Best Defense
Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

How much will the defense budget be cut over the next decade? Go ahead & guess

10 percent? 25 percent? 50 percent? We can’t know now. But I think big cuts will be part of any reorganization of the federal budget down the road, after the debt hits the fan. Plus, the rich are gonna have to start paying their fair share — by which I mean at least 75 percent ...

Wikimedia Commons
Wikimedia Commons
Wikimedia Commons

10 percent? 25 percent? 50 percent?

10 percent? 25 percent? 50 percent?

We can’t know now. But I think big cuts will be part of any reorganization of the federal budget down the road, after the debt hits the fan. Plus, the rich are gonna have to start paying their fair share — by which I mean at least 75 percent of what they paid during most of the 20th century, not just on income but, more importantly, on capital gains.

Thomas E. Ricks covered the U.S. military from 1991 to 2008 for the Wall Street Journal and then the Washington Post. He can be reached at ricksblogcomment@gmail.com. Twitter: @tomricks1

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