In the past it has been my habit to post my responses to the various surveys I get in the mail from various political groups. I haven't done that in a while - not because they have stopped asking for my opinion and my money - but because it's a lot of typing to enter the survey and my responses. And I hate typing.

But I got home today and found an envelope from Senator John McCain. Right away this put me on edge. I mean there is not that much left of the First Amendment so I worried what McCain might be up to. It turns out it was a survey from Citizens Against Government Waste titled "National Defense Readiness Survey." The survey asks nine yes or no questions and one multiple choice. I don't feel those will be adequate - so I will elaborate.

1. Do you agree that America must take immediate steps to stop the "hollowing out" of our nation's defenses which has occurred because the money needed to keep our forces safe and in top fighting shape is being siphoned off for some Congressman's or Senator's per pork-barrel projects after years of under funding the Armed Forces?

I have to go with no on this one. I think the question is extremely disingenuous. I am 100% in support of adequately funding the military and I a fully behind the effort to reign in pork-barrel spending. But I don't see the connection. The federal budget is far from a zero sum game. If congress wanted to adequately fund the military, they could do so. To imply that ending pork spending would somehow lead to an increased defense budget is less than honest.

2. Do you think most Americans you know are aware that in the eight years before President Bush the size of our nation's Armed Forces was cut in half?

No. I think most people are completely clueless about that. I don't think you'll see Clinton or many of his friends in the media trumpeting that face while we are at war either. I also think that to some extent - though not the extent to which Clinton took it - the defense budget had to come down in the post cold war. The previous military action in Iraq was based on a coalition which was expected to be a part of the "New World Order."

3. Were you aware that right now Air Force units on the front lines are not 100% mission capable and that they are having to canabalize working aircraft to keep others in the air?

Yes. Anyone paying attention has heard those stories before. What the question doesn't tell you is how many units aren't 100% mission capable and at what percentage those units are operating. For al you can tell from the question, it's 1% of the units and they are at 90% mission capable. I have no choice but to pick undecided since there isn't adequate information on which to base an answer.

4. Were you aware that thousands of service men and women are now on or eligible for Food Stamps because military pay is inadequate?

Yes. I heard that too. I think we pay members of the Armed Services entirely too little. I have also read that this statistic is based on the actual wage paid and does not take into account service provided food and housing. They may be on or eligible for Food Stamps, but they don't necessarily need them. (And for a survey from a self-described non-partisan organization, some of these questions sound an awful lot like talking points from the Kerry Campaign. But I did get the survey from McCain so I guess that makes sense,)

5. Do you think it is irresponsible of Congress to use $12.6 billion in Defense Budget funds for items like the Lewis & Clark Bicentenial Commemoration while our military forces are deployed in places such as Iraq and Afghanistan and the federal defecit is at a near record $371 billion?

I think it is irresponsible for Congress to $12.6 billion for items like the Lewis & Clark Bicentenial Commemoration regardless of where they take the money from and regardless of how large the deficit is. That they put this in the defense budget is not irresponsible, it's disgusting. But it does beg the question did congress pull that money out of some legitimate line of the defense budget or was it tacked on at the end? If you cancelled the Lewis & Clark celebration and all of the port in that $12.6 billion would that make a difference in actual spending on defense?

6. Do you think most Americans would be shocked to learn that the average age of naval aircraft is more than 18 years and Air Force jets is more than 25 years?

Yes. I bet they would be shocked. What they should also be is damn proud. Even with the high average age of our aircraft, there isn't an air force on the planet that can stand up to us. I also have to wonder, what is the average age of Naval and Air Force aircraft currently serving in combat, vs being used for training and other non combat operations?

7. Do you worry that Congressional pork-barrel spending, which robs dollars from vitally needed weapons systems, armor to protect our troops and benefits designed to retain the most skilled members of our military, may in the years ahead pose a threat to the safety of your children or grandchildren?

Please - For the Children? Tell me they're not pulling that. Again if Congress had the resolve to fund all of this, they would. You could eliminate every dime of of pork-barrel spending tomorrow and if Congress lacked the will to pour all that money into the defense budget it wouldn't matter in the least to the safety of my children. To imply otherwise is to be deliberately misleading. (Rememebr it said McCain on the envelope.)

8. The Clinton Administration slashed defense spending far beyond the post-Cold War minimums that were recommended during during the first Bush Administration to keep America safe. Do you believe this under-funding of our nation's defenses invites further aggression?

Yes. I said before (see question 2) that Clinton went too far in cutting the military after the cold war. No doubt this has made us more vulnerable, and made our current campaigns more difficult. Of course Congress could remedy that rather quickly if they really wanted too. And the last I checked Clinton was only President and therefore lacked the authority to determine military funding by fiat. Congress had a hand in this well. Even the Republican Congress in Clinton's second term.

9. Do you think that most American's are aware of the extent to which the Defense Budget is being loaded up with pork-barrel projects designed to win a particular Congressman or Senator favor back home?

I doubt may would be surprised. They would will probably be outraged if when they know to what extent it is being done across the entire federal budget. President Bush is signing the pork database bill tomorrow! What I don't see is any evidence beyond mere suggestion that these pork projects represent a deduction from military spending rather than fluff tacked on to the defense budget.

10. Which of the following expenditures would you remove from the Defense Budget and instead channel the money to training, manpower and weapons systems?

$27.2 million for the Alaska Wide Mobile Radio Program
Is this a military of civilian project. We have a number of important military facilities in Alaska improving their communication would be a good thing. However if this just to improve radio signals for folks driving over the Bridge to nowhere - it has to go.

$7.8 million for Distance Learning
Again I have to ask because it matters - is this a civilian or military program. If this is about providing education and training to soldiers then I'm all for it.

$4 million for Smart Truck research and development
The military does have a lot of trucks. If this is about making military vehicles better, I don't have a problem with it.

$2 million for Internet education and safety studies.
$2 million to teach people how to use the internet - I think we can do without that. the internet is pretty simple if you can't figure it out on your own, please stay off line.

$600,000 for Lewis & Clark Bicentennial Commemoration support.
This sounds a little less "irresponsible" than the $12.6 billion the survey implied was being spent on this back in question 5. I don't know what is contained in this "support." Are there significant sites for commemoration that are now part of military facilities? Are we providing the use of a few very old aircraft to transport L&C Bicentennial stuff around the country? My first instinct is to say cut it but it's not a big chunk of money and I don't really know what they're spending it on.

$200,000 for the Military Civilian Education and Sexual Health Decision-Making program.
That's a lot of cash to teach a bunch of sailors how to decide when to where a condom in which ports. Didn't they used to just show some scary VD films?

This survey tries to link to very worthwhile ideas that I support completely: Funding the Military and reducing pork. unfortunately it does so in a dishonestly manipulative way. But like I said the envelop did come from John McCain.

Posted by: Stephen Macklin at 02:02 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment