HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY TO ONE AND ALL!

++++This may be only post today for I have a meeting with the radiologist and later my infusion so it is no telling how I will feel after.   Sorry and I will bounce back as soon as possible.++++

Most of my regulars know that I am against the War Department having an almost trillion dollar budget….I believe we could be just as safe with a smaller budget for so-called defense.

I know I have been critical of Trump and his horde of minions but I will lighten up if he keeps a promise he has recently made….

President Trump told reporters on Thursday that he believes US military spending could eventually be cut in half and that he wants to pursue the idea as part of an agreement with Russia and China. He also said there was no reason to build new nuclear weapons.

“At some point, when things settle down, I’m going to meet with China and I’m going to meet with Russia, in particular those two, and I’m going to say there’s no reason for us to be spending almost $1 trillion on the military … and I’m going to say we can spend this on other things,” Trump said.

“When we straighten it all out, then one of the first meetings I want to have is with President Xi of China and President Putin of Russia, and I want to say let’s cut our military budget in half. And we can do that, and I think we’ll be able to do that,” he added.

The US spends significantly more on its military than Russia and China combined. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), in 2023, the US accounted for 37% of global military spending. China came in second but was still far behind, accounting for 12% of military spending, and Russia was in third at 4.5%.

Discussing nuclear weapons, Trump said, “There’s no reason for us to be building brand new nuclear weapons. We already have so many you could destroy the world 50 times over or 100 times over. And here we are building new nuclear weapons, and [Russia] is building new nuclear weapons, and China is building new nuclear weapons.”

Russia recently said the outlook was not good for the state of US arms control as the last nuclear arms control treaty between the two powers is due to expire in February 2026, and there’s currently no replacement. But Trump’s talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the Ukraine war could lead to arms control negotiations.

On the other hand, Trump also recently signed an executive order to build a major new missile defense system to cover the US and its military bases abroad, which could lead to a new arms race and will come with a huge price tag. Republicans in Congress are also looking to increase military spending by at least $100 billion.

(antiwar.com)

I say ‘Bravo’ to this statement….it has been needed for a very long time.

If he tries to make good on this I foresee the arms industry having a meltdown, after all they are making obscene profits from the current conditions.

Or is this just another of Trump’s idle promises that grab headlines and then dies from inaction?

If he is successful where will the ‘savings’ go?

I applaud this but I fear that it is not all it is cracked up to be.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”