Military band budget cuts pass

[Biggs]

http://shoreviewpost.com/news/2011/05/2 ... ary-bands/

The amendment concerning military band spending in the defense budget authorization bill has been passed by the House. The amendment calls for a $120 million reduction in the band budget - a 37.5% decrease from last year's budget.

Stay tuned, musicians in uniform and fans thereof!

[The Impaler]

I want to know who actually wrote that article. It's full of blatant errors that completely misrepresent the truth in order to support Congresswoman McCollum's amendment. But sadly, that isn't the most disturbing part to me.

"It’s time to ask the Pentagon to make a small sacrifice in their own musical budget. Military bands have an important place in our nation’s history, but in a fiscal crisis, $200 million should be enough to continue that tradition.”

Should be?! Apparently, cutting America's military musical budget by more than a third isn't as important as having one more fighter jet. Real important part of our nation's history, Betty.

I'm sure it will strike you all as a complete surprise that Congresswoman McCollum sits on the National Council for the Arts. I need to throw up.

[Biggs]

http://www.startribune.com/politics/blo ... 41249.html

This article describes a budget-cutting measure proposed by McCollum that was not approved. She wanted to eliminate military sponsorships of NASCAR. Thank goodness clearer thinking prevailed.

[Dean E]

Should be?! Apparently, cutting America's military musical budget by more than a third isn't as important as having one more fighter jet. Real important part of our nation's history, Betty.

The alternatives to recruiting indirectly (via public affairs and community relations programs) are conscription and contracting with a spectrum of mercenaries.

The military music lobby cannot begin to compare with that of the aerospace industry.

[Tuba-G Bass]

So the Military will hire Halliburton or Blackwater for it's Ceremonial Music needs????

[TubaRay]

So the Military will hire Halliburton or Blackwater for it's Ceremonial Music needs????

Certainly not!!! It will be Barney Frank's "lover."

[ai698]

My Army National Guard band gets hardly any money, so how do you cut nothing? I'm still using my personal horns for drill. Since I play a CC, they won't get me one, but if they offer to buy me a BBb, then I want a new MW piston Fafner. I don't care if I can bury the band with that horn, it's in my top 5 of tubas ever played.

[TUBAD83]

Another episode of "cut the stuff we DON"T like and leave the stuff we DO like alone". Lets be totally honest: the army does not need 100 bands and I can give a VERY long list of all the unnecessary crap purchased in both the bands I served when I was in (and that has not changed--according to a few friends of mine who are still in).

The military budget will not get cut anytime soon--not until it falls apart.

JJ

[Teubonium]

So the Military will hire Halliburton or Blackwater for it's Ceremonial Music needs????

Well, I was in a small ensemble from the Denver Concert Band that was hired by the Navy to play for a change of command ceremony.

[Brown Mule]

http://shoreviewpost.com/news/2011/05/2 ... ary-bands/

The amendment concerning military band spending in the defense budget authorization bill has been passed by the House. The amendment calls for a $120 million reduction in the band budget - a 37.5% decrease from last year's budget.

Stay tuned, musicians in uniform and fans thereof!

May I suggest we all mail or E'mail the good congresswoman and ask the idiot if a 37% congressional pay cut and congressional benefit cut were included in her bill!!!

[Alex C]

Well I am shocked. Rep.Betty McCollum is a democrat from Minnesota.

With the economy and the federal budget in the present awful condition we face some gruesome choice in the months to come. This one seems drastic but everyone has favorite programs we don't want to loose.

There is no win-win in the short term, the payback is gonna hurt.

[jonesbrass]

The cuts she's talking about must be for the major service bands in D.C., because the band budget decisions for non-special bands are made at the local or ACOM level, at least for the Army. The real damage would be done by disbanding (pardon the pun) ensembles at certain locations.

[Dean E]

The cuts she's talking about must be for the major service bands in D.C., because the band budget decisions for non-special bands are made at the local or ACOM level, at least for the Army. The real damage would be done by disbanding (pardon the pun) ensembles at certain locations.

The pentagon budget wonks like to cut manpower by revoking authorizations to fill musicians' slots. That's one way to reduce spending. Other ways are to close or cut back attendance at music schools, to reduce travel funds, to cut funds for building space, and to slice into accounts for new equipment and maintenance.