Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/797829
ByJoshFunk The Associated Press OMAHA,NEB. Investingan- other $54 billion in the U.S. military won't do much for the overall economy. President Donald Trump last week proposed a 10 per- cent increase in defense spending. The extra money will certainly be felt in the communities surrounding shipyards like the one in Virginia Trump visited to tout his military buildup. But it only equates to 0.2 percent of gross domestic product. And significant cuts in other programs, including foreign aid and diplomacy, may be required to pay for the defense increase. "If it's at the cost of pre- ventative measures, that's not going to help our econ- omy or our security," said Constance Hunter, chief economist at accounting firm KPMG. Granted, Trump pro- posed the increase more as a way to strengthen Amer- ica's military than to cre- ate jobs. The impact on the econ- omy will depend on how Trump spends the $54 bil- lion, experts say. During the campaign, Trump often said the mil- itary is too small to accom- plish its missions, and he pledged to increase the Na- vy's active fleet to 350 ships. Current plans call for ex- panding the Navy to 308 ships from the current 272. The impact of recruiting more soldiers and paying for their training and wages would be different than the impact of ordering more naval ships or F-35 fighter jets. Investing more in pro- ducing ships and jets would likely produce fewer jobs. And a large portion of this increase could be spent internally at the defense de- partment. "I would expect that much of the increase of the defense budget we're talk- ing about would be con- sumed internally by the Defense Department," said Todd Harrison, who ana- lyzes defense spending for the Center for Strategic & International Studies. With so much of the U.S. economy dependent on con- sumer spending, defense spending doesn't make a significant impact, said Fordham University econ- omist Giacomo Santangelo. "If his intention is eco- nomic growth, he shouldn't be talking about defense spending. If he wants to talk about defense, he should talk about our defense needs," Santangelo said. To pay for the increase in defense spending, Trump has proposed $54 billion in cuts to foreign aid and do- mestic agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency. Those cuts are likely to drawstrongoppositionfrom Democrats in Congress, and the plan has been criticized by some Republicans who questionTrump'sdecisionto exempt Social Security and Medicare from cuts. "This is really a non- starter," said Richard Im- merman, a Temple Univer- sity professor who worked for the Office of the Director ofNationalIntelligencefrom 2007 to 2009 under former President George W. Bush. Trump's proposals to boost military spending and cut taxes may remind some of former President Ronald Reagan's approach, but this proposed spending would still be well below the relative level Reagan spend during the arms race with the Soviet Union. If approved, the $54 bil- lion increase in spending would mean the country was spending 3.4 percent of its Gross Domestic Product on defense. That would be up from 3.2 percent of GDP last year. During the 1980s, Rea- gan's defense spending reached 6 percent of GDP and accounted for as much as 28 percent of the federal budget. Reagan's Cold War military buildup and tax cuts bolstered employment among defense contractors. "In a lot of ways, I think Trump is following the Rea- gan model," said Howard Stoffer, a professor at the University of New Haven who worked at the State De- partment for 25 years. "But Congress is going to be un- likely to give him a $54 bil- lion increase." While military commu- nities and economists wait to see how the spending drama plays out, Wall Street is already picking winners. Since Trump was elected the S&P defense and aero- space sector has gained 17.4 percent, which is well above the overall 11.6 percent gains the S&P 500 recorded during the same time. SPENDING Proposed $54B jump in defense budget won't help economy much PABLOMARTINEZMONSIVAIS—THEASSOCIATEDPRESSFILE President Donald Trump gives a thumbs-up a er speaking to Navy and shipyard personnel aboard the nuclear aircra carrier Gerald R. Ford at Newport News Shipbuilding, By Anthony Izaguirre The Associated Press BIRMINGHAM, ALA. Briar- wood Presbyterian Church already has more than 4,000 members, two pri- vate schools and its own radio station. And if ad- ministrators have their way, the wealthy congrega- tion could soon add some- thing that no other Amer- ican church has: its own police force. With a membership larger than many small towns, Briarwood has asked the state Legislature for permission to set up a private law enforcement department to watch over its flock and schools. The bill comes at a time when places of worship around the country are stepping up security, but a church- only police force raises constitutional questions that are ripe for a legal challenge. And opponents worry crimes could be cov- ered up by the church. Experts believe a church with its own police depart- ment would be unprece- dented in the U.S. "I've never even heard of this," said Heath Grant, an assistant professor at John Jay College of Crim- inal Justice in New York City. "From the perspec- tive of security, churches usually have relationships with the local police de- partments. I don't know why that wouldn't be suf- ficient." The Birmingham church hires off-duty police offi- cers from nearby jurisdic- tions to cover its events, but it says there often are not enough officers avail- able to help. Church of- ficials also worry about mass shootings, such as the attacks at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecti- cut and the Emanuel Af- rican Methodist Episcopal Church in South Carolina. The bill was introduced by Republican Rep. Ar- nold Mooney, whose wife and daughter work at Bri- arwood Christian School. All three of his children graduated from Briarwood schools. "Officer presence is the No. 1 line of defense," he said in an email. Twenty-one of Mooney's colleagues in the Republi- can-controlled House sup- port his bill, which passed the Legislature last year but was not signed into law by Gov. Robert Bent- ley. The governor did not give a reason for not act- ing on the proposal in 2016 and has given no indica- tion what he will do this year. Debate in the House is expected before the ses- sion ends in May. In Alabama, a state where religion permeates nearly every aspect of so- cial and political life, Bri- arwood's presence looms large. In addition to the huge membership and the radio station, the church's schools have nearly 2,000 students from kindergar- ten through 12th grade. Their teams, particularly football, soccer and ten- nis, are known for athletic success. Briarwood also sends missionaries abroad to Asia, Africa and Latin America. Opponents of the bill worry that forming a church-only police depart- ment may lead to crimes being covered up. There are also doubts about the department's potential power, how closely it would work with neighboring po- lice and who it would ulti- mately answer to. "It's making the church take the role of the gov- ernment," said Richard E. Levy, a constitutional law professor at Kansas Uni- versity. "I would expect that if the law is enacted it would not be very long before it is challenged." PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Congregation eyes unusual police force Alloffersforalimitedtime.Notallbuyerswillqualifyforindividualprograms.SeeRedBluffChrysler/Jeep/Dodge/Ramforcompletedetailsandvehiclequalificationsforallcurrentlyrunningprograms.0%and1.9%APRfinancingarenot applicable on these new selected models. All rebates in lieu of special APRs offered by Chrysler. All prices plus government fees and taxes, any finance charge, any dealer document, preparation charge, and any emission charge. Subject to prior sales & credit approval. Some vehicle images in this ad are for illustration purposes only and may vary from actual vehicle. Ad expires 03/15/17. Offer not good to dealers. 545AdobeRd.,RedBluff Se Habla Espanol RED BLUFF DODGE 530-366-3166 RedBluffDodge.com Je ep YEP - THE ALL NEW PACIFICA, DUAL AIR COND & HEAT POWER GROUP, POWER SEAT, ALLOY WHEELS & LOTS MORE! ZERO CASH DOWN O.C.A. VIN#HR633862,HR633861 300 HORSEPOWER! FREE WINDOW TINT, POWER WINDOWS & LOCKS, CRUISE, TILT, C.D. PLAYER, POWER SEAT, A/C & LOTS MORE. AMAZING DEAL! VIN# GH325998 GH326000 2017 RAM 2500 CREW CAB 4X4 DIESEL, AUTOMATIC, CRUISE, TILT, A/C, POWER WINDOWS & LOCKS, TOW PACKAGE, & LOTS MORE. HERE'S YOUR DEAL! MSRP $50,835 REBATE - $3,250 BENNY'S BIG DISCOUNT -$5,808 $ 41,777 VIN# 553625, 553633, 553631, 540555, 347287 YEP, REAL 4 DOORS, YEP HEMI V8, TOW PKG, BACKUP CAMERA, 32 GALLON FUEL TANK, POWER WINDOWS & LOCKS, CRUISE, TILT, 8 SPEED AUTO TRANSMISSION. THIS IS A DEAL! VIN# HS594879 HS594880 2017 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN VIN# HR367693, HR640748, HR640330 V6, SE, DUAL A/C, P/WINDOWS & LOCKS, CRUISE, TILT, CD & MORE. 2017 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE LAREDO 4X4 20 INCH WHEELS, ALTITUDE 4 PACKAGE REMOTE START, LEATHER/SUEDE SEATING, NAVIGATION, TOW PKG., FANCY SOUND SYSTEM. LOTS MORE, WHAT A DEAL! VIN# HC786035, HC786036 2017 JEEP RENEGADE SPORT SPORT APPEARANCE GROUP, REMOTE START, 16 INCH WHEELS, POWER & AIR GROUP, PRIVACY GLASS, ROOF RACK & LOTS MORE! THESE ARE SO COOL! VIN# E79079, E79501, E79531, E79616, E79645, E79096, E79243, E79517 2017 CHRYSLER PACIFICA VAN LX 2016 DODGE CHALLENGER SXT 2017 DODGE DURANGO SXT ALL WHEEL DRIVE, 3RD ROW SEATING, REMOTE START, TRAILER TOW PKG., VOICE COMMAND, POWER GROUP & TO MUCH MORE. SAY HELLO TO A GOOD BUY. VIN# HC741331, HC741332 2017 JEEP CHEROKEE "SPORT" 4X4 YEP WITH THE COOL WHEELS, 18 INCH., SPORT ALTITUDE PACKAGE, REMOTE START, V6 ENGINE, TRAILER TOW PKG. & TONS MORE! VIN# HW628069, HW628073, HW628068, HW628071, HW628072 CHOOSE FROM "4" AT THIS PRICE CHOOSE FROM "4" AT THIS PRICE 2017 RAM 1500 CREW CAB 4X4 MSRP $40,885 REBATE - $4,750 CHRYSLER FINANCING -$500 BENNY'S BIG DISCOUNT -$2,658 $ 32,977 CHOOSE FROM "2" AT THIS PRICE MSRP $27,175 REBATE - $2,250 CHRYSLER FINANCING -$500 BENNY'S BIG DISCOUNT -$1,648 $ 22,777 CHOOSE FROM "2" AT THIS PRICE CHOOSE FROM "2" AT THIS PRICE CHOOSE FROM "2" AT THIS PRICE CHOOSE FROM "8" AT THIS PRICE CHOOSE FROM "2" AT THIS PRICE CHOOSE FROM "5" AT THIS PRICE MSRP $40,880 REBATE - $2,000 DISCOUNT -$2,103 $ 36,777 MSRP $29,590 REBATE - $1,500 DISCOUNT -$1,813 CHRYSLER FINANCING -$500 CALIF CONQUEST -$1,000 $ 24,777 MSRP $28,090 REBATE - $4,000 DISCOUNT -$1,131 $ 22,777 MSRP $22,645 REBATE - $1,500 BENNY'S BIG DISCOUNT -$2,368 $ 18,777 MSRP $35,380 REBATE - $1,500 DISCOUNT -$3,103 $ 30,777 MSRP $31,110 REBATE - $4,000 CHRYSLER FINANCING -$500 DISCOUNT -$1,833 $ 24,777 20 NEW WRANGLERS IN STOCK 20 NEW WRANGLERS IN STOCK AND OVER 250 RAM DIESEL 4X4'S IN STOCK YA....WE HAVE IT! SATURDAY, MARCH 11, 2017 REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM | NEWS | 3 B