The START treaty Empowers Russia

Russia is in no position to get into an arms race with the US. Their economy is not robust enough to sustain a long protracted race. By limiting our defenses we are empowering Russia.

For several years, Russia has been pouring money into expanding their influence around the world. They have made deals with countries that are very hostile to America. They have set up naval bases in South America and Syria. They have supplied our enemies, including Iran, with military equipment, including nuclear capability. All these countries are potential surrogates to battle us both militarily and economically.

Just like the old Soviet Union, Russia will not directly attack us but be the beneficiary of US conflicts with these countries. They are eroding our relationships with our friends. Eastern Europe is becoming more and more energy dependent on Russia which supplies gasoline and natural gas to Eastern Europe. Russia has flexed its power by cutting off supplies, officially for ‘technical’ reasons. However as soon as their point was made, the ‘technical’ problems seemed to disappear.

President Reagan called the Soviet Union's bluff and helped to bankrupt the them, thereby eliminating the threat they posed to the world. It is ludicrous to think that the US will attack Russia militarily. The world threat is from militant Islamic nations and groups. Russia is working on using them against us. They also know that these same elements are a real danger to them just as they are to us. The START treaty allows Russia to build ‘defense systems’ but limits the US, including protecting our friends. The Obama administration canceled missile defenses for Eastern Europe based in the Czech Republic and Poland. They even stooped to black mailing those countries by cutting off energy sources making it hard for them to push the system.

We do not need the START treaty but Russia does. Russia is not our friend, so why should we empower a country that is hostile to us. There is nothing in the treaty about real live threats to us from terrorist regimes and groups. Start is bad for America and we must not ratify it.