Ms. Huenke wrote (Leader, Aug. 7) that defense chews up more than half of every tax dollar. This assertion is simply not true, and indicates a distressing lack of basic understanding about the …
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Ms. Huenke wrote (Leader, Aug. 7) that defense chews up more than half of every tax dollar. This assertion is simply not true, and indicates a distressing lack of basic understanding about the federal budget.
According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), in FY 2017 defense spending accounted for 17% of federal spending, while entitlement spending (Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid) used 48% of the budget.
She writes that “The list of illegal wars it (U.S. military) has incited is long….” Again, the statement indicates a fundamental constitutional misunderstanding. The military fights wars that our civilian leaders lawfully authorize. That our current War on Terror may be of dubious legality is a reflection of the shortcomings of Congress, not the military.
As a former Navy officer and fighter-bomber pilot in Gulf I, I was proud to work as part of a coalition to rid Kuwait of the invading Iraqis. I flew with Brits and others, and was refueled with (free) Saudi fuel. Would Ms. Huenke prefer that Kuwaitis were still being raped and pillaged by Saddam’s henchmen?
Mike Loriz
Port Townsend
