President Donald Trump

[The Feral Slasher]

Jeez, dude, way to take a stand.

Maybe rather than trolling you'd like to share your thoughts...I mean we all know they will just be supporting Obama, but please, go ahead.

[Redbirds Fan]

go back.to kissing obamas ass

The Feral Crawfish

[The Feral Slasher]

The Feral Crawfish

redturd fan, hee hee. that wasn't childish at all

[The Feral Slasher]

In terms of pure dollars, yes, but not as a percentage of the total budget.

Years	                         96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15
Defense Budget (Billions)	266	270	271	292	304	335	362	456	491	506	556	625	696	698	721	717	681	610	614	637
Total Budget (Trillions)	1.58	1.64	1.69	1.78	1.82	1.96	2.09	2.27	2.41	2.58	2.78	2.86	3.32	4.08	3.48	3.51	3.58	3.48	3.64	3.97
Defense Budget %	        16.8	16.5	16.0	16.4	16.7	17.1	17.3	20.1	20.4	19.6	20.0	21.9	20.9	17.1	20.7	20.4	19.1	17.5	16.8	16.0
Defense Spending % Change	-0.1	+1.6	+0.2	+7.8	+4.0	+10.1	+8.2	+26.0	+7.6	+3.1	+10.0	+12.5	+11.3	+0.2	+3.4	-0.6	-5.0	-10.5	+0.6	+3.8

So if I did my math right, based on your numbers, the average yearly spending is:

Bush Term 1 - 411 billion
Bush Term 2 - 596 billion
Obama Term 1 - 704 billion
Obama Term 2 - 620 billion

So for the entire term of both presidents the miltary budget was 31% higher under Obama compared to Bush. Anyway, if people want to claim that Obama cut the military budget that is fine, that was not my point to begin with. Hornsby was the one who claimed cutting the military budget wasn't possible, I acknowledged that without reviewing all the data. My point was that Democrats were fine with wasteful military spending and pointless wars when Obama was president and it so complaining now about the cost of a parade seems pointless in the grand scheme of things.

I'll agree with Horns that the parade is pointless and wasteful, but I also believe there was a whole lot of pointless spending and waste when Obama was president, and pretty much everyone here was fine with it. I'll just leave it at that and let people get back to calling me a crawfish. Even though it hurts me deeply.

It was also kind of interesting that Hornsby was the one who claimed that cutting defense spending was impossible, but OaklandA's responded to me as if that was the point I was making. I wonder why that was ? Anyway, carry on with the Donald Trump president thread, I'll do my best not to interrupt.

[Hornsby]

True enough, I was the one that said that cutting defense spending was virtually impossible...so don't blame poor Feral for agreeing with me. I should have a disclaimer that agreeing with me could be hazardous to your health.

[Bernie Brewer]

True enough, I was the one that said that cutting defense spending was virtually impossible...so don't blame poor Feral for agreeing with me. I should have a disclaimer that agreeing with me could be hazardous to your health.

Horns, see if you can get a couple of those maybe we can get a volume discount.

[TranaGreg]

True enough, I was the one that said that cutting defense spending was virtually impossible...so don't blame poor Feral for agreeing with me. I should have a disclaimer that agreeing with me could be hazardous to your health.

I completely agree, 100%.

oh, wait a minute ... damn ...

[chancellor]

True enough, I was the one that said that cutting defense spending was virtually impossible...so don't blame poor Feral for agreeing with me. I should have a disclaimer that agreeing with me could be hazardous to your health.

I knew that and agreed with you anyway.

[OaklandA's]

It was also kind of interesting that Hornsby was the one who claimed that cutting defense spending was impossible, but OaklandA's responded to me as if that was the point I was making. I wonder why that was ? Anyway, carry on with the Donald Trump president thread, I'll do my best not to interrupt.

Because you tried to equate Democrats and Republican spending. The data clearly shows military spending was reduced under Obama's Presidency, and not surprisingly, it is going way up during Trump's.

And as revo pointed out, looking at raw spending dollars is not the best way to evaluate spending, since that ignores inflation.

[The Feral Slasher]

Because you tried to equate Democrats and Republican spending. The data clearly shows military spending was reduced under Obama's Presidency, and not surprisingly, it is going way up during Trump's.

And as revo pointed out, looking at raw spending dollars is not the best way to evaluate spending, since that ignores inflation.

Bush Term 1 - 411 billion
Bush Term 2 - 596 billion
Obama Term 1 - 704 billion
Obama Term 2 - 620 billion

Yes, clearly reduced military spending under Obama, lol. Which was never my point anyway, no matter how many times you want to try to say that it was.

[OaklandA's]

Which was never my point anyway, no matter how many times you want to try to say that it was.

So what is your point? Didn't Obama get us out of two wars that were started under Republican Presidents? It's the Republicans who are always pushing for higher military spending, as we can see in the current budget negotiations and as Trump made clear on the campaign trail, not the Democrats.

[chancellor]

So what is your point? Didn't Obama get us out of two wars that were started under Republican Presidents? It's the Republicans who are always pushing for higher military spending, as we can see in the current budget negotiations and as Trump made clear on the campaign trail, not the Democrats.

Well, let's say it was Hornsby's point, which I agreed with. To your point above, that it's the GOP and not Democrats always pushing for higher military spending...well, that's categorically untrue. During the growth of the military-industrial complex, let's remember that the House was 100% controlled by Democrats for the first 40 years (from 1955 to 1995) and the Senate was for all but a six years during the Reagan era in the early/mid '80s. Tip O'Neill was just as enthusiastic as Ronald Reagan - if not moreso - in rapidly increasing military spending during that era.

Bush the second had plenty of Dem help in increasing military budgets post 9-11, as well. And I see lots and lots of votes for Trump's latest budget that have "D" letters next to them, too.

So, yeah, as much as it pains me - I mean, really, really pains me () - I still have to agree with Horns that both parties have been wholly complicit in raising defense spending through the years.

[OaklandA's]

I guess it depends on how you measure spending. In absolute dollars, of course spending has been going up over the years. But as a percentage of the country's GDP, it hasn't. And looking at the attached graph, it is easy to see the upward trends during Reagan and GWB, and the downward trends during Clinton and Obama.
Defense_Spending as percentage of GDP.png

[baldgriff]

Through 2020??

[OaklandA's]

Through 2020??

I think that graph is using the proposed numbers for 2018-20. The numbers in yesterday's budget agreement were much higher.