Coming Home

Those who watch the evening news see reports of terrible violence in some part of the Muslim world - from the west coast of Africa north to Tunisia and east to Pakistan what seems like every night on the news.  The violence is directed at members of rival sects and tribes; it is against women and it is against the United States and Israel. There are huge angry mobs - yelling, screaming obscenities, burning flags, shaking fists and making horrible faces in Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Egypt, the Palestine, Yemen, etc.  While we are constantly reminded that this is just an extremist minority not reflective of the population, we see so much of it.

Many of these angry mobs are in countries to whom the U.S. provides essential aid.  We give billions a year to the Palestine, Egypt, Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, Pakistan, and Libya.  When the Libyans were revolting against their longtime dictator, they begged for and received American military and humanitarian aid.  The Egyptians also requested and received our support against their longtime dictator.  Now the Syrians plead and insist that we come to their aid.

We have been in Afghanistan with bases throughout the country for more than a decade, longer than any other American conflict.  We entered to rid the country of Al Qaeda and to drive the Taliban from power.  We did that early on, Al Qaeda was defeated and their Taliban hosts surrendered.  Instead of imprisoning or executing these terrorists, we let them go with their weapons, to fight another day.  We then began nation building and training what we have always been told were brave, patriotic warriors willing to fight to their death for the good of their people. We have been nation building and training for many years but can not locate these brave warriors.  And while the people want us out they don’t want to run their own country without us.

In addition to the Middle East and Africa, we have hundreds of military bases all over the world.  We are in South Korea with 25,000 troops to hold the line against North Korea’s one million man force.  We have bases in England, France, Italy and Germany.  We have bases in Japan and Latin America.

The total requested for 2012-13 for defense was not just the $708 billion going to the Department of Defense budget, but also included the following purely defense- related costs: the V.A. - $70 billion, Veteran’s pensions - $55 billion, Homeland security - $47 billion,  Department of Energy - $22 billion, State Department - $6 billion, FBI - $3 billion, Miscellaneous related costs - $8 billion and interest of military loans that paid for Iraq and Afghanistan - at least $109 billion.  The total U.S. defense cost is at minimum $1.03 trillion. 

The entire general fund budget for the U.S. (without Medicare/Medicaid and Social Security costs of $1.5 trillion which are still totally paid for with FICA trust funds and should not be in the general fund budget) is, therefore, not $3.5 trillion but about $2 trillion.  Of that our defense costs are more than 50% of the actual general fund budget.  (Interestingly, the cost of military purchases and research was $215 billion in 2011while military personnel costs were only $154 billion.)

We are providing military and economic assistance to countries all over the world, spending tens of billions of dollars a year that could be spent right here in our country.  We have more than 700 foreign bases and give more than $50 billion in foreign aid.  What do they accomplish?  Do the recipients of our aid and protection appreciate us or do they feel that we are controlling them and their culture? Do they become independent of our largesse as quickly as possible or do they expect it to continue indefinitely? 

Meanwhile, back here in the States, we need to reduce our annual budget shortfall while we need to improve our physical and intellectual infrastructure.  We need better roads and bridges to facilitate both commerce and recreation.  We need a much better education system to give all of our children a complete, well rounded education.  We need to bring our own people out of poverty and into productive rewarding lives by providing them with opportunity and motivation.

All this costs money.  Money we could save by bringing our troops and aid payments home to rebuild our own country.

But what will the world do if we withdraw our military and reduce our foreign aid?  I am confident that they will find that they can manage quite well and feel much better for it.  The Muslim world has been insisting that we leave their soil.  We have left Saudi Arabia and Iraq, let us quickly leave Afghanistan and the region.  Let us leave Asia and Europe and come home.

If there is a struggle in the Middle East (unless it involves Israel), there is the Arab League to turn to.  In Africa, they too have an organization of their many states to accomplish mutual goals.  If there is a civil war somewhere else in the world, let the U.N. deal with it.  Now that Europe is somewhat unified, why not let them have their own defense league?  If our allies still feel a need for some of our bases, let them pay the entire cost.

And let American dollars circulate in America.  Let us be a country that is no longer dependent on oil from the Middle East and is much less dependent on foreign made goods and services, exporting much more than we import. We can be a nation that leads by example and not by money and military power.

Bringing our money and people home would help produce a better educated, less stratified, and more creative and productive people who experience less violence and more harmony.  We can do it.

If we just come home.