US Military Base Closures.

[Kaiser of Arabia]

They'res alot of opposition to some of the base closures. I know the one that's closing right in my area (Willow Grove) will put almost 10,000 people out of the area. Senators Arlen Spector, the Govenor Ed Rendell, amonst many other important local people are fighting for this base to stay open. They had Willow grove on the list to close in 1995 as well, but it survived. I have little doubt that it will survive again, it's very important to the local econemy, not to mention it's strategic value just north of one of the east coast's largest cities.
On a more personal note, if it does close, my girl will have to move. Along with around 50 other people from my school that I know. We heard the news the second CNN got it, in History. But I did some reading up on this. It has to pass through congress. With the ammount of opposition I've seen so far, I doubt the bill will pass as it is.
In other news, I think the pentagon is really stupid for closing military bases in the middle of a war, with war on the horizon with another major world power. I guess one of the requirments for working in the Pentagon is having an IQ no greater than 10.

[Devastatin Dave]

It will save money in the long run. Believe me, there is way too much money going to way too many facilities that could easily be consolidated. Yes, it will hurt the local economies of these base closures, but we will save a significant amount in Defense spending and the resourses will be better put to use. For those communities effected, my heart goes out to them, but it is a necesity.

[Kanamori]

They're making ours bigger, well, consolodating from other bases here.

[Proletariat]

Uhm, the military isn't beind reduced by any means. It's a realignment. We're not just shutting down air bases and throwing all their F-16's into a trash compactor.

[Kaiser of Arabia]

It will save money in the long run. Believe me, there is way too much money going to way too many facilities that could easily be consolidated. Yes, it will hurt the local economies of these base closures, but we will save a significant amount in Defense spending and the resourses will be better put to use. For those communities effected, my heart goes out to them, but it is a necesity.

That is true, some bases must be closed. However, they picked the wrong bases to close in many cases. For example, Willow Grove. It's a major Naval Air station! Also, it looks like theyre going to stuff more planes into Fort Dix, that's stupid if you ask me.
I say, close some bases in Idaho and Nebraska, not on the coasts which are vulnerable to attack.

[Productivity]

I say, close some bases in Idaho and Nebraska, not on the coasts which are vulnerable to attack.

I think some perspective is called for here. Who exactly is going to launch a conventional attack on the US at the moment. Essentially I see the bases as barracks/training points rather than first lines of defence, because I can't see the US ever getting conventionally attacked.

[Kaiser of Arabia]

I can. With the barbarian hordes of Europe and China at our boarders, and the British dominion of Canadia to the north, I forsee an attack within the next 5 years.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

I think some bases definately need to be closed, despite the economic problems it will cause. If a town is propped up only by a military base, well the base needs to close so the people who moved to the area when the base was built will have to find another trade for the town or find another town. The bases cannot be left open forever if they are vital only to the local economy and drain federal funds.

The benefit of this would be building up other areas, or if other more vital bases are built up or founded then the economies of their areas would be boosted. We do not have much use for many bases designed for cold weather combat so they could be closed in exchange for desert combat bases and temperate bases could be closed or reduced in favor of the same.