Picture a military fort or a military base with 21,000 active duty personnel. They are one hundred percent employed, with each one getting a pay check every two weeks. Approximately 40 - 50 percent of them that are married with children, so the government provides them with additional funds for family support. Visualize the economic impact they bring to the local communities as they buy cars, homes, clothing, furniture, garden equipment, car insurance, home insurance, televisions, VCRs, cable, gas, utilities, school books, toys, children sports equipment, restaurant food…
Now, let’s shift our attention to the base (itself), with its buildings, roads, and grounds that are maintained by local civilian workers: carpenters, plumbers, masons, electricians, ground keepers, parks and recreation personnel… Notice the base’s social services, consisting of social workers, psychologists, doctors, gymnasium and recreation specialists, education instructors, administration personnel, civilian attorneys, cooks, PX (post exchange or military mall) workers, commissary (food store) personnel, dry cleaning and laundry workers, etc.
By now, you’re thinking “Wow! Military bases certainly create enormous amounts of jobs for the locals and other members of the state." You’re correct. But you need to know this is just the tip of the iceberg!
Consider, now, the mission of the soldiers, sailors, marines, air men, and coast guards. Think about their individual equipments (uniforms, individual gears, sleeping bags, duffle bags, protective mask, rifles, pistol, and other small arms…). Think about their organizational equipments and the weapon systems specific to their mission (tanks, helicopters, trucks, jeeps, artillery weapon systems, etc). They are companies that make these equipments; other companies that transport and ship these equipments; and still other companies that service and repair them. Think of the enormous amount of money the military missions of soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen and coast guard generates for the states that provides these services. Think about the enormous amount of jobs and revenues they create for these states. Then take your thinking one step further: Visualize these same states conducting the research and development and performing the construction of our battle ships, destroyers, air craft carriers, submarines, stealth bombers… and the smart bombs, and nuclear weapons to be used by them.
Now! You’ve got the picture of defense spending in Florida, Texas, North Carolina, Arizona, South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Kansas, Oklahoma, and other republican states! (Some democratic states and swing states with large republican districts –Virginia, California, New Jersey, New York… also benefit from defense spending, but the lion share of the money goes to the republican states!)
Small wonder, then, why the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), did not include cuts in defense spending in his budget.
I am hoping that Americans will keep the images shown above in mind every time they hear Rep. Ryan and his fellow republicans saying “We need to reduce the size of government! And we need to get government spending under control!” I think it is time for us to begin telling them “Physician! Heal thyself!
