Pantano Praises Gates On Fiscal Discipline And Calls For Congressional Pay Cuts

Statement

Secretary of Defense Gates has recently proposed military spending cuts of programs that he has found to be bloated, redundant, and unecessary. While there are detractors on both sides of the aisle who cite job losses in Virginia, burdening an already over-burdened military, and partisan phobias against spending cuts of any kind (Democrats) and defense budget cuts specifically (Republicans), I'd like to step back and take a look at the larger picture.

Secretary Gates is firm in his belief that the military will be better off for trimming the fat in these unwieldy bureaucracies, mostly staffed by high-level brass consultants and civilian contractors. I agree. I have always been a proponent of streamlined military operations, and find that the bloated bureaucracies tend to create inefficiencies, inconsistencies, and vulnerabilities in our defense operations. I absolutely agree with Gates that we must trim the fat. In this case, he is prudently ahead of the curve when it comes to the inevitable military drawdown, and can protect essential military operations while trimming extraneous bureaucracies of his choice.
I also believe that the military, with an approval rating that is seven times higher than Congress' and more than twice that of President Obama's, must lead the way. It is the responsible and adult thing to do, in light of President Obama's unprecedented over-spending and Congress's abject failure in all things economic. True, it is not the military's job to reign in an out-of-control spending spree, but we expect the finest of our military and they always deliver.

Finding a way to cut fat and streamline operations is one more way our military sets the standard, and puts our irresponsible civilian government to shame. If Secretary Gates can find some fat to trim, then so can every other bloated government agency - bar none. It goes without saying that I would not support defense cuts that would negatively impact our military readiness in any way. But as a former military officer with boots on the ground experience, I can absolutely see the wisdom in deflating bureaucratic bloat.

Now, it is time for Congress to recognize its abysmal performance and pony up for some cuts of its own. Forget the days of Congressional pay raises, we need to trim some real fat starting with a 25 percent pay cut for our "Representatives" that have failed us.

We need to show the American people that we are in this tough time together and that the performance of the government has let its citizens down. It's about time the congress began to feel the pains of the constituents they are elected to represent. As we say in the Marine Corps, 'officers eat last.'

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