Military spending takes away from domestic progress

President Obama, our conciliator-in-chief, once again used his State of the Union address to speak as though spending on domestic programs and infrastructure can be considered independently of spending on foreign objectives, which are almost entirely military [“Obama lays out vision for economy,” page one, Feb. 13]. Sixty years ago, President Eisenhower stated quite clearly that spending on guns and bombs takes food, wealth and services from people.

As Obama pointed out, investing in our infrastructure is an economic stimulator and real job creator and 70,000 bridges need repair. But he can’t be honest and say, as Eisenhower did, that all the money is there to do that and more, [as if] it’s just being misappropriated right now in our bloated Pentagon budget.

He can’t be honest about this because the media almost exclusively air only the opinions of military “experts” who insist that cutting the Pentagon back to 2006 spending levels is a threat to our national security that’s tantamount to unilateral disarmament.

The reality is, however, that the growing, endless expansion of military/security spending is a madness that is destroying our country.

--Mike Smith, Seattle