RA Essay
Paige Eastman
Professor Hackett
English 11
January 29, 2015
Government Cutting Military Spending
Robert J. Samuelson’s article, “The Dangerous Debate over Cutting Military Spending”, is precise and to the point. The article states a clear view of the inaccurate reasons the government is cutting military spending, and how he believes they are just excuses. The reasons that the government is cutting military spending, according to Samuelson, breaks down to four contributing factors. The four factors are cuts to the military are a simple way to lower the U.S’s budget shortfalls, the U.S. can’t sustain today’s military, the cutbacks won’t affect the U.S. because they pay more than everyone else, and the large cuts to the Pentagon won’t hinder military capabilities. Samuelson states, “We shouldn’t gut defense.” because it will slowly weaken the U.S. I agree with idea as a whole because the more cuts made, the weaker and less motivated the military will become. What most people don’t realize is the military has already made cuts over the years. The article shows what changes made in the military between the years 1990 and 2011, and how drastic the changes have been in 21 years. The U.S.’s military is one of the best in the world, and whether or not the U.S. can sustain it is the question. When looking at the dollar amount the U.S spends on the military most would say that it’s too much money. Most citizens don’t know what percentage of our budget that dollar amount is and how much spending is going towards social programs. According to Samuelson, “Spending on social programs replaced military spending, but that shift has gone too far.” I agree with this statement in, because over half our government’s budget is going to these social programs. Some examples of these social programs are Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. This rationalization by the government, the U.S. can’t afford the military, is what leads to that the idea of spending cuts made won’t damage
Professor Hackett
English 11
January 29, 2015
Government Cutting Military Spending
Robert J. Samuelson’s article, “The Dangerous Debate over Cutting Military Spending”, is precise and to the point. The article states a clear view of the inaccurate reasons the government is cutting military spending, and how he believes they are just excuses. The reasons that the government is cutting military spending, according to Samuelson, breaks down to four contributing factors. The four factors are cuts to the military are a simple way to lower the U.S’s budget shortfalls, the U.S. can’t sustain today’s military, the cutbacks won’t affect the U.S. because they pay more than everyone else, and the large cuts to the Pentagon won’t hinder military capabilities. Samuelson states, “We shouldn’t gut defense.” because it will slowly weaken the U.S. I agree with idea as a whole because the more cuts made, the weaker and less motivated the military will become. What most people don’t realize is the military has already made cuts over the years. The article shows what changes made in the military between the years 1990 and 2011, and how drastic the changes have been in 21 years. The U.S.’s military is one of the best in the world, and whether or not the U.S. can sustain it is the question. When looking at the dollar amount the U.S spends on the military most would say that it’s too much money. Most citizens don’t know what percentage of our budget that dollar amount is and how much spending is going towards social programs. According to Samuelson, “Spending on social programs replaced military spending, but that shift has gone too far.” I agree with this statement in, because over half our government’s budget is going to these social programs. Some examples of these social programs are Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. This rationalization by the government, the U.S. can’t afford the military, is what leads to that the idea of spending cuts made won’t damage