Rebuilding our military

There many available articles describing our underfunded and overworked military forces.  Machines and the manpower operating them are tired, worn out, and in precariously low raw numbers.

We face the tyranny of time as it impacts correcting the problems from the past decades and multiple administrations.  

How to reduce the time it will take to rectify all the material challenges, let alone personnel readiness, seems to rest on massive budget shifts.  Away from social, pork, and nonessential programs and into national security.  This requires smart reallocation of resources, without increasing the size of the federal budget.  

A secondary benefit to this shift will accrue from the need for more workers to rebuild the material elements, as well as more people in uniform, increasing employment.  

Now the question becomes one of political will and national leadership.  Unfortunately, the political will appears absent.  And White House/POTUS national leadership are lacking.  Unlike Reagan's ability to work with Congress and communicate with the American people and the world almost four decades ago, Trump has not measured up.  Furthermore, with significantly fewer military veterans in Congress, understanding and appreciating the critical dilemma in which we find ourselves are missing or drowned out by hyper-partisanship.  

POTUS needs to step up, as does Congress -- specifically the GOP -- to invest in our national security.  The goal, as a fellow military retiree so aptly put it, is to have "the most lethal fighting force on the face of the earth by an order of magnitude."  

It is time to take out the red pen and identify the waste in the budget failing to support the entire nation, not the minuscule yet multiple special interests that fund elections and re-elections.  Some of what we read prior to the latest budget deal provided some hope.  For example, eliminating/severely reducing funding for the National Endowment for the Arts and other line items.  Nice-to-have, not crucial need-to-have for the survival of the nation.  Across the federal budget, billions can be shifted without increasing the bottom line.  If done well, the annual budget can actually be reduced.  Sadly, it comes full circle to the issue of political will.

Other crucial actions, beyond just making funds available, include fixing the military procurement system; reducing/eliminating unnecessary elements in DoD (personnel reductions and associated O&M funding); streamlining the war fighting structure; and otherwise correcting the lopsided tooth-to-tail ratio.  Once more, political will and national leadership are needed.

Let us hope the leadership will step up and work to create the political will necessary to solve the problem.       

Postmortem

As the election postmortem continues ad nauseam, two points are irrefutable.

HRC deliberately chose to exclusively employ an unauthorized, unsecured email server for official government business, contrary to policy and regulations. 

The hacked and released DNC and HRC campaign staff emails were not altered in any way.  Thus, the contents must be taken as factual.

   

Oldies Rock and Roll, Hot Rods, and Muscle Cars

On Waring Road in Allied Gardens on Sunday, oldies rock and roll music filled the air, mixing at times with the distinctive rumble coming from the engines in a variety of hot rods, muscle cars, and motorcycles. Filling the parking lot in front of Pal Joey’s, shining paint, sparkling chrome, and love of horsepower were the order of the day.
It was the 2nd Annual Eye Candy Car and Bike Show, touted as the “Sweetest Car Show in Town.” Hosted by Pal Joey’s and the Friends of Braille Institute of San Diego, all proceeds benefited the Braille Institute of San Diego. A constant stream of people walked among the cars and bikes, with many more cars and trucks than motorcycles. 

Admiring the customization, detailed engines, and glossy paint, many of the spectators were of an age that the muscle cars reminded them of their teenage years. Signs describing the work done and listing its high performance enhancements were displayed in front of several cars. In response to one gray bearded gent’s comment that it would help if the print on one sign was a tad bit bigger in deference to the older set, another gent about his age replied that he always brings his magnifying glasses.

Walking among these works of mechanical art on this sunny, warm afternoon, one couple was spotted with an ideal spot in the shade from which to enjoy the event. Sitting in his hot rod, Orlando Chavez said, “It’s fun.” A semi-truck driver, he has had it about six years, explaining, “The reason I have this hot rod is that I was ready to buy a Harley, a nice Fat Boy. But I have too many friends who have been hurt really bad and two who were killed [on motorcycles]. At my age I can’t afford to get hurt, so I bought the hot rod.” He also admitted he had ridden a friend’s motorcycle, exclaiming, “It scared the hell out of me.” Whatever the motivation, Chavez obviously enjoyed being out in his hot rod, joining other enthusiasts for a worthy cause.

Orlando Chavez

These works of mechanical art take countless hours to build and maintain. And keeping them show ready, even when on display, is a constant process. This was evident by the buckets of cleaning gear staged behind some of the vehicles. Cleaners, waxes, polishers, cloths, brushes, and all sorts of gear spoke to the effort required to make that shine dazzle folks on a sunny Sunday.

Muscle cars. Hot rods. Street rods. Custom pick-up trucks. Fords. Chevys. MoPar. A small sports car. The ubiquitous Cobras. Even a three wheel (you read correctly – three wheel) BMW. 

When your husband said he was getting you a red BMW, this probably isn't what you had in mind.

Something for everyone, as long as automobiles and horsepower make your day. What could be better than listening to oldies rock and roll music, sipping on a Coca Cola, and walking among these fantastic machines!