On Thu, 5 Nov 2015 11:42:46 -0500, Keyser Söze wrote:

On 11/5/15 11:03 AM, wrote:

People helping people and you **** on it. Way to go.


Right over your head, again. What the kids are doing is admirable...but
what a wealthy country blows its resources on instead of taking care of
those of its people in need...is not admirable.

The thing that is over your head is the inefficiency of the
government.
As Richard pointed out, that defense budget you like to bitch about is
squandered for political favors and the more money we give the
government, the more gets squandered.
When elections cost a couple of billion each, there are lots of favors
to be doled out. Every penny of that comes with a string attached.
The only way to stop it is to remove the money we give to the
government to reward their bribers.

On Thu, 5 Nov 2015 11:44:28 -0500, Keyser Söze wrote:

On 11/5/15 11:26 AM, Mr. Luddite wrote:


Here's something I was thinking about that cracks me up.

The USA spends more on national defense than Russia, China
and the next two largest (militarily) countries combined, yet in
many ways Russia and maybe even China are rapidly approaching parity
with the USA in terms of military strength.

If Russia and China can do that at a fraction of the cost that the USA
spends, the problem really isn't funding the programs ... the problem is
the inefficiencies that exist in our government programs.
The government collects the funds from the taxpayers and then blows it
spending $43 million to build a $250k propane gas station.

So, when it comes to welfare or social programs, the liberal mindset is
to hand over even more money and authority to the same federal
government that can't effectively or efficiently manage the programs
they already have.

We were much better off dealing with social welfare issues at a state
and local level and through citizen initiated programs that target
specific problems. Historically, churches and other organizations like
the Rotary, Elks, Masons, etc., often participated in the organization
and management of these.

Handing the reigns over to the fed and thinking it will "take care" of
the problems is nuts.



The government contracts out for much of what it needs for the military.
It's the contractors - the corporations - that are robbing us blind here.


Are you now suggesting that the government nationalize the defense
contractors?
The contractors are doing exactly what the government contracts them
to do. Unfortunately they build in automatic inefficiency by requiring
that the parts of every system come from as many congressional
district as possible and the system itself is designed by committee so
it tries to be all things to all people. The spec's will change dozens
of times before they finally hit the field. It is just another "make
work" government boondoggle.

There is a book and a movie out there called "Pentagon Wars" about
the Bradley Fighting Vehicle. Of course it is Hollywood but the basic
facts are right about why this ended up being a $14 billion boondoggle
that was not really good for any mission (except perhaps the assault
on the Davidians in Waco)
Now they want to appropriate $29 Billion to replace them and we know
that will end up being more than twice that before they are done.

On 11/5/2015 11:42 AM, Keyser Söze wrote:
On 11/5/15 11:03 AM, wrote:
On Thu, 5 Nov 2015 10:19:53 -0500, Keyser Söze wrote:

...money to waste on the military, but kids need a food bank...


N.C. high school students start food pantry to keep classmates from
going hungry



People helping people and you **** on it. Way to go.


Right over your head, again. What the kids are doing is admirable...but
what a wealthy country blows its resources on instead of taking care of
those of its people in need...is not admirable.

The $609 billion military spending in the federal budget sounds like a
lot when you consider it by itself but have you ever viewed exactly
*how* it compares to the rest of the federal budget?

The Federal government spends far more on domestic social and welfare
programs than it spends on the military ... over 4 times as much, and
growing.

On 11/5/2015 11:44 AM, Keyser Söze wrote:
On 11/5/15 11:26 AM, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 11/5/2015 11:03 AM, wrote:
On Thu, 5 Nov 2015 10:19:53 -0500, Keyser Söze wrote:

...money to waste on the military, but kids need a food bank...


N.C. high school students start food pantry to keep classmates from
going hungry



People helping people and you **** on it. Way to go.



Here's something I was thinking about that cracks me up.

The USA spends more on national defense than Russia, China
and the next two largest (militarily) countries combined, yet in
many ways Russia and maybe even China are rapidly approaching parity
with the USA in terms of military strength.

If Russia and China can do that at a fraction of the cost that the USA
spends, the problem really isn't funding the programs ... the problem is
the inefficiencies that exist in our government programs.
The government collects the funds from the taxpayers and then blows it
spending $43 million to build a $250k propane gas station.

So, when it comes to welfare or social programs, the liberal mindset is
to hand over even more money and authority to the same federal
government that can't effectively or efficiently manage the programs
they already have.

We were much better off dealing with social welfare issues at a state
and local level and through citizen initiated programs that target
specific problems. Historically, churches and other organizations like
the Rotary, Elks, Masons, etc., often participated in the organization
and management of these.

Handing the reigns over to the fed and thinking it will "take care" of
the problems is nuts.



The government contracts out for much of what it needs for the military.
It's the contractors - the corporations - that are robbing us blind here.




The government has admitted that they don't have a clue where the $43
million for the gas station went.

The government ... meaning the Congress and the POTUS ... has the
responsibility to spend taxpayer's money wisely. They may "contract out"
.... but they are still accountable for where the $$ went.

Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 11/5/2015 11:44 AM, Keyser Söze wrote:
On 11/5/15 11:26 AM, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 11/5/2015 11:03 AM, wrote:
On Thu, 5 Nov 2015 10:19:53 -0500, Keyser Söze wrote:

...money to waste on the military, but kids need a food bank...


N.C. high school students start food pantry to keep classmates from
going hungry



People helping people and you **** on it. Way to go.



Here's something I was thinking about that cracks me up.

The USA spends more on national defense than Russia, China
and the next two largest (militarily) countries combined, yet in
many ways Russia and maybe even China are rapidly approaching parity
with the USA in terms of military strength.

If Russia and China can do that at a fraction of the cost that the USA
spends, the problem really isn't funding the programs ... the problem is
the inefficiencies that exist in our government programs.
The government collects the funds from the taxpayers and then blows it
spending $43 million to build a $250k propane gas station.

So, when it comes to welfare or social programs, the liberal mindset is
to hand over even more money and authority to the same federal
government that can't effectively or efficiently manage the programs
they already have.

We were much better off dealing with social welfare issues at a state
and local level and through citizen initiated programs that target
specific problems. Historically, churches and other organizations like
the Rotary, Elks, Masons, etc., often participated in the organization
and management of these.

Handing the reigns over to the fed and thinking it will "take care" of
the problems is nuts.



The government contracts out for much of what it needs for the military.
It's the contractors - the corporations - that are robbing us blind here.




The government has admitted that they don't have a clue where the $43
million for the gas station went.

The government ... meaning the Congress and the POTUS ... has the
responsibility to spend taxpayer's money wisely. They may "contract out"
... but they are still accountable for where the $$ went.




The government puts people in jail under the finegold act for what people
under them do that they should have monitored. Maybe apply that to
government. You do not know where that $43 million went? Off to jail you
go.

On Thu, 5 Nov 2015 13:16:04 -0500, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 11/5/2015 11:42 AM, Keyser Söze wrote:
On 11/5/15 11:03 AM, wrote:
On Thu, 5 Nov 2015 10:19:53 -0500, Keyser Söze wrote:

...money to waste on the military, but kids need a food bank...


N.C. high school students start food pantry to keep classmates from
going hungry



People helping people and you **** on it. Way to go.


Right over your head, again. What the kids are doing is admirable...but
what a wealthy country blows its resources on instead of taking care of
those of its people in need...is not admirable.

The $609 billion military spending in the federal budget sounds like a
lot when you consider it by itself but have you ever viewed exactly
*how* it compares to the rest of the federal budget?

The Federal government spends far more on domestic social and welfare
programs than it spends on the military ... over 4 times as much, and
growing.



The main thing to consider is military spending is virtually all "buy
American" and the biggest single jobs program in the US. A lot of
these are white collar jobs employing engineers and managers in
politically important states like California, New York and Texas. It
may explain why their congress people are so hawkish.
Of course smaller states like Maryland and Virginia have their nose
deep on the DoD trough too.
As I said, appropriations bills pass because they make sure just about
every district gets a taste of the pie, no matter if that is the most
inefficient way to build anything.

On 11/5/2015 3:54 PM, wrote:
On Thu, 5 Nov 2015 13:16:04 -0500, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 11/5/2015 11:42 AM, Keyser Söze wrote:
On 11/5/15 11:03 AM, wrote:
On Thu, 5 Nov 2015 10:19:53 -0500, Keyser Söze wrote:

...money to waste on the military, but kids need a food bank...


N.C. high school students start food pantry to keep classmates from
going hungry



People helping people and you **** on it. Way to go.


Right over your head, again. What the kids are doing is admirable...but
what a wealthy country blows its resources on instead of taking care of
those of its people in need...is not admirable.

The $609 billion military spending in the federal budget sounds like a
lot when you consider it by itself but have you ever viewed exactly
*how* it compares to the rest of the federal budget?

The Federal government spends far more on domestic social and welfare
programs than it spends on the military ... over 4 times as much, and
growing.



The main thing to consider is military spending is virtually all "buy
American" and the biggest single jobs program in the US. A lot of
these are white collar jobs employing engineers and managers in
politically important states like California, New York and Texas. It
may explain why their congress people are so hawkish.
Of course smaller states like Maryland and Virginia have their nose
deep on the DoD trough too.
As I said, appropriations bills pass because they make sure just about
every district gets a taste of the pie, no matter if that is the most
inefficient way to build anything.



That's true but the contractors share some of the blame as well.
I worked for a defense contractor for a couple of
years before I started the company I had. I researched and wrote
some of the technical sections of proposals in response to government
RFQ's and saw some of the cost justifications contained within the
bid. Most of these contracts are "cost plus" meaning the bid contained
enough to cover costs plus the maximum profit allowed by law. I think
it was 10% at the time. Anyway, it amazed me how, in the cost
justification, a $18k/year receptionist suddenly became a $60k/year
"administrative assistant".

On Thu, 5 Nov 2015 17:17:08 -0500, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 11/5/2015 3:54 PM, wrote:
On Thu, 5 Nov 2015 13:16:04 -0500, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 11/5/2015 11:42 AM, Keyser Söze wrote:
On 11/5/15 11:03 AM, wrote:
On Thu, 5 Nov 2015 10:19:53 -0500, Keyser Söze wrote:

...money to waste on the military, but kids need a food bank...


N.C. high school students start food pantry to keep classmates from
going hungry



People helping people and you **** on it. Way to go.


Right over your head, again. What the kids are doing is admirable...but
what a wealthy country blows its resources on instead of taking care of
those of its people in need...is not admirable.

The $609 billion military spending in the federal budget sounds like a
lot when you consider it by itself but have you ever viewed exactly
*how* it compares to the rest of the federal budget?

The Federal government spends far more on domestic social and welfare
programs than it spends on the military ... over 4 times as much, and
growing.



The main thing to consider is military spending is virtually all "buy
American" and the biggest single jobs program in the US. A lot of
these are white collar jobs employing engineers and managers in
politically important states like California, New York and Texas. It
may explain why their congress people are so hawkish.
Of course smaller states like Maryland and Virginia have their nose
deep on the DoD trough too.
As I said, appropriations bills pass because they make sure just about
every district gets a taste of the pie, no matter if that is the most
inefficient way to build anything.



That's true but the contractors share some of the blame as well.
I worked for a defense contractor for a couple of
years before I started the company I had. I researched and wrote
some of the technical sections of proposals in response to government
RFQ's and saw some of the cost justifications contained within the
bid. Most of these contracts are "cost plus" meaning the bid contained
enough to cover costs plus the maximum profit allowed by law. I think
it was 10% at the time. Anyway, it amazed me how, in the cost
justification, a $18k/year receptionist suddenly became a $60k/year
"administrative assistant".


You still have to blame that on the way the government writes
contracts. It is how you get $200 hammers and $600 toilet seats.

Keyser Söze wrote:
...money to waste on the military, but kids need a food bank...


N.C. high school students start food pantry to keep classmates from
going hungry
Zora Stephenson, WNCT Published: November 4, 2015, 12:16 pm Updated:
November 4, 2015, 12:24 pm

WASHINGTON, N.C. (WNCT) — One high school student in Beaufort County,
N.C. is committed to making sure its students are taken care of.
Students at Washington High School started a food pantry to make sure
none of their classmates go home hungry.

What started out as a student government project is now a full time
resource to students.

Senior Erin Lewis says, “We wanted to focus on those that need it, but
they don’t want to tell us that they need it.�

Lewis along with other classmates and their supervisor decided to
start a food pantry. It offers students non-perishable goods as many
times as they need it with no questions asked. There are no
advertisements or flyers for the resource because it’s anonymous.

“We don’t want the students to be embarrassed or the family to feel
like they’ve done something wrong,� guidance counselor Jennifer Beach
said.

Beach says students find out about the pantry through word of mouth.

“Those who were involved in it to start with, will let other students
know, hey this is something we’ve got up and running we helped create
it and you can see your counselor for help,� Beach said.

Project supervisor Laura Thompson says helping one another is what the
Pam Pack is all about.

“It’s the idea that we’re not just here to teach you the material that
you need to know to pass a test,� Thompson said. “We’re here to
educate you for life. Part of that is nourishing the whole student,
mind and body, and when we do both of those things we know students
will have great outcomes.�

Dozens of students currently use the food pantry. The goal is to
expand it and add perishable items. Washington High School also has
sanitation items, school supplies and clothes available to its students.
Previous post in this category
- - -

'Merica has its priorities ass-backwards.


You have to pay taxes to deserve an opinion about how other people's
money is spent.

Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 11/5/2015 11:03 AM, wrote:
On Thu, 5 Nov 2015 10:19:53 -0500, Keyser Söze wrote:

...money to waste on the military, but kids need a food bank...


N.C. high school students start food pantry to keep classmates from
going hungry



People helping people and you **** on it. Way to go.



Here's something I was thinking about that cracks me up.

The USA spends more on national defense than Russia, China
and the next two largest (militarily) countries combined, yet in
many ways Russia and maybe even China are rapidly approaching parity
with the USA in terms of military strength.

If Russia and China can do that at a fraction of the cost that the USA
spends, the problem really isn't funding the programs ... the problem is
the inefficiencies that exist in our government programs.
The government collects the funds from the taxpayers and then blows it
spending $43 million to build a $250k propane gas station.

So, when it comes to welfare or social programs, the liberal mindset
is to hand over even more money and authority to the same federal
government that can't effectively or efficiently manage the programs
they already have.

We were much better off dealing with social welfare issues at a state
and local level and through citizen initiated programs that target
specific problems. Historically, churches and other organizations
like the Rotary, Elks, Masons, etc., often participated in the
organization and management of these.

Handing the reigns over to the fed and thinking it will "take care" of
the problems is nuts.




Well said.