Re "Pentagon's forced cuts may aid Obama's goals" (Page A1, March 11): Cutting our bloated Pentagon budget should be the goal of every American, not just the president. Perhaps then we would have the money to address our many long-neglected, nonmilitary needs.
Military spending in its many guises now accounts for more than 50 percent of federal spending, according to the American Friends Service Committee. And that money is about one half of the military spending of the whole world. Are we really planning to go to war with the rest of the world?
There is no serious military threat to America, now or in the near future. This is the perfect time to bring our defense spending into line with our true defense needs -- and stop being the sugar daddy to all those greedy, budget-busting defense contractors. We would be better served by spending more of that money on diplomacy.
-- John C. Reiger, Sacramento
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