New Plan for A New Military

Today President Obama unveiled a new plan for the United States Military. The plan pares down our current forces into a smaller, leaner, more agile, and more effective force. A force that can respond quickly and decisively to the new threats that face America. Just as expected conservatives railed the President for failing to protect America and taking a back seat again on important decisions that effect the country. Critics cite the plan as America's retreat from global hegemony and leaves the U.S. vulnerable to threats. Republicans, like always are out of touch with the times and continue to be the party of NO! But that is besides the point. This strategy is the correct step forward to keep America safe from emerging threats while reigning in our debt.


To the point about reducing our debt, military spending amounts to over 700 billion dollars. That's almost 5% of our GDP. It is one of the top three expenses for the U.S. government, behind social security and medicare. Recent talk about cutting our spending to reduce our budget has focused on small portions of the budget such as money for stem cell research or ending entitlements. Cutting those is like cutting the out the parsley garnish on the 24oz steak dinner with a side of mashed potatoes and mac & cheese.

Politics in the News

I was thinking about my new format yesterday and I wanted to make a small change. Instead of relying various tips and tricks on Thursday I want to talk about a political issue in the news. I feel that most of the things I write are a tip in some way and so that doesn't leave Thursdays with a real theme. I chose politics in the news because I have a passion for politics and I miss discussing it and I thought it would make an interesting topic for Thursdays. So today I want to quickly talk about the issue with Iran in the news

Iran is threatening to block the Straight of Hormuz, the 21 kilometer wide body of water that connects the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea. The reason Iran is threatening this action is in response to the Euro Zone and the United States tightening sanctions on Iran. Specifically those sanctions focus on Iran's oil production, the sole lifeline for Iran's economy.