Hardnosed political discussion . . .

#352
#352
(jdsa @ May 7 said:
We tax the daylight out of our citizens to maintain a disproportionately large military.
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Disproportionately large??? Might be the most outrageous comment on this board. Heading into OIF (Operation Iraqi Freedom,) our military was the smallest it has been since the early 1930s. We probably have around 1,000,000 full time service men ( out of a country of almost 300 million citizens(and we have around 100 million men and women who are considered fit for service in the United States, we only take 1% of that.) I guess in your opinion, less than a third of one percent constitutes disproportionately large. Next you are going to tell me that soldiers, marines, sailors, and airmen get paid to much.

A little more insight into the Canadian utopia...

THE WORLD'S TEN LARGEST ARMIES

1. China - 1,700,000
2. India - 1,200,000
3. North Korea - 900,000
4. South Korea - 560,000
5. Pakistan - 520,000
6. United States - 475,000
7. Iraq - 360,000 - Pre-2003, of course.
8. Myanmar - 325,000
9. Russia - 320,000
10. Iran - 320,000

The Canadian Forces has an authorized strength of 60,000, with fewer than
20,000 in the army. The biggies, including China, North and South Korea, and Iran all have conscription.

THE WORLD'S LARGEST AIR FORCES - BY NUMBER OF COMBAT AIRCRAFT

1. Russia - 3,996
2. China - 3,520
3. United States - 2,598
4. India - 774
5. Taiwan - 598
6. North Korea - 593
7. Egypt - 583
8. France - 531
9. Ukraine - 521
10. South Korea - 488

Canada has 80 operational CF-18 Hornets

THE WORLD'S LARGEST NAVIES - BY PERSONNEL

1. United States - 369,800
2. China - 230,000
3. Russia - 171,500
4. Taiwan - 68,000
5. France - 62,600
6. South Korea - 60,000
7. India - 53,000
8. Turkey - 51,000
9. Indonesia - 47,000
10. North Korea - 46,000

Canada has approximately 4,000 sea-going personnel, considerably fewer than the crew of an American Nimitz Class aircraft carrier.
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Must be nice to just rely on the U.S. for all your defense forces.
 
#353
#353
We tax the daylight out of our citizens to maintain a disproportionately large military.
Click to expand...

That is a rather odd comment................

Perhaps he is talking about the expenditure of fuel and such, cost of war,.....I don't know.....

Our military force in the 1930's were great. Heck, we still had horses chasing armored vehicles, poor ones at that, armed with wooden guns!
 
#355
#355
Interesting article/study suggesting why democrats do NOT connect with the middle class.

Before you think this is conservative ranting - check the source - Third Way - a "progressive" organization that is trying to fight conservatives!

I think their findings are right on - the Dem message is consistently negative which 1) defies the facts and 2) defies the underlying values of the middle class.

Especialy interesting (to me) the condemnation that the Dem message is anti-rich, anti-business while most in the middle class aspire to these things.

Enjoy (link is to the summary press release - link at the bottom of the press release is for the entire report).

Dem leaders don't get it

 
#356
#356
Just a quick military story, I have a friend who is a pilot in the Air Force. His squad needed hours logged and his commander told him and a buddy to take their F-16's for the weekend and not come back till Monday. Well they went to baseball games in Arizona, Texas, and Washington D.C. with a touchdown landing in Lexington, Kentucky.

Tax payers money at work baby!

OOOOOOOHHHHHHH RAH!
 
#357
#357
now come on bham are you trying to say that republicans relate better with the middleclass. i would have to say the dem's still own most of the middleclass and i think in november it will show. i know what somebody will say, that the democrats don't have a plan. right now they don't need one they will sit back and let the republicans self destruct.
 
#358
#358
(smokedog#3 @ May 10 said:
right now they don't need one they will sit back and let the republicans self destruct.
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For the time being, that's definitely the best strategy for the Dems, but it's a long way to November.
 
#359
#359
I hear that Bham- I would consider myself to be more blue than red these days and whole heartedly agree with these statements. It is always how bad we are going to be with regard to the economy, environment etc. The leaders of the current Dem party are often aloof to what middle america wants/needs - I think it stems from the fact that we are getting into career politicians who have substantial bank accounts before they represent their people. These guys have no idea what it is like to come from a "you have to earn it" family and there fore do not understand the middle class in the way that the Dem party used too. The most itrritating thing to me is how they are very quick to pass the buck and point blame - but never offer a true and lasting solution to the situtaion. Sad really - this might be the end of the Dem. party as we know it - look at the history books - parties don't last forever.
 
#360
#360
(volinbham @ May 10 said:
Especialy interesting (to me) the condemnation that the Dem message is anti-rich, anti-business while most in the middle class aspire to these things.
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Substitute the word 'confounding' for 'interesting' and you honestly have a problem for democrats thats hard to punch a hole in with voters.

The middle class does aspire to these things. Thinks perpetually that they'll get "there" in another year or so. And so, doesn't mind the upper 20% or whatever getting the bulk of the tax cuts. Because, they think, "Hey that'll be me soon".

98% of the time it is not them. But they don't seem to mind.

Confounding.
 
#361
#361
now come on bham are you trying to say that republicans relate better with the middleclass. i would have to say the dem's still own most of the middleclass and i think in november it will show. i know what somebody will say, that the democrats don't have a plan. right now they don't need one they will sit back and let the republicans self destruct.
Click to expand...

The democrats do need a plan. So do the republicans. Simply being against everything the majority supports for will keep people away from the polls. Voters might not vote for republicans again but that doesn't mean they will vote democrat. That will pick up a couple of seats, but if you look historically at major shifts in party power, it has always happened when a minority formulates a strong platform that the majority is unable to respond to. Democrats haven't done that yet and until they do, republicans will maintain control through a slim majority.
 
#362
#362
(OrangeEmpire @ May 10 said:
That is a rather odd comment................

Perhaps he is talking about the expenditure of fuel and such, cost of war,.....I don't know.....

Our military force in the 1930's were great. Heck, we still had horses chasing armored vehicles, poor ones at that, armed with wooden guns!
Click to expand...

Considering military expenditures represent one third of our annual budget, any attempt to reign in government spending should start by trimming a little fat from the military budget in my opinion. Fixing medicare and social security would also be important.

Hopefully, there's some sort of happy medium ground between trimming some excess and reducing our troops to using mules to haul our artillery pieces.
 
#363
#363
(smokedog#3 @ May 10 said:
now come on bham are you trying to say that republicans relate better with the middleclass. i would have to say the dem's still own most of the middleclass and i think in november it will show. i know what somebody will say, that the democrats don't have a plan. right now they don't need one they will sit back and let the republicans self destruct.
Click to expand...

The past elections disprove your theory that the Dem's still own most of the middle class. They haven't for the past decade and we'll soon find out if they got some back.

As for my saying that Republicans relate better to the middle class - I wouldn't go that far. However, I think the republican message of optimism and you can do it yourself instead of depending on the government to do it for you does appeal more to the middle class (unfortunately, the republicans are not practicing what they preach).

As stated in the report, the Dem message to the middle class is we'll keep you from sliding backwards while the Rep message is we'll get the govt out of your way so you can move forward.

Bottomline, the continual negative messaging (especially when its not based in fact e.g. the economy) of the Dems appeals to the left base but not the moderate middle. Not my words but the dems own research!
 
#364
#364
(jdsa @ May 10 said:
Considering military expenditures represent one third of our annual budget, any attempt to reign in government spending should start by trimming a little fat from the military budget in my opinion. Fixing medicare and social security would also be important.

Hopefully, there's some sort of happy medium ground between trimming some excess and reducing our troops to using mules to haul our artillery pieces.
Click to expand...


The old guns or butter issue
 
#365
#365
(OrangeEmpire @ May 10 said:
Just a quick military story, I have a friend who is a pilot in the Air Force. His squad needed hours logged and his commander told him and a buddy to take their F-16's for the weekend and not come back till Monday. Well they went to baseball games in Arizona, Texas, and Washington D.C. with a touchdown landing in Lexington, Kentucky.

Tax payers money at work baby!

OOOOOOOHHHHHHH RAH!
Click to expand...

As long as we are telling quick military stories...

I have a friend who was door gunner during OIF 1, in non-armored Humvees. He ran convoy escort operations between Talil, Najaf, and Fallujah. He spent 15 months in a combat zone and then returned to the U.S. For that 15 months, he worked a minimum of 70 hour week and made at most $29,596.50. When you consider civilian overtime pay, he would have made $28,050 working the same amount of time at McDonald's (assuming McD's pays $5.5/hr.)

TAX PAYERS MONEY AT WORK

HOOAH
 
#366
#366
As long as we are telling quick military stories...

I have a friend who was door gunner during OIF 1, in non-armored Humvees. He ran convoy escort operations between Talil, Najaf, and Fallujah. He spent 15 months in a combat zone and then returned to the U.S. For that 15 months, he worked a minimum of 70 hour week and made at most $29,596.50. When you consider civilian overtime pay, he would have made $28,050 working the same amount of time at McDonald's (assuming McD's pays $5.5/hr.)

TAX PAYERS MONEY AT WORK

HOOAH
Click to expand...

God Bless Capitalism!

But don't forget

Considering military expenditures represent one third of our annual budget, any attempt to reign in government spending should start by trimming a little fat from the military budget in my opinion. Fixing medicare and social security would also be important.

Hopefully, there's some sort of happy medium ground between trimming some excess and reducing our troops to using mules to haul our artillery pieces.
Click to expand...

I don't why the line, using mules to haul our artillery pieces, makes me laugh so hard......

Oooohhhhhh Rah!
 
#369
#369
i saw that empire. i also saw reid, frist and mccain finally got paid as the immigration bill is gaining steam. private buisness is running the usa now, not the government. lou dobb's has a great article on cnn.
 
#370
#370
I doubt it will happen. Democrats and they will do everything they can to block it. The last thing they want is for the GOP to be able to claim the immigration issue.
 
#371
#371
read the article, basically it says reid and frist compromised and now they are off to the house to see how it will do there. in my opinion big buisness is writing this bill. in all polls the democrats are ahead or more favorable than the republicans. Bush will be the republican downfall.
 
#372
#372
Dobbs does make one point that I think most of America agrees with . . . just enforce the existing laws. It's amazing how both parties are running around trying to come up with a solution to satisfy everybody when all they need to do is just enforce the law.
 
#373
#373
(GAVol @ May 11 said:
Dobbs does make one point that I think most of America agrees with . . . just enforce the existing laws. It's amazing how both parties are running around trying to come up with a solution to satisfy everybody when all they need to do is just enforce the law.
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An observation which could be applied across the length and breadth of so many of the hot button issues in this land...
 
#374
#374
that is true, it doesn't help when W is against enforcing the laws though. this issue i disagree with both parties on. that is the main reason i think they are getting paid.
 
#375
#375
(smokedog#3 @ May 11 said:
read the article, basically it says reid and frist compromised and now they are off to the house to see how it will do there. in my opinion big buisness is writing this bill. in all polls the democrats are ahead or more favorable than the republicans. Bush will be the republican downfall.
Click to expand...

If you'll notice though . . . Dobbs is ripping the Democrats just as much as the Republicans on this one.
 
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