Say Anything Blog

Actually if somebody could explain to me where the 2/3 of the US budget that goes into entitlement spending goes, I’d appreciate it more.  After that, the 1-2 % spent on pork might be more interesting.

Rob: Generally speaking, defense spending isn’t “pork”, unless it’s used for things we don’t really need to defend our country.

"If the good men are silent only the wicked are heard.” - Edmund Burke

Actually if somebody could explain to me where the 2/3 of the US budget that goes into entitlement spending goes, I’d appreciate it more.  After that, the 1-2 % spent on pork might be more interesting

Hey, I don’t disagree, but this came across my feed reader and I’m always willing to give an “atta boy” to transparency advocates.

Generally speaking, defense spending isn’t “pork”, unless it’s used for things we don’t really need to defend our country.

I didn’t say that defense spending was pork.  I said the map shows where all the appropriations in the defense spending bill went.  Some of those appropriations are, in fact, pork.

The war against illegal plunder has been fought since the beginning of the world. But how is… legal plunder to be identified? Quite simply. See if the law takes from some persons what belongs to them, and gives it to other persons to whom it does not belong. See if the law benefits one citizen at the expense of another by doing what the citizen himself cannot do without committing a crime. Then abolish this law without delay … If such a law is not abolished immediately it will spread, multiply and develop into a system.

Frédéric Bastiat, The Law

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Some of those appropriations are, in fact, pork.

You talked about pork and then only mentioned defense spending.  Actually, I think you’ll find that while defense spending in necessary, most pork is completely unnecessary.  Of course, some defense spending is excessive(it’s govt, after all), but that doesn’t necessarily make it “pork”.

"If the good men are silent only the wicked are heard.” - Edmund Burke

Robert108:

Of course, some defense spending is excessive(it’s
govt, after all), but that doesn’t necessarily make it “pork”.

Except the “transparency” guys define anything that is “plus-upped” as pork.  Regardless of whether the dollars are well spent, they all get lumped together.  You can see this by looking at individual bills that are in the appropriations.

For example “Improved Passive Sensor Design” (from one of the sites) hardly sounds like pork, and if used as part of a sniper-detection, would mean fewer people returning in a body bag.

On the other hand, it’s kind of hard to reconcile that most of the 2/3’s spent in entitlements isn’t just being pissed away.

I love transparency, would like more of it, including in how the DOD makes spending decisions. Just because they bless it, doesn’t make it optimal right off the bat.  I’ve always found the more eyes look at something, the better it gets vetted.

Regardless of whether the dollars are well spent, they all get lumped together.

I define pork as unnecessary spending for the purpose of buying votes.

I love transparency, would like more of it, including in how the DOD makes spending decisions.

On the other hand, with defense spending, there is always the aspect of national security.

"If the good men are silent only the wicked are heard.” - Edmund Burke