Posted by Doug Bandow on 10/18/09 2:23 PM   [Newer: Up, Up Goes the National Debt] [Older: From the Government and NOT Here to Help You]

You'd think Uncle Sam was awash in cash, rather than broke.  The government continues to spend money wildly on most anything.  Consider this report from Stars and Stripes:

The Pentagon is spending more than $100 million to build new military bases in Bulgaria and Romania, even as the Obama administration recently scrapped plans for a missile-defense shield in other parts of Eastern Europe.

Last month, the White House announced it no longer planned to base U.S. missiles and troops in Poland and the Czech Republic. Meanwhile, more than 2,000 U.S. troops - including two squadrons from the Vilseck, Germany-based 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment - were taking part in exercises in nearby Romania and Bulgaria.

The exercises, which began in late June, will run until the end of October.

Col. Gary Russ, commander of Joint Task Force-East, said nobody in Romania or Bulgaria has challenged what the U.S. is doing in those countries since the missile defense plan was scrapped.

"We have made commitments and they have never made any overt conversation along the lines of pulling out of JTF-East," said Russ, who leads the largest U.S. military contingent operating in Eastern Europe. "I think both of these [bases] illustrate great commitment [to Eastern Europe]."

Part of that commitment comes in the form of a $50 million military base in Romania that could house 1,600 U.S. troops, and another $60 million facility for 2,500 troops in Bulgaria. Construction on the Romanian base is expected to be completed in the next two months, while the Bulgarian base is expected to open in 2011 or 2012.

 Why is the U.S. building unnecessary facilities in countries which the U.S. has no need to defend?  Is there anything for which the American people are not expected to pay?

Posted 10/18/09 3:55 PM Scott from PA Hopwood, PA

I wonder what the connection is between the U.S. spending $50 million to build a base in Romania that will be completed in two months and the collapse of the Romanian government on Ocober 2? (See ROMANIA: Government Collapse Deepens Economic Woes By CLaudia Ciobanu BUCHAREST, Oct 5 (IPS) - http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48725)

Posted 10/18/09 3:59 PM bkpark Berkeley, CA

It may be unpopular here to say this, but I see no problem with this military exercise. National defense is one of the few things the federal government is empowered to do, and nothing dictates that the federal government wait until the threats cross our own border to act. Of course, there is a sensible middle ground between only shooting down planes and missiles within our airspace and meddling with everyone's affair, and I think military exercise with allies---to the extent that we need to be involved in entangling alliances at all---is one of the sensible things the federal government can do for common defense and general welfare. Since the world wars, U.S. has been the arsenal of freedom for the world, and I think that is still a legitimate role we can play within confines of our Constitution. After all, U.S. is the only remaining bulwark against encroachments on individual liberties (this past year, while everyone else in the world was rioting "why didn't the government do enough to stop this", only Americans were protesting "why isn't the government getting out of the way") and it wouldn't do to let this important institution get overrun by communists and dictators. Eastern Europe is one of the few places where democracy and free market, and individual liberty are successfully taking hold. As the arsenal of freedom, U.S. has an interest in making sure that this region is kept free---from influence of Russia, for one---and military exercise with our allies is hardly "subsidy", unless we are giving our weapons and planes away (I prefer that they buy them from us, like Israel does). U.S. presence in Eastern Europe is really the least of our problem. As far as U.S. ... meddling in international affairs goes, the biggest problem I see is our presence in Western Europe. We still have bases in Germany. That's the real subsidy right there. Western Europe is wealthy and strong enough to defend itself. We should pull our forces out of Western Europe---and eventually, from Eastern Europe, but that's not the biggest problem we face now, as far as our overstretched armed forces go.

Posted 10/18/09 5:24 PM BruceKoerber Cedar Rapids, IA

Classical Liberalism Protection Sunday, October 18, 2009 Ron Paul Versus The Cyclops! A government out-of-control cannot end anything, it can only begin new things. This is the same as ego-driven interventionism out-of-control. It is no wonder why some have labeled the U.S. (now existing as an America that has been usurped by the unConstitutional coup) as Satan. In modern psychological terms satan is the evil that results from an out-of-control ego. The unConstitutional coup and the economic terrorists that make up its inner circle practices ego-driven interventionism and wreaks havoc on the world's population. Great statesmanship by Ron Paul can, however, kill the cyclops!

Posted 10/18/09 9:41 PM eric g Fraser, CO

Scrap NATO! There's no Soviet threat, and the policy of an attack on one is an attack on all is a sham. The Europeans have used NATO to get us to defend their countries at significant expense, and they don't want to have to pay for a standing army, or try to justify one to their citizenry. Meanwhile, while I don't (and never did) support the war in Afghanistan, the justification was that the US was attacked. Therefore, the NATO nations should have put more than a token force into the area to assist us in winning the war. How many French and German troops were sent? Why is it OK for the British army to pull out when the war gets unpopular at home? What kind of treaty puts all the burden on one country for action?

Posted 10/18/09 11:41 PM Linda APO AP, Japan

And the money for this is coming from...where? There are over 10,000 Americans here on KAB on Okinawa. And that's just the air base. There are several Marine bases, Lester and White Beach (Navy) and Torii Station (Army). About 2% of the Japanese public is "hosting" something like 60% of the US troops. We've been here since 1945. When does it end? And this is a stable country with a comparatively good economy.