Military Spending

madmax · February 17, 2007

While I am no Rick Hillier fan, he is doing his job in criticizing military spending. I am reminded of the "This is Unfair" when the Liberals cry foul.

Hillier is pointing out that the Military was squeezed for the last 10 years. It is true. The military hasn't been a priority since I can recall, and the spending was reduced in the last 10 years on top of that. This is no different to the reductions in Transfer payments, pressures on Health Care, and many other program slashes and cuts to government services while the Liberals Balanced the budget.

The Reform was on stride with its focus of fiscal restraint and balanced budgets. Something that had been lost upon the previous political masters.

So instead of Liberals today acknowledging what occurred, and that the military suffered downsizing like all other government responsibilities, the Liberals cry foul today. It's what happened. There were reasons for the cuts at the time. It's time to increase spending. The Government is doing just that for the military.

They need to address the other issues as well.

If Hillier is getting his past due, good for the military.

Now for the rest of Canada.

jdobbin · February 17, 2007

While I am no Rick Hillier fan, he is doing his job in criticizing military spending. I am reminded of the "This is Unfair" when the Liberals cry foul.

It is true that the Liberal governments previous didn't support the military with any enthusiasm. Martin began the process for rebuilding and should be credited.

Hillier has to be careful though. If the military openly sides with the Tories politically as the military did with Republicans in the U.S., it eventually leads to a disconnect with the public. As long as he remains an advocate of the military, he will be okay. If he endorses the Tories next election even in a vague way, he will have crossed the line.

PolyNewbie · February 17, 2007

What did Hillier ever do wrong ? Is it because he has spoken up against the banks that has you not liking him ?

madmax · February 17, 2007

What did Hillier ever do wrong ? Is it because he has spoken up against the banks that has you not liking him ?

What are you talking about?

madmax · February 17, 2007

Hillier has to be careful though. If the military openly sides with the Tories politically as the military did with Republicans in the U.S., it eventually leads to a disconnect with the public. As long as he remains an advocate of the military, he will be okay. If he endorses the Tories next election even in a vague way, he will have crossed the line.

There is nothing vague about this.

BayLee · February 17, 2007

There is a poster on this forum who claims to be a military person.

He has been exposed as a liar.

This is what my tax dollars are being spent on?

jdobbin · February 17, 2007

There is nothing vague about this.

You think it crosses the line?

Cameron · February 17, 2007

There is a poster on this forum who claims to be a military person.
He has been exposed as a liar.

This is what my tax dollars are being spent on?

Well if he is a liar, then no, because he is not in the military....

madmax · February 17, 2007

deleted

Cameron · February 17, 2007

For being here under a month, BayLee is throwing out some big nets.

jbg · February 17, 2007

What did Hillier ever do wrong ? Is it because he has spoken up against the banks that has you not liking him ?

What are you talking about?

I doubt PN knows what he is talking about. Ask his shrink.

jbg · February 17, 2007

For being here under a month, BayLee is throwing out some big nets.

Maybe an alter-ego of PN. The two seem to be "birds of a feather".

PolyNewbie · February 17, 2007

I spend more time on these forums than most but every time someone shares my opinions you morons seem to want to make some kind of accusation or suggestion like this. Its the level of arguement I have grown to accept but one day you will learn that there are many people that are beginning to understand how our society is based on corruption.

Of course, JBG knows what is going on he is just playing most of you people for fools. After all, the only real reason why lawyers make so much money is that they ultimately protect the money interest who's power is largely derived from war and the associated borrowing that occurs for war machinery and the efforts of rebuilding.

Its like a big pile of excement, the excrement at the top depends on the excement beneath for its position on the pile.

geoffrey · February 17, 2007

Its like a big pile of excement, the excrement at the top depends on the excement beneath for its position on the pile.

You might be crazy, but you've got the best ways of describing things.

The question above was when did Hillier speak out against banks?

Catchme · February 17, 2007

Hillier crossed a huge line there was nothing vague about his comments, they were plainly partisian, and he has no business crossing the line. If he wants to be in politics then leave the military. He has NO business making such commentary. Hillier gave up his right to public criticisms of the government, either past or present, and being able to engage in discussions on public policy when he joined the military. He took an oath. Everyone who joins the military takes the same oath, and if he wants to criticize the government (past or present) he should resign his commission and become a civilian. Men and women in uniform don’t have the same freedom of expression as civilians do; they specifically give it up during their time in uniform. He crossed the line, as do all military personal when they publically criticize the governments either past or present.

OTTAWA — The head of Canada's armed forces was accused of playing partisan politics today after he told a meeting of defence experts that the military was coming out of the "decade of darkness" that began with the Liberal government in 1994.
"Over the past one to two years, we have begun to fully realize the immense, the negative impact of the defence expenditure reductions in 1994 and the lasting, almost negative legacy that they brought into effect that has to be put right," General Rick Hillier told the annual meeting of the Conference of Defence Associations.

Hillier needs to be taken to task and Canadians should be speaking out

What is a signifier of how partisian he is being? Let alone his saying "has to be put right" The lies he uttered.

Mulroney's cut back the forces as well, and Hillier seems to overlook this. They sold the Chinooks that we are now about to buy again to the Dutch back in 1991. The truth is the Canadian Forces have been degraded over the last 30 years if not longer perhaps since WWII and definitely since the Korean Conflict.

The military in a free country like ours, with a 100% volunteer military, has no right to conduct themselves in a partisian manner, they agree, through the Oath, to be kept on a proverbial leash.

geoffrey · February 17, 2007

He crossed the line, as do all military personal when they publically criticize the governments either past or present.

You've got to be freakin' kidding me. What's your justification for that statement?

Do all people on the Federal dime get the same treatment, the banishment from all criticism of government? Or just military?

Catchme · February 17, 2007

Hillier crossed a huge line there was nothing vague about his comments, they were plainly partisian, and he has no business crossing the line. If he wants to be in politics then leave the military. He has NO business making such commentary. Hillier gave up his right to public criticisms of the government, either past or present, and being able to engage in discussions on public policy when he joined the military. He took an oath. Everyone who joins the military takes the same oath, and if he wants to criticize the government (past or present) he should resign his commission and become a civilian. Men and women in uniform don’t have the same freedom of expression as civilians do; they specifically give it up during their time in uniform. He crossed the line, as do all military personal when they publically criticize the governments either past or present.
OTTAWA — The head of Canada's armed forces was accused of playing partisan politics today after he told a meeting of defence experts that the military was coming out of the "decade of darkness" that began with the Liberal government in 1994.
"Over the past one to two years, we have begun to fully realize the immense, the negative impact of the defence expenditure reductions in 1994 and the lasting, almost negative legacy that they brought into effect that has to be put right," General Rick Hillier told the annual meeting of the Conference of Defence Associations.

Hillier needs to be taken to task and Canadians should be speaking out

What is a signifier of how partisian he is being? Let alone his saying "has to be put right" The lies he uttered.

Mulroney's cut back the forces as well, and Hillier seems to overlook this. They sold the Chinooks that we are now about to buy again to the Dutch back in 1991. The truth is the Canadian Forces have been degraded over the last 30 years if not longer perhaps since WWII and definitely since the Korean Conflict.

The military in a free country like ours, with a 100% volunteer military, has no right to conduct themselves in a partisian manner, they agree, through the Oath, to be kept on a proverbial leash.

Apparently, you did not read the post geoffery, please do.

Yes, it is just the military while under oath, which is the way with ALL military personal in democracies. It is done so by oath. Hillier crossed a big line.

Borg · February 17, 2007

Well, Ranger Rick is a man who is not afraid to stand up and speak his piece.

Some of you folks need to read the Canuck book - Tarnished Brass. Canada has finally begun the process of forming an honest and outstandingly capable military - after years of corruption that drove hundreds out of the service in disgust.

A man in his position needs to be political - in fact that is the reason he made it to the top - he played the game better than his peers.

Crossing a line? No. He simply spoke his piece. Unlike the pawns who were in power before him. Canadians will need to understand he is not afraid to do this. At times it will piss off the general populace, but if it needs to be said, it will be said.

For that I thank him deeply.

He rides a line that could get him tossed and he knows this - and the general Canuck populace has never experienced a man of his integrity in his position - so it may take a little getting used to - but he speaks the truth.

I may not always agree with him, but I would follow this man in a heart beat.

Borg

madmax · February 17, 2007

Well, Ranger Rick is a man who is not afraid to stand up and speak his piece.
He rides a line that could get him tossed and he knows this - and the general Canuck populace has never experienced a man of his integrity in his position - so it may take a little getting used to - but he speaks the truth.......

........I may not always agree with him, but I would follow this man in a heart beat.

Borg

I think you have summed him up perfectly.

Catchme · February 17, 2007

Hillier, a man with integrity? Please show me what you think is his integrity?

I will say why I think he isn't.

His military says they are in a war in Afganistan, he says no "it's a mission".

He took an oath that bars him from expressing political opinion, he broke his oath.

He is propping up a corrupt Karzi government and says nary a word.

He is a war monger and sought to change our military's "mission" in Afghanistan, and the behaviour of our military personnal to resemble the USA's more, even though the Brits and the Dutch are having much greater success using a reconstruction approach, as were we before he took the USA approach..

Figleaf · February 17, 2007

In my opinion Hillier has long been way too political for a serving general officer. He is a civil servant, not a spokesperson and has a responsibility to behave that way. If he can't do that part of the job, he's the wrong man for the job.

Catchme · February 17, 2007

Even more telling is that Hillier did not take Harper to account, after all if he is going to break his oath and trash talk he should've been taking Harper to rtask if he was not being blindly partisian.

Harper declares Afghanistan a suicide mission
That would have been typical... and then he went over the line

“We certainly are aware that those are the plans of the Taliban,” Mr. Harper said of the offensive predicted by North Atlantic Treaty Organization commanders and analysts. “Our soldiers, men and women who go over there, know full well when they go over there that not all of them will return.”

I don't care who you are or what you think. You NEVER, EVER say that!

http://thegallopingbeaver.blogspot.com/

Topaz · February 17, 2007

The truth of it is this.... the Liberals under Martin boosted the miltary by 13 BILLION in their final budget, you know the one that the NDP and the Cons brought down!!! We all know that the Mulroney years left Canada in high debt and something had to suffer while the debt was got under control!! We ALL benefit from what the Liberals did with the debt. Canada wasn't at war at the time and how times change! Just watch the debt under the Cons go sky high again!! Of course the military will praise any government that sends to war because after all what is a military for if not to fight in a war. The military brasses don't like to see a military sitting with nothing to do and besides look at the "new toys" they are going to get, BILLIONS AND BILLIONS of our tax $$$!!!

Argus · February 17, 2007

Hillier crossed a huge line there was nothing vague about his comments, they were plainly partisian,

Well, they were plainly true. No one can say otherwise. So why shouldn't he say them?

Argus · February 17, 2007

The truth of it is this.... the Liberals under Martin boosted the miltary by 13 BILLION in their final budget, you know the one that the NDP and the Cons brought down!!!

No, they actually did no such thing.

What Martin did was promise to increase military by $13 over 5 years. However, the increases were back loaded, with almost nothing coming in the first couple of years. And everyone knew his government would not last beyond that.

In other words, his promises to properly fund the military were an empty gesture - like all Liberal promises.