Politicians say they want to cut taxes (“Senate Republicans struggle for budget, tax cut votes,” Oct. 11). Here’s an idea: Cut $125 billion a year from the Pentagon. This is the amount a Defense Department-commissioned group identified as waste in the $600-plus billion military budget.

We taxpayers spend more on the Pentagon than on any other single line item in the federal budget except mandatory programs like Social Security and Medicare.

The U.S. spends more on the Pentagon than the next seven largest military budgets around the world – combined. We spend 10 times more than Russia and three times more than China. All this, yet the Pentagon has never passed a financial audit nor does the government have a comprehensive national security plan.

Despite the lip service on tax cuts and a lack of fiscal oversight of the Pentagon, some politicians, not wanting to appear “weak” on defense, are perfectly fine with increasing the Pentagon budget to $700 billion while domestic programs are gutted. Do they not understand that throwing more and more money at the Pentagon is harming our pocketbooks, our communities and our national security?

Lisa Ledwidge

Bath

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