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There I must disagree. They should be executed. I don't mean given the death sentence. I mean executed. Very publicly. And right away.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BLS2753
You're a mass shooter waiting to happen. Go get yourself some help before it's too late.
Just to be clear, I do not mean vigilante justice. I mean they should be given a fair trial, and when convicted, they should receive the death sentence, and then that sentence should be carried out (rather than wait for a dozen years to exhaust the appeals process).
How many billions of dollars would it cost us to have the Federal Government set up the administration and paperwork? How many tens of thousands of new Federal employees, each with gold-plated pensions & Cadillac health care?
And most importantly, who do you tax to generate the money to pay for the above?
It needn't be that much. Where to get the money? Perhaps reduce the recent tax cut on the wealthy. Military is another, as a previous poster noted. Specifically, why spend so much to defend countries that give their citizens benefits we can only dream of?
It needn't be that much. Where to get the money? Perhaps reduce the recent tax cut on the wealthy. Military is another, as a previous poster noted. Specifically, why spend so much to defend countries that give their citizens benefits we can only dream of?
That tax cut was nuts. What bugs me the most about it is that they did not directly tie it to cuts in "entitlements"; they pretended that it will result in more revenue over the long run (all evidence is to the contrary) and they will wait until there is a shortfall to blame it on spending.
Military spending - we are #1 in that; I think we spend more than the next 12 or 13 countries on the list combined. I haven't seen one of those lists with the proposed increase; it may be up to 14 or 15. We wouldn't have to worry/spend so much on defense if we didn't spend so much sending troops all over the world pissing people off.
That tax cut was nuts. What bugs me the most about it is that they did not directly tie it to cuts in "entitlements"; they pretended that it will result in more revenue over the long run (all evidence is to the contrary) and they will wait until there is a shortfall to blame it on spending.
Military spending - we are #1 in that; I think we spend more than the next 12 or 13 countries on the list combined. I haven't seen one of those lists with the proposed increase; it may be up to 14 or 15. We wouldn't have to worry/spend so much on defense if we didn't spend so much sending troops all over the world pissing people off.
Agreed. Simply ridiculous to fund aircraft or ships @ $400 million each when you can put a drone in the air for <$1m. Warfare has changed but the US Military has not. We are still structured and staffed like we are going to fight another WWII. It's never going to happen that way again. The Pentagon budget amounts to a huge entitlement for the US defense industry.
Then we could go to work on that interest on the national debt - contributing nothing, Medical expenses via Medicaid/Care - lots of fat there and of course the sheer size of the US Govt.
I agree. I see many young people who assume everyone made tons of money back in the day. First of all people like my mom had few career choices then and most “women’s” jobs paid next to nothing. Her home that she bought in the 70’s only sold for $14,000 more than she paid for it when we sold it 5 years ago. She gets a $400 a month pension. There was no great society where everyone was set for life simply by being born 80 years ago.
It is true housing was more affordable but that was no guarantee of wealth in retirement as you can see. Also other things like TVs and appliances were not nearly as cheap. The idea no one struggled to make ends meet in 1970 is ridiculous.
I agree! In Southern California, housing was so expensive! Does you mom get any SS in addition to her $400.00 a month pension? Do you or other family members have to help her with her bills?
Most women in her generation stayed home with the family, which was very nice. Unfortunately, there is a price to pay for doing so....not much of a pension. My mother did the same, but she was always looking at houses to invest in. In Southern California, it is fairly easy to sell your home for a profit. The downside is that the prices of the homes are ridiculous. She knew that she could not depend on just Social Security, and explained that to us kids at a young age.
Agreed. Simply ridiculous to fund aircraft or ships @ $400 million each when you can put a drone in the air for <$1m. Warfare has changed but the US Military has not. We are still structured and staffed like we are going to fight another WWII. It's never going to happen that way again. The Pentagon budget amounts to a huge entitlement for the US defense industry.
Then we could go to work on that interest on the national debt - contributing nothing, Medical expenses via Medicaid/Care - lots of fat there and of course the sheer size of the US Govt.
I agree. Now they want to send military to the borders. Technology, drones and other advanced surveillance would be cheaper and more effective than a wall or troops, but I guess it doesn’t look manly or tough or impressive enough. Much more fun to be able to rearrange your toy soldiers and build giant expensive worthless structures.
It needn't be that much. Where to get the money? Perhaps reduce the recent tax cut on the wealthy. Military is another, as a previous poster noted. Specifically, why spend so much to defend countries that give their citizens benefits we can only dream of?
The "why" is a policy question that I can't answer in any way that adds value.
I do have data on the "how much."
Since the 1930s, the US has never spent less on defense, as a fraction of GDP or of the federal budget, than it is doing today. Here is defense / GDP. If instead we look at Defense / federal budget, it is even less, as the budget has expanded as a share of GDP.
The "why" is a policy question that I can't answer in any way that adds value.
I do have data on the "how much."
Since the 1930s, the US has never spent less on defense, as a fraction of GDP or of the federal budget, than it is doing today. Here is defense / GDP. If instead we look at Defense / federal budget, it is even less, as the budget has expanded as a share of GDP.
The military's share of the budget was 57% of discretionary spending or 16% of total spending in 2015:
Back then, my parents told me to get lost when I asked for some money for tuition. They said that my college degree was not going to benefit them, so they weren't paying for it. Besides, there were 6 children in my family. If they paid for me, they would have to pay for the others. They also told me that I didn't need a degree as I was female, and expected to get married soon. They said that I was 18, and it was time to get my own place, as there were younger kids in our family who needed my space, LOL. I thought that they were kidding. They weren't. I am not saying that when I was homeless they wouldn't let me sleep on the couch every now and then. They just thought that I had two arms and two legs and could get out and work, or at least marry my first boyfriend, Fred.
I remember having 2 jobs, not including college. I went to a university three mornings a week, then to a bank in the afternoons, then worked until 6:00 PM. I prayed that I would balance, so that I could go to my second job, which was a waitress at a Hawaiian Restaurant at night until 10:00 PM (except Mondays). On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I worked all day at the bank and didn't go to school. On the weekends I worked at the restaurant starting at 5:00 PM until 11:00 P.M. If I was lucky, I would get a lunchtime shift on Sundays so that I could finish at 8:00 PM. I would go home, take a shower, then study until 1:00 or 2:00 AM. I would then get up at 6:30 or 7:00 AM and do it all over again. I had to put the cost of my books on a credit card and pay the bill with tips from the restaurant job.
I was in school for 4 years getting mediocre grades (I wonder why) when the university counselor told me that I only had one semester left if I went to school full time. I decided to ask about a student loan, and qualified for one. I remember it was for a whopping $2,500.00. I used it to pay my rent, and told the bank job that I could only work on Fridays. I also cut back on my work at night at the restaurant, and only worked on the weekends there.
Anyway, I finished. My first job after college was working at a pharmaceutical company. I sold medicine to pharmacists and hospitals. I broke up with Fred long ago, because I simply had no time for him.
I still sympathize with you. You thought you couldn't do any more than you were doing. You underestimated yourself. I hope you can figure something else out for the future. Good luck.
Thank you. If I could do it over, I would have made it a priority to go to the universities in California while they were still free. I also wish I had someone who could have sat down and talked to me about things like finances, schooling, and retirement. I just had no clue, being on my own as young and as immature as I was. Well, hind sight and all that.
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Does you mom get any SS in addition to her $400.00 a month pension? Do you or other family members have to help her with her bills?
