if it ain't 100% perfect it don't matter) Or better yet, another war or Republican directed government waste that funnels off profit to private companies at the expense of the taxpayers? After all they are Republicans and this is your money we're talking about.
Another thing struck me as odd. Isn't it strange that there is only going to be a savings of $48 billion over 20 years when they're proposing the closing of 180 bases and we spend well over $400 billion a year on the military? I mean where is all the rest of the money going. That's only $13,333,333.34 dollars per base, per year. We spent $420.7 billion on the military last year not including the expenditures for Iraq and Afghanistan (don't get me started). So where did the rest of the $418.3 billion go?
If I'm doing my math correctly and assuming that the military budget stays at the present amount over the next 20 years that means that we'll spend well over $8 trillion protecting this great nation (by the way we kicked King George's ass without a standing army or navy and more recently got our asses kicked not once but twice by 3rd world nations).
$48 billion is like .6% of the total budget.
Let me say that again:
The budgets for 180 bases for the next 20 years equals .6 (YES THAT'S POINT 6) %(PERCENT) of the total military budget.
So my question is where is all the rest of the $7,952,000,000,000 (SEVEN TRILLION, NINE-HUNDRED AND FIFTY-TWO BILLION DOLLARS) going to be spent if it's not being spent on military bases?
Chew on that but here's the list of where it's not going to be spent:
Alaska
Kulis Air Guard Station
Arizona
Air Force Research Lab, Mesa
Allen Hall Armed Forces Reserve Center, Tucson
Arkansas
El Dorado Armed Forces Reserve Center
Stone U.S. Army Reserve Center, Pine Bluff
California
Armed Forces Reserve Center Bell
Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Oakland
Defense Finance and Accounting Service, San Bernardino
Defense Finance and Accounting Service, San Diego
Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Seaside
Naval Support Activity Corona
Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach, Detachment Concord
Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center, Encino
Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center, Los Angeles
Onizuka Air Force Station
Riverbank Army Ammunition Plant
Connecticut
Sgt. Libby U.S. Army Reserve Center, New Haven
Submarine Base New London
Turner U.S. Army Reserve Center, Fairfield
U.S. Army Reserve Center Maintenance Support Facility, Middletown
Delaware
Kirkwood U.S. Army Reserve Center, Newark
Florida
Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Orlando
Navy Reserve Center, St. Petersburg
Georgia
Fort Gillem
Fort McPherson
Inspector/Instructor, Rome
Naval Air Station Atlanta
Naval Supply Corps School, Athens
U.S. Army Reserve Center, Columbus
Hawaii
Army National Guard Reserve Center, Honokaa
Idaho
Navy Reserve Center, Pocatello
Illinois
Armed Forces Reserve Center, Carbondale
Navy Reserve Center, Forest Park
Indiana
Navy Marine Corps Reserve Center, Grissom Air Reserve Base, Bunker Hill
Navy Recruiting District Headquarters, Indianapolis
Navy Reserve Center, Evansville
Newport Chemical Depot
U.S. Army Reserve Center, Lafayette
U.S. Army Reserve Center, Seston
Iowa
Navy Reserve Center, Cedar Rapids
Navy Reserve Center, Sioux City
Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center, Dubuque
Kansas
Kansas Army Ammunition Plant
Kentucky
Army National Guard Reserve Center, Paducah
Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Lexington
Navy Reserve Center, Lexington
U.S. Army Reserve Center, Louisville
U.S. Army Reserve Center, Maysville
Louisiana
Baton Rouge Army National Guard Reserve Center
Naval Support Activity, New Orleans
Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center, Baton Rouge
Roberts U.S. Army Reserve Center, Baton Rouge
Maine
Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Limestone
Naval Reserve Center, Bangor
Naval Shipyard Portsmouth
Maryland
Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Patuxent River
Navy Reserve Center, Adelphi
Pfc. Flair U.S. Army Reserve Center, Frederick
Massachusetts
Malony U.S. Army Reserve Center
Otis Air Guard Base
Westover U.S. Army Reserve Center, Citopee
Michigan
Navy Reserve Center Marquette
Parisan U.S. Army Reserve Center, Lansing
Selfridge Army Activity
W.K. Kellogg Airport Air Guard Station
Minnesota
Navy Reserve Center Duluth
Mississippi
Mississippi Army Ammunition Plant
Naval Station, Pascagoula
U.S. Army Reserve Center, Vicksburg
Missouri
Army National Guard Reserve Center, Jefferson Barracks
Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Kansas City
Defense Finance and Accounting Service, St. Louis
Marine Corps Support Center, Kansas City
Navy Recruiting District Headquarters, Kansas
Navy Reserve Center, Cape Girardeau
Montana
Galt Hall U.S. Army Reserve Center, Great Falls
Nebraska
Army National Guard Reserve Center, Columbus
Army National Guard Reserve Center, Grand Island
Army National Guard Reserve Center, Kearny
Naval Recruiting District Headquarters, Omaha
Navy Reserve Center, Lincoln
Nevada
Hawthorne Army Depot
New Hampshire
Doble U.S. Army Reserve Center, Portsmouth
Naval Shipyard Portsmouth
New Jersey
Fort Monmouth
Inspector/Instructor Center, West Trenton
Kilmer U.S. Army Reserve Center, Edison
New Mexico
Cannon Air Force Base
Jenkins Armed Forces Reserve Center, Albuquerque
New York
Armed Forces Reserve Center, Amityville
Army National Guard Reserve Center, Niagra Falls
Carpenter U.S. Army Reserve Center, Poughkeepsie
Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Rome
Navy Recruiting District Headquarters, Buffalo
Navy Reserve Center Glenn Falls
Navy Reserve Center Horsehead
Navy Reserve Center Watertown
Niagra Falls International Airport Air Guard Station
North Carolina
Navy Reserve Center, Asheville
Niven U.S. Army Reserve Center, Albermarle
Ohio
Army National Guard Reserve Center, Mansfield
Army National Guard Reserve Center, Westerville
Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Dayton
Mansfield Lahm Municipal Airport Air Guard Station
Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center, Akron
Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center, Cleveland
Parrott U.S. Army Reserve Center, Kenton
U.S. Army Reserve Center, Whitehall
Oklahoma
Armed Forces Reserve Center Broken Arrow
Armed Forces Reserve Center Muskogee
Army National Guard Reserve Center Tishomingo
Krowse U.S. Army Reserve Center, Oklahoma City
Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center, Tulsa
Oklahoma City (95th)
Pennsylvania
Bristol
Engineering Field Activity Northeast
Kelly Support Center
Naval Air Station Willow Grove
Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center, Reading
North Penn U.S. Army Reserve Center, Morristown
Pittsburgh International Airport Air Reserve Station
Serrenti U.S. Army Reserve Center, Scranton
U.S. Army Reserve Center Bloomsburg
U.S. Army Reserve Center Lewisburg
U.S. Army Reserve Center Williamsport
W. Reese U.S. Army Reserve Center/OMS, Chester
Puerto Rico
Army National Guard Reserve Center, Humacao
Lavergne U.S. Army Reserve Center, Bayamon
Rhode Island
Harwood U.S. Army Reserve Center, Providence
USARC Bristol
South Carolina
Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Charleston
South Naval Facilities Engineering Command
South Dakota
Ellsworth Air Force Base
Tennessee
U.S. Army Reserve Area Maintenance Support Facility, Kingsport
Texas
Army National Guard Reserve Center No. 2, Dallas
Army National Guard Reserve Center (Hondo Pass), El Paso
Army National Guard Reserve Center, California Crossing
Army National Guard Reserve Center, Ellington
Army National Guard Reserve Center, Lufkin
Army National Guard Reserve Center, Marshall
Army National Guard Reserve Center, New Braunfels
Brooks City Base
Defense Finance and Accounting Service, San Antonio
Lone Star Army Ammunition Plant
Naval Station, Ingleside
Navy Reserve Center, Lubbock
Navy Reserve Center, Orange
Red River Army Depot
U.S. Army Reserve Center No. 2, Houston
Utah
Deseret Chemical Depot
Virginia
Fort Monroe
Washington
1LT Richard H. Walker U.S. Army Reserve Center
Army National Guard Reserve Center, Everett
Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center, Tacoma
U.S. Army Reserve Center, Fort Lawton
Vancouver Barracks
West Virginia
Bias U.S. Army Reserve Center, Huntington
Fairmont U.S. Army Reserve Center
Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center, Moundsville
Wisconsin
Gen. Mitchell International Airport ARS
Navy Reserve Center, La Crosse
Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center, Madison
Olson U.S. Army Reserve Center, Madison
U.S. Army Reserve Center, O'Connell
Wyoming
Army Aviation Support Facility, Cheyenne
Army National Guard Reserve Center, Thermopolis
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