Senator concerned politics played role in base closings; Pentagon denies any outside role
Senator concerned politics played role in base closings; Pentagon denies any outside role
By John Byrne | RAW STORY
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A Democratic senator has raised questions on whether politics played a role in a Pentagon proposal to close and transfer jobs from U.S. military bases in a report analyzing the net job loss/gains, RAW STORY has learned.
In a carefully worded statement, Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) questioned why states that supported President Bush's reelection (red states) had a net job gain of 11,000, while states that oppposed Bush (blue states) lost nearly 25,000 positions.
"My hope was that [Base Realignment and Closure] decisions were completely removed from politics but the total numbers do raise some questions," Lautenberg said.
The Pentagon denies politics played any role.
"That's not true," said Pentagon spokesman Glenn Flood. "It's based on the law that Congress passed given us the authority. The internal deliberations of the Pentagon are not based on any outside influences."
Flood cited a structure report, a classified document that is available to senators concerning the process of base realignment, saying it "gives a basis on what forces will be [like] on down the road."
"It's all there," Flood added. "It's a process that has worked four times in the past. In the fifth round, it's patterned on those successful rounds. Our process has been free from outside politics all along so this is no different."
The most notable political losses in red states has largely been considered South Dakota. South Dakota will lose 3,797 jobs, a strange gift to Sen. John Thune (R-SD), who defeated former Democratic leader Sen. Tom Daschle last year.
The heaviest hemmorhaging of service jobs—8,586—are in Connecticut, home of moderate Democrat Sen. Joe Lieberman and moderate Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee.
The largest gains, meanwhile, are in President Bush's home state of Texas, which will see a net increase in military jobs by 6,150 under the plan.
Base Closing Job Loss/Gain for Red and Blue States
Red States
Alabama: + 2,664
Alaska: - 4,619
Arizona: - 550
Arkansas: + 3,585
Colorado: + 4,917
Florida: + 2,757
Georgia: + 7,423
Idaho: - 659
Indiana: + 2,197
Iowa: - 6
Kansas: + 3, 582
Kentucky: - 3,658
Louisiana: - 1,297
Mississippi: - 1,678
Missouri: - 3,679
Montana: -124
Nebraska: -213
Nevada: + 1,059
New Mexico: - 2,849
North Carolina: - 422
North Dakota: - 2,654
Ohio: + 241
Oklahoma: + 3,919
South Carolina: + 709
South Dakota: - 3,797
Tennessee: + 1,088
Texas: + 6,150
Utah: - 446
Virginia: - 1,574
West Virginia: - 251
Wyoming: + 37
Total Personnel/Job Gains: 11,852 (Net)
Blue States
California: - 2,018
Connecticut: -8,586
Delaware: + 91
District of Columbia: - 6,496
Hawaii: - 298
Illinois: - 2,698
Maine: - 6,938
Maryland: + 9,293
Massachusetts: + 491
Michigan: + 125
Minnesota: - 262
New Hampshire: + 4
New Jersey: - 3,760
New York: - 1,071
Oregon: - 1,083
Pennsylvania: - 1,878
Rhode Island: + 531
Vermont: + 56
Washington: + 760
Wisconsin: - 552
Total Personnel/Job Losses: - 24,289 (Net)
http://rawstory.com/exclusives/byrne/lautenberg_brac_base_closures_520
By John Byrne | RAW STORY
Advertisement
A Democratic senator has raised questions on whether politics played a role in a Pentagon proposal to close and transfer jobs from U.S. military bases in a report analyzing the net job loss/gains, RAW STORY has learned.
In a carefully worded statement, Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) questioned why states that supported President Bush's reelection (red states) had a net job gain of 11,000, while states that oppposed Bush (blue states) lost nearly 25,000 positions.
"My hope was that [Base Realignment and Closure] decisions were completely removed from politics but the total numbers do raise some questions," Lautenberg said.
The Pentagon denies politics played any role.
"That's not true," said Pentagon spokesman Glenn Flood. "It's based on the law that Congress passed given us the authority. The internal deliberations of the Pentagon are not based on any outside influences."
Flood cited a structure report, a classified document that is available to senators concerning the process of base realignment, saying it "gives a basis on what forces will be [like] on down the road."
"It's all there," Flood added. "It's a process that has worked four times in the past. In the fifth round, it's patterned on those successful rounds. Our process has been free from outside politics all along so this is no different."
The most notable political losses in red states has largely been considered South Dakota. South Dakota will lose 3,797 jobs, a strange gift to Sen. John Thune (R-SD), who defeated former Democratic leader Sen. Tom Daschle last year.
The heaviest hemmorhaging of service jobs—8,586—are in Connecticut, home of moderate Democrat Sen. Joe Lieberman and moderate Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee.
The largest gains, meanwhile, are in President Bush's home state of Texas, which will see a net increase in military jobs by 6,150 under the plan.
Base Closing Job Loss/Gain for Red and Blue States
Red States
Alabama: + 2,664
Alaska: - 4,619
Arizona: - 550
Arkansas: + 3,585
Colorado: + 4,917
Florida: + 2,757
Georgia: + 7,423
Idaho: - 659
Indiana: + 2,197
Iowa: - 6
Kansas: + 3, 582
Kentucky: - 3,658
Louisiana: - 1,297
Mississippi: - 1,678
Missouri: - 3,679
Montana: -124
Nebraska: -213
Nevada: + 1,059
New Mexico: - 2,849
North Carolina: - 422
North Dakota: - 2,654
Ohio: + 241
Oklahoma: + 3,919
South Carolina: + 709
South Dakota: - 3,797
Tennessee: + 1,088
Texas: + 6,150
Utah: - 446
Virginia: - 1,574
West Virginia: - 251
Wyoming: + 37
Total Personnel/Job Gains: 11,852 (Net)
Blue States
California: - 2,018
Connecticut: -8,586
Delaware: + 91
District of Columbia: - 6,496
Hawaii: - 298
Illinois: - 2,698
Maine: - 6,938
Maryland: + 9,293
Massachusetts: + 491
Michigan: + 125
Minnesota: - 262
New Hampshire: + 4
New Jersey: - 3,760
New York: - 1,071
Oregon: - 1,083
Pennsylvania: - 1,878
Rhode Island: + 531
Vermont: + 56
Washington: + 760
Wisconsin: - 552
Total Personnel/Job Losses: - 24,289 (Net)
http://rawstory.com/exclusives/byrne/lautenberg_brac_base_closures_520
posted by JimG at 11:15 AM
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