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ORIGINAL: tazzygirl

Maybe we need to vote on these things.

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Why the hell can't we build affordable housing, for the working poor that live in shelters?
Why the hell can't we provide MORE help Americans that are having a hard time of it?

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ORIGINAL: Arpig

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Why the hell can't we build affordable housing, for the working poor that live in shelters?
Why the hell can't we provide MORE help Americans that are having a hard time of it?

Because that would be.....SOCIALISM!!!!!!!!!!

wanders off singing....The Internationale.....

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ORIGINAL: Marini

So now, I should be glad that programs like medicaid, medicare and even social security may be cut, while zillions of dollars will continue to be spent on things I have real issues with.

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If not, I am close enough to Washington, to fucking organize, and help set it off.
You will see my ass on CNN on the regular, if I don't get my fucking money.

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ORIGINAL: Arpig

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If not, I am close enough to Washington, to fucking organize, and help set it off.
You will see my ass on CNN on the regular, if I don't get my fucking money.

Give me some advance warning & I'll try to make it down...that is if you need a fat old longhair to help out.


The people's flag is deepest red.......

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ORIGINAL: jlf1961

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ORIGINAL: Marini

So now, I should be glad that programs like medicaid, medicare and even social security may be cut, while zillions of dollars will continue to be spent on things I have real issues with.

I am disabled. I depend on social security to get by.

There are a lot of people over retirement age that depend on social security.

Funny thing is that the GOP congressmen and women that have been around for a while were pushing for an alternative engine for the F-35 fighter jet. An engine that the Department of Defense did not want or need. It took President Obama going to the freshmen congressman to get the damn thing killed.

The GOP wants to cut spending in education, environmental protection and farm programs.

Our education standing is NINTH for people with a high school education, and seventh in college degrees, both areas we were ranked first in 20 years ago.

Other countries subsidize agriculture, so they can sell their goods cheaper than we can.

And who cares about the environment? Its not like it is important for anything.

In defense spending, the US spends $663,255,000,000 a year as of 2009, leading the world. China, the country at number 2 spends only $98,800,000,000.

Now Russia is number five at $61,000,000,000.

Both Russia and China have larger standing and reserve military forces than the US.

So, why the fuck are we spending so much on the military? We could cut spending by half and still be outspending everyone else by at least 3 times over.

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ORIGINAL: KenDckey

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ORIGINAL: jlf1961

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ORIGINAL: Marini

So now, I should be glad that programs like medicaid, medicare and even social security may be cut, while zillions of dollars will continue to be spent on things I have real issues with.

I am disabled. I depend on social security to get by.

There are a lot of people over retirement age that depend on social security.

Funny thing is that the GOP congressmen and women that have been around for a while were pushing for an alternative engine for the F-35 fighter jet. An engine that the Department of Defense did not want or need. It took President Obama going to the freshmen congressman to get the damn thing killed.

The GOP wants to cut spending in education, environmental protection and farm programs.

Our education standing is NINTH for people with a high school education, and seventh in college degrees, both areas we were ranked first in 20 years ago.

Other countries subsidize agriculture, so they can sell their goods cheaper than we can.

And who cares about the environment? Its not like it is important for anything.

In defense spending, the US spends $663,255,000,000 a year as of 2009, leading the world. China, the country at number 2 spends only $98,800,000,000.

Now Russia is number five at $61,000,000,000.

Both Russia and China have larger standing and reserve military forces than the US.

So, why the fuck are we spending so much on the military? We could cut spending by half and still be outspending everyone else by at least 3 times over.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/spending.htm

If we look at % of GDP, then we rank Number 25.   GDP is a better figure to look at than raw numbers because some small countries GDP doesn't equal in raw convertable currency the expenditure of some other countries (including china and russia).

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/china/budget.htm

China's defense spending is by no means transparent. China’s published defense budget does not include large categories of expenditure, including expenses for strategic forces, foreign acquisitions, military-related research and development, and China’s paramilitary forces.    The US budget does contain these.

http://blog.heritage.org/2010/04/05/how-does-u-s-defense-spending-compare-with-other-countries/

Now the Heritage Foundation shows us tied at 8th based upon GDP with an expenditure of approximately 4% of our GDP.   That by the way is down from the 60's when we spent approximately 9% of our GDP on defense and even during the Regan buildup was 6% of the GDP.  So since the 60's we have cut our GDP expenditures for the military by more than half (but not quite 2/3d's)


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_size_of_armed_forces

Now the number of active military personnel per 1000 citizens in the US is 5.1.   Whereas Russia is 7.3/1000 and China is 1.7/1000.   Huge differences.    And yet the US still doesn't rank number one.  

Personally I expect some dropping  of expenditures after we quit fighting.   That is normal.   it is also normal for a drop in the number of personnel.  

But if we look at entitlement program projections I believe we will find that they are taking over the budget.  ( http://www.heritage.org/BudgetChartbook/entitlements-historical-tax-levels ) and during this century will outpace revenues at projected growth rates.

So yes, I guess we could blame everything on the military.   Been that way for as long as I can remember.   Why not stop now?

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ORIGINAL: gobsmack

I was thinking about this earlier today after getting my taxes done. I'm tempted to look into the foreign income exclusion and rather than paying taxes to the government, use the money instead to pay rent and travel the world for a year. My own way of voting with my dollars.