i dont understand??

[bulldog]

i dont understand why our goverment doesnt grant the canadian forces more money.. man i have lots of patriotism probably alot more than most people and it hurts me when i hear people say bad stuff about our military or poke fun at its size. like does the goverment think just because we stand right next to the worlds biggest super power in the world that we are safe?? what happens one daywhen the us decides to bring the war here or we actually have to defend ourselfs.. its depressing... when i hear people talking **** it pisses me off and i get mad at them but at same time i know some of what they are saying is true. why doesnt the goverment stop spending money on useless this and put *** loads into the military. it makes me mad... anyone got any oppinions on this?

 

[cheehid]

It‘s unfortunate that highly trained men and women who put their lives on the line every single day are underfunded. But these men and women still operate at peak efficieny and are some of the best trained in the world.

The Canadian people decided a long time ago that spending on the Forces was not something that Canada should concentrate on. Thats too bad - and things should be changed. Our nation is a forerunner in every single field, science, technology, human rights, economic growth - except for the military. How can we continue to be a world leader w/o being a prominent military player?

We can‘t.

Our viewpoints and position in the global perspective go unnoticed and ignored. The Canadian public is partly responcible for this situation.

Most Canadians don‘t care about military affairs - they‘re to comfy on their couches and their own little insiginicant worlds. Those who do give their opinions are usually ignorant and ill-informed.

THERE is a very bad image of the CF‘s capability in the general public. Unfortuantely, every one thinks "we don‘t have any planes or tanks or money".

The Canadian public thinks we are a "peaceful nation" who doesnt get involved in international affairs. They think we "don‘t get involved". They compare us to the US and think we are opposite. We need to be similar to the US.

The fact of the matter is we are not apathetic and indifferent. We dont have 10s of 1000s of soldiers buried across Europe because for nothing.

I‘m ranting on a bit here... but I get really passionate about these kinds of things.

 

[SNoseworthy]

The main reason why we don‘t have extra money to put into the Forces in a large lump sum (instead of over 3 or 5 years) is because, as a socialist country (yes, Canada is socialist, not Liberal), we have a lot of social programs to pay for. Unlike the military social program, the other ones like health care, are higher profile because they‘re used everyday by Canadians, whereas the military isn‘t. Now, if the military was used as much as the police force by the general public, it would be higher profile and would get more money. But since our nation doesn‘t go war mongering, that won‘t happen anytime soon.

 

[rolandstrong]

A good book to read that gives a solid perspective on this issue is "Marching as to War" by Pierre Burton. While reading it, one realizes that the situation we are currently experiencing with our military is not new, but a recurring scenario in Canadian history.

The tragedy is that being one of the wealthiest nations on the planet tied at the hip to the most powerful military in the history of mankind will pull Canada into military endeavours whether our public realizes it or not. Tragically it will be the guys in the field paying for the lack of support, funding and training when it happens, as per 1939.

That being said, we always hold our own, and in the end we prove our worth.

 

[WINDWOLF]

I agree with Roland_Strong about " Marching as to War",should be required reading.

Gregg;

Welcome to the wonderful world of political boondoggling (?).Most countries seem surprised when our forces outshine other armys. It,s like we are the big freindly country that does not care about military matters.But do not be fooled.
We will defend, with our lives, what we hold dear with or with out goverment sanction.

Keep on being patriotic & don,t like the attitude of others sway you from your convictions.

We,unlike others,have never failed.

:sniper:

 

[rolandstrong]

well said

 

[Thaedes]

I find it funny that a lot of people gripe about Canada‘s military being too small. Yes, it is small, and could use an expansion. But look at Canada‘s population for chr*st‘s sake. Approx 35,000,000 people. Take a look at the United states, approx 250,000,000 people. Slight difference? obviously. So yes, they can generate more money for military spending, and yes, they have a larger pool from which to draw upon for larger personnel numbers. The State of New York has a larger debt than all of Canada‘s.


So when you ask for increased military spending, you should ask yourself "How the F*ck can they do that without taking from other necessary functions such as Healthcare?"

 

[WINDWOLF]

Thaedes, just amagine what you guys could get from,let,s say. 30% of gst or lotories. I know for
a fact that in ab vlt,s generate a $hit load of money.Because i put most of it in.

If the goverment spent wisely,funding would never be short,but when we pay x amount of millions for a underground walkway for senators so they will not get wet,what can you do?

Short changing the military has become a national pass time. The only way it will change is if a national disaster happens or the US finaly gets
pi$$ed & takes a run at us. Hopefully we will get it together before then.

:sniper:

 

[bulldog]

thanks
helps alot
the thing that really pisses me off is that people will say things but they done realize they arnt the ones giving their lifes so that the people that complain about it can be free

 

[Etown]

Thaedes - Try and remember that Canada‘s military is now smaller than it was 10 years ago. While armed conflict around the globe is escalating our military is shrinking. This is why people are complaining. I understand that the money has to come from somewhere (that how the military budget got cut), but the money has to come from somewhere. We can‘t keep pretending that we don‘t need the armed forces, or someone is going to come and prove us wrong.

 

[SNoseworthy]

I haven‘t been able to dive into my copy of Marching as to War. The same theme is evident in Desmond Morton‘s A Military History of Canada, which is another good book that should be required reading.