What slack? Canada doesn't go out and make enemies the way the US does. We don't have imperial ambitions like you do. Most of the time we leave people alone, and they leave us alone.
If any country poses a serious invasion threat to Canada, it's the US, and frankly there's no way our military could stop you from invading us if you really wanted to. You'd just have to fend off the insurgency later, and deal with the international consequences. :mrgreen:
:roll:
"Imperial ambitions." "Serious invasion threat."
I guess we know for sure how seriously to take you now.
I agree, but I didn't see much better from the last admin. either really, Obama's really been following Bush's policies in a lot of areas.
Obama is going to run more debt in a year and half than Bush did in all eight, with no end in sight to it after that. Until the recession hit, the Bush deficits were diminishing per year and were on track to disappear.
Iraq wasn't an imperial ambition?
I didn't mean serious invasion threat like you're actually going to invade us.
Geez, learn how to take things in context. :roll:
The "context" of the post is about your view of an enemy-making, imperialist, belligerent power. Again, how silly of me.
He plans on getting through his other policies (I believe cap and trade is next on the docket), cutting taxes, lowering the deficit and freezing spending? I'm sorry, but this seems to have as much substance as "Hope," and "Change."
What slack? Canada doesn't go out and make enemies the way the US does. We don't have imperial ambitions like you do. Most of the time we leave people alone, and they leave us alone.
Perhaps, but he made deficit spending A-OK by precedent with his needless, wasteful Iraq War.
No, I was making a point to NYC re: our military capacity. Read my post....or you know, think what you want, I don't really care anymore.
Canada is part of the UN and NATO, right?
What do you think would happen if the US cut its military contributions to those organizations by 50%?
The ISAF in Afghanistan has 85,000 NATO troops, 46,000 of which are from the US. If we cut that in half, that's 23,000 troops that need to be supplied by other NATO members. Note that I'm not even counting the US troops in Afghanistan, but if they weren't there, that would require more involvement by other nations as well.
The UN has 116,000 peacekeepers operating globally at an annual cost of $7.1b. 22% of that is funded by the US. If we cut that in half, that's an extra $1.6b that the rest of the globe has to come up with each year.
Obama to propose spending freeze - Glenn Thrush and David Rogers - POLITICO.com
This is pretty surprising. Given the shifting national attitude, it looks to be that rare convergence of good policy, good timing, and good politics.
All those peacekeepers are great, but if the US cut them, the world would just make do.
The US provides funding but no troops. The US has not provided UN peacekeeping troops since forever.
Well admittedly the funding is still significant.
While I'm not denying that DoD could use some cuts, it's by no means a panacea.
Defense spending is 18.75% of the 2010 budget.
SS + Medicare + Medicaid + Welfare = 50.75% of the 2010 budget.
Cutting DoD while ignoring entitlement spending will do nothing to fix our situation in the long term.
Obama to propose spending freeze - Glenn Thrush and David Rogers - POLITICO.com
This is pretty surprising. Given the shifting national attitude, it looks to be that rare convergence of good policy, good timing, and good politics.
Bone head idea by Obama.. you do not cut or freeze spending in Government when the economy is in the toilet. You do that during the GOOD times...
WASHINGTON (AP) --
Figures on government spending and debt (last six digits are eliminated). The
government's fiscal year runs Oct. 1 through Sept. 30.
Total public debt subject to limit Jan. 22 12,245,872
Statutory debt limit 12,394,000
Total public debt outstanding Jan. 22 12,302,465
Operating balance Jan. 22 142,454
Interest fiscal year 2009 383,365
Interest fiscal year 2008 451,154
Deficit fiscal year 2009 1,417,121
Deficit fiscal year 2008 454,798
Receipts fiscal year 2009 2,104,613
Receipts fiscal year 2008 2,523,642
Outlays fiscal year 2009 3,521,734
Outlays fiscal year 2008 2,978,440
Gold assets in September 11,041
Figures on government spending and debt - Yahoo! Finance
Honestly we don't really need NATO anymore, it's a cold war alliance that is only really useful now for organizational purposes. At least from a Western perspective.
Canada is pulling out of Afghanistan next year. The rest of the Western nations involved cannot stay there indefinitely either, eventually everyone will have to pull out, and it will be unlikely that Afghanistan will be "won."
In general terms, the US is doing all of these things out of self-interest; it's not out of a huge sense of duty to the rest of the world. All those peacekeepers are great, but if the US cut them, the world would just make do.
The US provides funding but no troops. The US has not provided UN peacekeeping troops since forever.
Bone head idea by Obama.. you do not cut or freeze spending in Government when the economy is in the toilet. You do that during the GOOD times...
Bone head idea by Obama.. you do not cut or freeze spending in Government when the economy is in the toilet. You do that during the GOOD times...
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