Is Our Government Serious Right Now?

[sreggie101]

sometimes i think living a life where you're completely ignorant to american politics is the way to go, like i know most of my friends do. happy and worry free about it all. but knowing how important it is to know who is running the environment you live in, its ridiculous to ignore such topics.

with that said, im getting tired of hearing about the madness in washington. the gop are pathetic honestly. this debt ceiling issue should've been solved weeks ago. i feel like its a game to so many politicians.

this country really does suck these days.

 

[ar guy]

Originally Posted by ElderWatsonDiggs

Originally Posted by ooIRON MANoo

Could be, in regards to you. Just assumed with your military connections you had some sort of military background.

I wouldn't say the majority of folks have "chicken little" syndrome, just that the jug of kool aid is on empty and faith in our government is low especially with those that keep up with what you call "posturing".

Having "chicken little" syndrome is just as bad as being overly optimistic. Guess you stocked up on kool aid when you saw the jug near empty.

Warning. Post Digression.


Economics are very important, BUT our defense and power projection is paramount. I say that because soon as we start exhibiting major chinks in our armor from a defense standpoint the opposition no matter who they may be will start really attacking us, however that may be. Our military expenditure and capability is almost two fold more than the next country...and that's because we want to be so far ahead that it's not even an option to attack us (in a symmetrical manner anyway). The way it was explained to me by one of the senior most officials is that we don't like to play it close, we like the comfort of knowing we are leagues ahead of our competitors/potential adversaries. Example the F-22 Raptor. Our F-15 is still the overall best air superiority fighter, but the Russians started getting closer if not on par with their Mig 29 Fulcrum and Su 27 Flanker. So we had to separate ourselves by developing the Raptor, which is hands down the most capable fighter aircraft ever conceived. Though I have to admit things are getting pretty interesting now that the Russians are developing the PAK-FA and the Chinese the J-20.

Obviously I agree that our defense and projection of power is more important now than ever the only problem is at current pace it is unsustainable. We could honestly cut defense spending 20-30% and still be a a global force. The government has to get rid of the "use it or lose it" way of funding. The Army doesn't need a trails for a new damn carbine every year when the outcome is always the same. The Army doesn't need another round of camo trails, stick to Multicam and be done with it. At the Battalion all the way down the unit level saving money should be a priority but it's not. Our government would rather develop their own equipment for us which in the end ends up costing the taxpayer more. The entire F-35 program is a complete cluster !#%# because it seems the different branches (I'm looking at you USMC) are always wanting something more and this once again increase the price.

The thing that really sets our armed forces apart from others in the world is our professionalism. We have export some of the same equipment we use to nations where 10-20 yrs down the road may or may not be our allies, do you think we care? The answer is no. It has never been about the equipment and all about the man behind it. No nation pushes their men like we do. No nation can match our tankers, our pilots, hell our infantry men and that is what sets us apart. To all those who feel we spend too much on defense and not enough on social spending compared to our European and even Canadian allies think about why those nations and do what they do. If the big bad wolf comes around who do you think they are going to look for help? And if the SHTF here in the US what countries would really have our back and possibly die for the US? (Protip: it's less than 5).

 

[demps]

Originally Posted by airmaxplus

revolution anyone?

why tha #%*% for?

im chilling in my crib right now watching HD tv, internet, cold AC, and chiefin on some dank...naw, im good right now.

 

[User 37837]

Originally Posted by UPPTEMPO8387

Originally Posted by airmaxplus

revolution anyone?

I'm down for a revolution

Let's be patient guys and let the government do it's job.

Last Edited By: [color= rgb(255, 0, 0)]Homeland Security[/color] 07/24/11 2:04 PM.Edited 1 time.

 

[tkthafm]

Originally Posted by ElderWatsonDiggs

Originally Posted by ooIRON MANoo

Could be, in regards to you. Just assumed with your military connections you had some sort of military background.

I wouldn't say the majority of folks have "chicken little" syndrome, just that the jug of kool aid is on empty and faith in our government is low especially with those that keep up with what you call "posturing".

Having "chicken little" syndrome is just as bad as being overly optimistic. Guess you stocked up on kool aid when you saw the jug near empty.

In all seriousness I do realize that we as a nation are experiencing difficulties. Most of us are feeling the effects of it, yes even myself as a federal gov't employee. So I definitely have my share of gripes. However I don't let all the political posturing and fear mongering exhibited by our "leaders" get to me. This is [color= rgb(255, 0, 0)]all[/color] mostly about partisan political agendas and they are playing a huge game of pollo. The sad part is they are playing the game and not thinking about us the constituents.

So overly optimistic I am not, but I do understand that problems with our nation are cyclic in nature. Almost every generation experiences some sort of funk, yet somehow the nation seems to pull through.


Warning. Post Digression.


Economics are very important, BUT our defense and power projection is paramount. I say that because soon as we start exhibiting major chinks in our armor from a defense standpoint the opposition no matter who they may be will start really attacking us, however that may be. Our military expenditure and capability is almost two fold more than the next country...and that's because we want to be so far ahead that it's not even an option to attack us (in a symmetrical manner anyway). The way it was explained to me by one of the senior most officials is that we don't like to play it close, we like the comfort of knowing we are leagues ahead of our competitors/potential adversaries. Example the F-22 Raptor. Our F-15 is still the overall best air superiority fighter, but the Russians started getting closer if not on par with their Mig 29 Fulcrum and Su 27 Flanker. So we had to separate ourselves by developing the Raptor, which is hands down the most capable fighter aircraft ever conceived. Though I have to admit things are getting pretty interesting now that the Russians are developing the PAK-FA and the Chinese the J-20.

All of that is cool and all but means nothing when MORONS formulate our strategy. All the modern weaponry in the world means nothing when MORONS want to start conflicts where we can't even defeat a poorly armed/trained insurgent force. Iraq and Afghanistan sure went great

.  I'm sure nobody is going to notice our flip flopping hypocrisy with the "Arab spring". Oh, and the Libyan rebels will definitely topple Gaddafi any day now..... Hey, at least we got Bin Laden... (oh wait... al-Shabaab, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Meghrib, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, Taliban all strong right now). We need to move beyond WW2 era thinking with the ideas of a massive US/EU/China/Russia face off. The truth of the matter is we are already in this face off: with each small regional proxy conflict. The struggle for influence etc. It's all going on right now behind the scenes and requires smart decision making/formulating intelligent strategy. These are things the US is TERRIBLE at. The largest "defense" (aka: offense) budget in the world can't save the US from leaving with its tail between its legs time and time again (see: Israel in 2006 

) if we have MORONS dictating policy. China, Iran, even Russia and soon Africa/South America are all on the come up. EU/US/Israel looking kind of really stupid right now.

 

[ar guy]

Originally Posted by tkthafm

Originally Posted by ElderWatsonDiggs

Originally Posted by ooIRON MANoo

Could be, in regards to you. Just assumed with your military connections you had some sort of military background.

I wouldn't say the majority of folks have "chicken little" syndrome, just that the jug of kool aid is on empty and faith in our government is low especially with those that keep up with what you call "posturing".

Having "chicken little" syndrome is just as bad as being overly optimistic. Guess you stocked up on kool aid when you saw the jug near empty.

In all seriousness I do realize that we as a nation are experiencing difficulties. Most of us are feeling the effects of it, yes even myself as a federal gov't employee. So I definitely have my share of gripes. However I don't let all the political posturing and fear mongering exhibited by our "leaders" get to me. This is [color= rgb(255, 0, 0)]all[/color] mostly about partisan political agendas and they are playing a huge game of pollo. The sad part is they are playing the game and not thinking about us the constituents.

So overly optimistic I am not, but I do understand that problems with our nation are cyclic in nature. Almost every generation experiences some sort of funk, yet somehow the nation seems to pull through.


Warning. Post Digression.


Economics are very important, BUT our defense and power projection is paramount. I say that because soon as we start exhibiting major chinks in our armor from a defense standpoint the opposition no matter who they may be will start really attacking us, however that may be. Our military expenditure and capability is almost two fold more than the next country...and that's because we want to be so far ahead that it's not even an option to attack us (in a symmetrical manner anyway). The way it was explained to me by one of the senior most officials is that we don't like to play it close, we like the comfort of knowing we are leagues ahead of our competitors/potential adversaries. Example the F-22 Raptor. Our F-15 is still the overall best air superiority fighter, but the Russians started getting closer if not on par with their Mig 29 Fulcrum and Su 27 Flanker. So we had to separate ourselves by developing the Raptor, which is hands down the most capable fighter aircraft ever conceived. Though I have to admit things are getting pretty interesting now that the Russians are developing the PAK-FA and the Chinese the J-20.

All of that is cool and all but means nothing when MORONS formulate our strategy. All the modern weaponry in the world means nothing when MORONS want to start conflicts where we can't even defeat a poorly armed/trained insurgent force. Iraq and Afghanistan sure went great

.  I'm sure nobody is going to notice our flip flopping hypocrisy with the "Arab spring". Oh, and the Libyan rebels will definitely topple Gaddafi any day now..... Hey, at least we got Bin Laden... (oh wait... al-Shabaab, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Meghrib, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, Taliban all strong right now). We need to move beyond WW2 era thinking with the ideas of a massive US/EU/China/Russia face off. The truth of the matter is we are already in this face off: with each small regional proxy conflict. The struggle for influence etc. It's all going on right now behind the scenes and requires smart decision making/formulating intelligent strategy. These are things the US is TERRIBLE at. The largest "defense" (aka: offense) budget in the world can't save the US from leaving with its tail between its legs time and time again (see: Israel in 2006 

) if we have MORONS dictating policy. China, Iran, even Russia and soon Africa/South America are all on the come up. EU/US/Israel looking kind of really stupid right now.

You have no idea what your talking about.

 

[tkthafm]

Great response, excellent points and analysis.

 

[criminalminded]

Originally Posted by ElderWatsonDiggs

Originally Posted by ooIRON MANoo

Hahaha. Not even close. Your line of work is with the military though. Get that military contract, get paid.

Again wrong. I'm not a contractor and my money doesn't come from the military. Is it possible that you just don't know what you are talking about?

Sonned 

 

[i live in texas]

I'm lost.......are they making a separate committee to use only when they can't decide which way to vote or a super group committee that overlooks the whole congressional hearing and lawmaking process?

 

[abovelegit1]

Originally Posted by ElderWatsonDiggs

Originally Posted by ooIRON MANoo

Could be, in regards to you. Just assumed with your military connections you had some sort of military background.

I wouldn't say the majority of folks have "chicken little" syndrome, just that the jug of kool aid is on empty and faith in our government is low especially with those that keep up with what you call "posturing".

Having "chicken little" syndrome is just as bad as being overly optimistic. Guess you stocked up on kool aid when you saw the jug near empty.

In all seriousness I do realize that we as a nation are experiencing difficulties. Most of us are feeling the effects of it, yes even myself as a federal gov't employee. So I definitely have my share of gripes. However I don't let all the political posturing and fear mongering exhibited by our "leaders" get to me. This is [color= rgb(255, 0, 0)]all[/color] mostly about partisan political agendas and they are playing a huge game of pollo. The sad part is they are playing the game and not thinking about us the constituents.

So overly optimistic I am not, but I do understand that problems with our nation are cyclic in nature. Almost every generation experiences some sort of funk, yet somehow the nation seems to pull through.


Warning. Post Digression.


Economics are very important, BUT our defense and power projection is paramount. I say that because soon as we start exhibiting major chinks in our armor from a defense standpoint the opposition no matter who they may be will start really attacking us, however that may be. Our military expenditure and capability is almost two fold more than the next country...and that's because we want to be so far ahead that it's not even an option to attack us (in a symmetrical manner anyway). The way it was explained to me by one of the senior most officials is that we don't like to play it close, we like the comfort of knowing we are leagues ahead of our competitors/potential adversaries. Example the F-22 Raptor. Our F-15 is still the overall best air superiority fighter, but the Russians started getting closer if not on par with their Mig 29 Fulcrum and Su 27 Flanker. So we had to separate ourselves by developing the Raptor, which is hands down the most capable fighter aircraft ever conceived. Though I have to admit things are getting pretty interesting now that the Russians are developing the PAK-FA and the Chinese the J-20.

LOL @ Captain America over here. Unemployment is a lot worse than the public knows/understands, the US is caught in a debt spiral that is spinning out of control, commodity prices are horrific, consumers are relying heavily on credit as inflation erodes income, idiotic government spending is at unprecedented levels, Wall Street is corrupt, and there's a giant derivative bubble that no one wants to talk about, but HEY WORLD, LOOK AT OUR BIG GUNS!!! NA NA NANA NA NA!

 

[elderwatsondiggs]

Originally Posted by abovelegit1

Originally Posted by ElderWatsonDiggs

Originally Posted by ooIRON MANoo

Could be, in regards to you. Just assumed with your military connections you had some sort of military background.

I wouldn't say the majority of folks have "chicken little" syndrome, just that the jug of kool aid is on empty and faith in our government is low especially with those that keep up with what you call "posturing".

Having "chicken little" syndrome is just as bad as being overly optimistic. Guess you stocked up on kool aid when you saw the jug near empty.

In all seriousness I do realize that we as a nation are experiencing difficulties. Most of us are feeling the effects of it, yes even myself as a federal gov't employee. So I definitely have my share of gripes. However I don't let all the political posturing and fear mongering exhibited by our "leaders" get to me. This is [color= rgb(255, 0, 0)]all[/color] mostly about partisan political agendas and they are playing a huge game of pollo. The sad part is they are playing the game and not thinking about us the constituents.

So overly optimistic I am not, but I do understand that problems with our nation are cyclic in nature. Almost every generation experiences some sort of funk, yet somehow the nation seems to pull through.


Warning. Post Digression.


Economics are very important, BUT our defense and power projection is paramount. I say that because soon as we start exhibiting major chinks in our armor from a defense standpoint the opposition no matter who they may be will start really attacking us, however that may be. Our military expenditure and capability is almost two fold more than the next country...and that's because we want to be so far ahead that it's not even an option to attack us (in a symmetrical manner anyway). The way it was explained to me by one of the senior most officials is that we don't like to play it close, we like the comfort of knowing we are leagues ahead of our competitors/potential adversaries. Example the F-22 Raptor. Our F-15 is still the overall best air superiority fighter, but the Russians started getting closer if not on par with their Mig 29 Fulcrum and Su 27 Flanker. So we had to separate ourselves by developing the Raptor, which is hands down the most capable fighter aircraft ever conceived. Though I have to admit things are getting pretty interesting now that the Russians are developing the PAK-FA and the Chinese the J-20.

LOL @ Captain America over here. Unemployment is a lot worse than the public knows/understands, the US is caught in a debt spiral that is spinning out of control, commodity prices are horrific, consumers are relying heavily on credit as inflation erodes income, idiotic government spending is at unprecedented levels, Wall Street is corrupt, and there's a giant derivative bubble that no one wants to talk about, but HEY WORLD, LOOK AT OUR BIG GUNS!!! NA NA NANA NA NA!

I mean I appreciate the compliment actually. Things are definitely not perfect over here, but my travels have shown me what it is to REALLY have a +@!!%# up government and life. Now that we as Americans are experiencing some adversity people are becoming a bit irrational. I mean downsizing our incredibly bloated way of life at least temporarily is waaaay to much to ask for it seems.

 

[ar guy]

Originally Posted by tkthafm

Great response, excellent points and analysis.

The situation in Iraq has improved greatly since 2005 and to say otherwise would be a flat out lie. You know nothing about the situation in Afghanistan. You call the Taliban poorly trained, you do know that they have been in damn near constant war since when the Soviet's initially invaded in the 80's. You also know that battle hardened Chechens have been teaching tried and tested tactics that they learned fighting the Russians to the Taliban right? Oh, never mind their poorly trained. You know NOTHING about COIN so until you do shut up about that "moron" nonsense. You want use to forget about the past like it can never happen again.

 

[tkthafm]

Originally Posted by AR Guy

Originally Posted by tkthafm

Great response, excellent points and analysis.

The situation in Iraq has improved greatly since 2005 2007-2008 and to say otherwise would be a flat out lie. You know nothing about the situation in Afghanistan. You call the Taliban poorly trained, you do know that they have been in damn near constant war since when the Soviet's initially invaded in the 80's. You also know that battle hardened Chechens have been teaching tried and tested tactics that they learned fighting the Russians to the Taliban right? Oh, never mind their poorly trained. You know NOTHING about COIN so until you do shut up about that "moron" nonsense. You want use to forget about the past like it can never happen again.

What's your poiint with Iraq ? Yes, we paid Sunni's (including al-Qaeda members) to abandon the insurgency. The government however is a mess. Shiite militias are still rampant and infiltrate all the institutions. Millions of Iraqi's are orphans. Fallujah has cancer rates reminiscent of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Millions of Iraqi's don't even have electricity and water. Let's see how this 'success' holds up once we leave. Bottom line is: it was an idiotic decision by MORONS to enter, and has cost us over 900 billion thus far, just to take out Saddam and put an Iranian linked govt. into power. Marvelous.
As for the Taliban, yea, some of them are fierce warriors (I didn't mean "poorly trained" as a blanket term for ALL insurgents... many of the Taliban/Somali/Iraqi insurgents ARE poorly trained btw) that's why Afghanistan is called the graveyard of empires (soon to be the US). Look at the brazen executions of top officials including the presidents drug dealing brother by the Taliban. It sure is going great !

What else in my post did you respond to ? Oh. I'm the one who knows "nothing though".

Bottom line is: Morons dictating policy -> FAILURE. All the fancy arms/massive budgets can't help you 

 

[dynamic x]

ElderWatsonDiggs wrote:

I mean I appreciate the compliment actually. Things are definitely not perfect over here, but my travels have shown me what it is to REALLY have a +@!!%# up government and life. Now that we as Americans are experiencing some adversity people are becoming a bit irrational. I mean downsizing our incredibly bloated way of life at least temporarily is waaaay to much to ask for it seems.


sounds like you're just making excuses for other people and not holding the US government accountable for their ridiculous spending.
I just don't get the whole argument that because other foreign people suffer in bad countries, we should allow ourselves to get butt $%%!%# by the US government because "Hey, it isn't so bad compared to other countries." There are legitimate ways to getting the debt down and running a smarter government at the same time.  

But what should my opinion matter? I am an unemployed American living the great lifestyle of paying off a student debt and an unsure future of whether or not my college degree will mean anything in the future. You're right, Mr. Cushy Government Contract Employee, I deserve to downsize my life even more. 

 

[elderwatsondiggs]

Originally Posted by Dynamic X

ElderWatsonDiggs wrote:

I mean I appreciate the compliment actually. Things are definitely not perfect over here, but my travels have shown me what it is to REALLY have a +@!!%# up government and life. Now that we as Americans are experiencing some adversity people are becoming a bit irrational. I mean downsizing our incredibly bloated way of life at least temporarily is waaaay to much to ask for it seems.


sounds like you're just making excuses for other people and not holding the US government accountable for their ridiculous spending.
I just don't get the whole argument that because other foreign people suffer in bad countries, we should allow ourselves to get butt $%%!%# by the US government because "Hey, it isn't so bad compared to other countries." There are legitimate ways to getting the debt down and running a smarter government at the same time.  

But what should my opinion matter? I am an unemployed American living the great lifestyle of paying off a student debt and an unsure future of whether or not my college degree will mean anything in the future. You're right, Mr. Cushy Government Contract Employee, I deserve to downsize my life even more. 




Hang in there man, trust me I know it's hard out there. Your degree has value for sure, things are just tight right now. I'll say it again, I'm not some cushy government contractor making all the money. I am a federal gov't employee and I'm not making a whole lot of money. I guess all I can hang my hat on is some sort of job stability, but even gov't workers can't rely on that too much longer.

This is [color= rgb(255, 0, 0)]all[/color] mostly about partisan political agendas and they are playing a huge game of pollo (chicken). The sad part is they are playing the game and not thinking about us the constituents.


Somehow I'm thinking you didn't read what I wrote earlier (the quoted material above), because you stated "

sounds like you're just making excuses for other people and not holding the US government accountable for their ridiculous spending." I'm not making excuses, I actually believe that the politicians are the problem. They are putting politics above the people, and that's what's messing things up.

 

[ar guy]

Originally Posted by tkthafm

Originally Posted by AR Guy

Originally Posted by tkthafm

Great response, excellent points and analysis.

The situation in Iraq has improved greatly since 2005 2007-2008 and to say otherwise would be a flat out lie. You know nothing about the situation in Afghanistan. You call the Taliban poorly trained, you do know that they have been in damn near constant war since when the Soviet's initially invaded in the 80's. You also know that battle hardened Chechens have been teaching tried and tested tactics that they learned fighting the Russians to the Taliban right? Oh, never mind their poorly trained. You know NOTHING about COIN so until you do shut up about that "moron" nonsense. You want use to forget about the past like it can never happen again.

What's your poiint with Iraq ? Yes, we paid Sunni's (including al-Qaeda members) to abandon the insurgency. The government however is a mess. Shiite militias are still rampant and infiltrate all the institutions. Millions of Iraqi's are orphans. Fallujah has cancer rates reminiscent of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Millions of Iraqi's don't even have electricity and water. Let's see how this 'success' holds up once we leave. Bottom line is: it was an idiotic decision by MORONS to enter, and has cost us over 900 billion thus far, just to take out Saddam and put an Iranian linked govt. into power. Marvelous.
As for the Taliban, yea, some of them are fierce warriors (I didn't mean "poorly trained" as a blanket term for ALL insurgents... many of the Taliban/Somali/Iraqi insurgents ARE poorly trained btw) that's why Afghanistan is called the graveyard of empires (soon to be the US). Look at the brazen executions of top officials including the presidents drug dealing brother by the Taliban. It sure is going great !

What else in my post did you respond to ? Oh. I'm the one who knows "nothing though".

Bottom line is: Morons dictating policy -> FAILURE. All the fancy arms/massive budgets can't help you 

So the Sunni Awakening just didn't happen than. The decision to invade Iraq can be debated for days, I'm not trying to argue that. I'm arguing what I'm familiar with and that is military operations. The US is bound by the fact that we follow rules. It's real hard to fight against an enemy who follows none. The fact that it is damn near impossible to get indirect fire support in A-Stan is ludicrous. And these insurgents may have no formal training but that does not make them any less capable. These people are making advanced IEDs and EFPs that and set off by everything from radio signals to damn garage door openers. Could you in all your knowledge perform a successful ambush or movement to contact. Well a good portion of these insurgents can.  The dumb ones end up dead the smart ones who are the most problem know the limitations our politicians are putting one ground forces. And like I said early they understand the advantages of a good pair of boots and body armor. I'm arguing on military alone and not the political side. You're right, our POLITICAL leaders are idiots, out military not so much (besides the bull headed Air Force). The way I feel about politicians is I'll probably never make it higher than an O-5.

Afghanistan will not be the end of the US. If our leaders let our boys fight and fight to win this war would be completely different. The fact the Pakistani ISI support the Taliban isn't helping the matter but that's a completely different topic. And I do agree with "Morons dictating policy -> FAILURE" I just want you to see where the failures coming from.

P.S. I appreciate threads like this on NT. Its refreshing.

 

[tkthafm]

AR Guy, looks like we aren't really disagreeing at all.

My problem isn't with the generals; it's with dumb politicians putting our military leaders in these positions in the first place. Which is why I say arms/budgets etc are meaningless when idiots dictate how they are used. They pretty much hand the insurgencies victories by entering these conflicts and then failing to either finish them or cut losses and leave. The "in-between" strategy just prolongs failure. The Pakistan ISI situation is just one example... and while we get bogged down in these conflicts, China/Iran lay back, arm the insurgents, and watch (the smart strategy).

I too appreciate threads like this. Both the political and military side of things interest me because they're inextricably linked. For example, for us to make military progress in Afghanistan, we have to tackle Pakistan... and that is a hornets nest politically with how unstable things are over there. Even the best COIN strategy cannot work if our political leaders are idiots. Thus IMO instead of fancy fighter planes and missile systems we should focus more on strategy for now. China is playing it smart and investing tremendously in Africa & South America, building good relations for the future. What are we doing ?

 

[b smooth 202]

We'll see what he's talkin' bout when federal employees don't get paid anymore

 

[ar guy]

Yeah I notice we were basically in agreement when I was 3/4 of the way done but there was no way I wasn't going finish

. Our government needs to drastically cut all spending for us to get out of this mess. It's to bad no politician has the balls to come out and say it.

 

[callhimar]

Originally Posted by AR Guy

Yeah I notice we were basically in agreement when I was 3/4 of the way done but there was no way I wasn't going finish

. Our government needs to drastically cut all spending for us to get out of this mess. It's to bad no politician has the balls to come out and say it.

And raise taxes and close loopholes in our current tax codes. Maybe even reform the bracket system as well. The fact that those on the right find this so untouchable is sickening. 

 

[elderwatsondiggs]

The American public though quite well informed has no idea of the threats we face. I'll put it this way...we are already looking past the whole AQ/Tally/Counterinsurgency. There is a good chance that we will be tested by a sovereign nation our lifetime. I'm not making my statements out of ignorance.

 

[nubiandisaster]

?summary for a stupid american?

 

[wawaweewa]

Originally Posted by ElderWatsonDiggs

Originally Posted by abovelegit1

Originally Posted by ElderWatsonDiggs

In all seriousness I do realize that we as a nation are experiencing difficulties. Most of us are feeling the effects of it, yes even myself as a federal gov't employee. So I definitely have my share of gripes. However I don't let all the political posturing and fear mongering exhibited by our "leaders" get to me. This is [color= rgb(255, 0, 0)]all[/color] mostly about partisan political agendas and they are playing a huge game of pollo. The sad part is they are playing the game and not thinking about us the constituents.

So overly optimistic I am not, but I do understand that problems with our nation are cyclic in nature. Almost every generation experiences some sort of funk, yet somehow the nation seems to pull through.


Warning. Post Digression.


Economics are very important, BUT our defense and power projection is paramount. I say that because soon as we start exhibiting major chinks in our armor from a defense standpoint the opposition no matter who they may be will start really attacking us, however that may be. Our military expenditure and capability is almost two fold more than the next country...and that's because we want to be so far ahead that it's not even an option to attack us (in a symmetrical manner anyway). The way it was explained to me by one of the senior most officials is that we don't like to play it close, we like the comfort of knowing we are leagues ahead of our competitors/potential adversaries. Example the F-22 Raptor. Our F-15 is still the overall best air superiority fighter, but the Russians started getting closer if not on par with their Mig 29 Fulcrum and Su 27 Flanker. So we had to separate ourselves by developing the Raptor, which is hands down the most capable fighter aircraft ever conceived. Though I have to admit things are getting pretty interesting now that the Russians are developing the PAK-FA and the Chinese the J-20.

LOL @ Captain America over here. Unemployment is a lot worse than the public knows/understands, the US is caught in a debt spiral that is spinning out of control, commodity prices are horrific, consumers are relying heavily on credit as inflation erodes income, idiotic government spending is at unprecedented levels, Wall Street is corrupt, and there's a giant derivative bubble that no one wants to talk about, but HEY WORLD, LOOK AT OUR BIG GUNS!!! NA NA NANA NA NA!

I mean I appreciate the compliment actually. Things are definitely not perfect over here, but my travels have shown me what it is to REALLY have a +@!!%# up government and life. Now that we as Americans are experiencing some adversity people are becoming a bit irrational. I mean downsizing our incredibly bloated way of life at least temporarily is waaaay to much to ask for it seems.

It's not temporary brosef. Believe that. 
Oh, and instead of laughing and throwing out "senior officials told me" lines (we can all do that; my aunt is a pretty senior official at the NSA. So what? ) you can study the situation and think for yourself. 

This isn't temporary. The balance of powers in the world is changing and we're not going to come out well because of our dangerous and short sighted policies. 

 

[cucumbercool]

lol wut

jaja, que?

 

[uptownsdotnetstacky]

Originally Posted by fraij da 5 11

Originally Posted by airmaxplus

revolution anyone?

Nah man, NFL bout to be back in session...

Nah....my guns is hand me downs and the gov will put me where I can't be found