War Games
‘Tis the season once again for paintball. It is a sport where teenagers and men who still think they are teenagers run around the woods firing safe, but painful projectiles of paint at each other, achieving victory over their opposing team in a variety of ways. I’m not just a Presidential candidate; I am the keeper of the gear for our church youth group.
Chaos reigns during the battles; and in the haste to exit the battlefield and go home to other fun, I am left with the gear. Over the few years we have engaged in mock battles, our gear has inevitably taken some damage. Some markers (we can’t call them guns) simply don’t work. The “gun-like” part and the CO2 cartridges are the usual casualties while the hoppers (ammo holders), masks, and barrels usually survive.
The problem occurs when the gear is down and the youth pastor says to me, “We’re playing Saturday.” I have to refill the tanks, fix some broken pieces, put together this surviving piece with that surviving piece, and get as many working sets of gear as possible.
By now, perhaps you have asked, “Why is he talking about paintball on a political blog site?” Fear not, I’m getting there.
Our armed forces sometimes have little or no warning of an impending battle. While we do plan and execute wars and armed conflicts at various times, we must be prepared for the unexpected. We must prepare for fights we do not begin, but must end. We must constantly have optimal leadership, manpower, training, technology, and readiness. We don’t have the luxury of letting our gear be down.
I hear complaints of high spending in peace time. And even now, while our troops are in battle, spilling blood – their own and their enemies’ – complaints abound. But who is in charge of military spending? The military, right? Or the President, the Commander-in-Chief? Well, not really. The President and Department of Defense ask for a budget. Then the request runs the gauntlet of the House and Senate appropriation committees, armed services committees, budget committees, congressional budget resolutions, and annual appropriation bills. Congress then passes bill after bill appropriating funds for this or that. Committees, sub-committees, resolutions, mark ups, more appropriations… In the end, Congress is in charge of allocating the money.
Look at some of the press releases made by Senators or Representatives boasting how a specific bill will help their local economy. Planes made in his state …when we need tanks, or submarines made in her state …when we need body armor. Military bases are closed and Congress yells… not because it is a bad strategic choice, or because it might weaken national defense, but because they look bad in the eyes of their constituents.
Here’s an idea. Put the military in charge of the military budget. Cut through the committees and give the armed forces their own money and let them prioritize from there. They buy what they want, when they need it, and they are better prepared. I have the highest respect for military. Do you? Does Congress? They already handle complicated numbers now – troop strength, artillery trajectories, air/land/sea navigation, range to target vs. kill radius, high tech devices that would boggle the mind, etc. - they can handle a balance sheet!
I’m betting the military would love to decide for themselves whether to invest in Strykers, new fighter aircraft, or non-lethal alternatives without a horde of civilians directing their every move. I’m betting our defense dollars would go farther without redirection for pet projects of politicians. Do you want the best defense possible? Give our military the control of their own destinies, and watch the world’s best military stay the best. Otherwise, we’re back to a political war game… one we can’t afford to lose.
Steve Adams was born and raised in Ohio, graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a Computer Science degree in 1988, and subsequently moved to Lexington KY. He has worked at Lexmark International since 1989 and has been a Part Time Local Pastor at St. Luke UMC since 2004. He is married with two children. He is not politically correct, but is politically active. He is a registered Republican, married to a registered Democrat, and running for President of the United States as a write-in candidate on the independent ticket. No joke. You can read all about it on www.PresidentAdams.com or e-mail Steve directly at Steve@PresidentAdams.com.
PresidentAdams
Chaos reigns during the battles; and in the haste to exit the battlefield and go home to other fun, I am left with the gear. Over the few years we have engaged in mock battles, our gear has inevitably taken some damage. Some markers (we can’t call them guns) simply don’t work. The “gun-like” part and the CO2 cartridges are the usual casualties while the hoppers (ammo holders), masks, and barrels usually survive.
The problem occurs when the gear is down and the youth pastor says to me, “We’re playing Saturday.” I have to refill the tanks, fix some broken pieces, put together this surviving piece with that surviving piece, and get as many working sets of gear as possible.
By now, perhaps you have asked, “Why is he talking about paintball on a political blog site?” Fear not, I’m getting there.
Our armed forces sometimes have little or no warning of an impending battle. While we do plan and execute wars and armed conflicts at various times, we must be prepared for the unexpected. We must prepare for fights we do not begin, but must end. We must constantly have optimal leadership, manpower, training, technology, and readiness. We don’t have the luxury of letting our gear be down.
I hear complaints of high spending in peace time. And even now, while our troops are in battle, spilling blood – their own and their enemies’ – complaints abound. But who is in charge of military spending? The military, right? Or the President, the Commander-in-Chief? Well, not really. The President and Department of Defense ask for a budget. Then the request runs the gauntlet of the House and Senate appropriation committees, armed services committees, budget committees, congressional budget resolutions, and annual appropriation bills. Congress then passes bill after bill appropriating funds for this or that. Committees, sub-committees, resolutions, mark ups, more appropriations… In the end, Congress is in charge of allocating the money.
Look at some of the press releases made by Senators or Representatives boasting how a specific bill will help their local economy. Planes made in his state …when we need tanks, or submarines made in her state …when we need body armor. Military bases are closed and Congress yells… not because it is a bad strategic choice, or because it might weaken national defense, but because they look bad in the eyes of their constituents.
Here’s an idea. Put the military in charge of the military budget. Cut through the committees and give the armed forces their own money and let them prioritize from there. They buy what they want, when they need it, and they are better prepared. I have the highest respect for military. Do you? Does Congress? They already handle complicated numbers now – troop strength, artillery trajectories, air/land/sea navigation, range to target vs. kill radius, high tech devices that would boggle the mind, etc. - they can handle a balance sheet!
I’m betting the military would love to decide for themselves whether to invest in Strykers, new fighter aircraft, or non-lethal alternatives without a horde of civilians directing their every move. I’m betting our defense dollars would go farther without redirection for pet projects of politicians. Do you want the best defense possible? Give our military the control of their own destinies, and watch the world’s best military stay the best. Otherwise, we’re back to a political war game… one we can’t afford to lose.
Steve Adams was born and raised in Ohio, graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a Computer Science degree in 1988, and subsequently moved to Lexington KY. He has worked at Lexmark International since 1989 and has been a Part Time Local Pastor at St. Luke UMC since 2004. He is married with two children. He is not politically correct, but is politically active. He is a registered Republican, married to a registered Democrat, and running for President of the United States as a write-in candidate on the independent ticket. No joke. You can read all about it on www.PresidentAdams.com or e-mail Steve directly at Steve@PresidentAdams.com.
PresidentAdams
posted by Steve Adams | 10:20 PM
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