Just so you know, I went over and thanked the protestors who where nowhere near unemployed. I'm employed and I would've joined them. Frankly, this just smacks of somebody not knowing WTF he's talking about.
Do you like having weekends off? Was Samuel Gompers someone who was "not gainfully employed and lived in his parents basement"? If we didn't protest against corporations, we wouldn't have the 40 hr weekday nor would we have child labor laws... You're simply not making sense.
Gotta agree. The defense budget is a huge problem and a direct cause of our shortcomings at home...shitty infrastructure, poor education, non-existent healthcare, etc. It’s not an anti-troop position to take either (for anyone trying to twist it into that), most of that money never makes it to the guys on the ground, it ends up in the pockets of CEOs of big defense contractors. There was an instance during Iraq of the government refusing to outfit hummers with extra under armor to defend against roadside bombs, which led to multiple deaths that could’ve been prevented. Meanwhile there are countless examples of contractors price gouging and the government happily forking over your and my money to them. There are multiple books outlining hundreds more egregious examples. If everyone knew how the defense budget was actually spent they’d probably be sick.
I had hoped that, IF there was anything Trump would've actually done, the US budget would've been audited and things would've been improved. But I've been hoping for that for years and know it'll never happen. I'm not saying cut social programs (etc), but the country loves to waste money on the good old boy networking.
Do we have any proof that this defense contractor has fleeced the country? Do we know what their margins are? What type of markups they’re working with? Also they have a lot of commercial products. Seems like the vitriol belongs towards the US Government for giving out those contracts not the companies for taking it. Just like I was never mad ET signed the contract I was upset NO offered it. I ask because I don't know and I don't think its fair to just lump all defense contractors together because we don't like military spending in general, which I would agree with is too much.
Perhaps it is too much. The alternative if not enough is disaster. Improve the process all you like, but never put your Troops at risk. Never, let anyone think; maybe.
Welcome to the age of drone warfare....the ground soldier is not that important to modern military warfare and they'll get scope funding without a sports franchise or tennis shoe company footing the bill. Blazers made a decision that must have been signed off on by Jody Allen. It's her franchise, her money...maybe she'd rather finance a hospital....choices. Scopes are now satelites and computer programs....el prez just wants to hang on to his Assassin Creed ...World of Warcraft thrills ..nostalgia. Anybody who's served knows how much wasted miliitary equipment we just leave in Iraq, Afghanistan, Viet Nam...wherever...we're not suffering for sniper scopes and there aren't hundreds of thousands of snipers in the army...they are a select group. The Blazers aren't going to dent the military budget or stress any soldier with this move...they just find another source that needs the tax right off
My response would be that its not the spending that is causing danger to our troops but that we have our troops in every corner of the globe and many of those places they dont really belong. We could reduce military spending by a lot without endangering our troops. We may endanger local manufacturing, and jobs because of how many people that contractors employ, but the troops would be much safer if we weren't fighting for oil.
No need. That should not be the mission. Encourage and support the President, I am sure he thinks the same, Bring the Troop home! We can always go kick ass again if need. No point what so ever in policing the world or Nation building. Everyone should become aware of the doctrine, You really don't want to see the US troops coming back! Be very happy when they are home.
When you go to kick ass for righteous reason, you can always find a way to gain the moral high ground. But there is noway to hold it once you over stay your welcome.
That is what we elect a President to do, the sovereign. He/she answers to the people, the electorate, thus they have the ultimate responsibility. It might be difficult to get better than this. Of course you know, Congress has a role here, but not the leadership.