Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[whodean]

Discretionary spending is just over 1T a year. Of that 600B is military spending.

Presumably the number grows at the baseline to ultimately be a far larger number after another 10 years, at which point the cuts would also proportionally reduce spending. Also could have dune entitlement reform included.

Ultimately, regardless of the size, the goal of reining in government spending is promising, and far from the stated "4 years smaller gov. conservatives will hate"

[Dr. Strangelove]

Overall, the blueprint being used by Trump?s team would reduce federal spending by $10.5 trillion over 10 years.

That is the very definition of smaller government

I think you're being awfully literal here. "Smaller government" conservatives aren't just concerned with the phyiscal number of govt employees or the size of the budget; it's also the level of control the government has over all aspects of life.

Trump promised today (and has been promising all along) a government that intervenes in the economy to, as he sees it, benefit Americans This almost certainly means erecting trade barriers where none currently exist. Also personal interventions by himself to pressure, cajole, or threaten individual companies into giving him what he wants. An effective tariff regime will require a regulatory staff, to monitor and make sure companies aren't cheating by slipping in illegal imports. So some agency is going to require more staff to effectively manage all that.

I'm not opining on what's better for America right here. I'm just telling you that Trump's very interested in increasing regulation when it comes to certain aspects of the economy, absolutely trade and manufacturing.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Photo comparison between the crowd to hear Obama in '09 and Trump today

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/politics/trump-obama-inauguration-comparison/?tid=sm_tw

[Wellington_beefhouser]

I think you're being awfully literal here. "Smaller government" conservatives aren't just concerned with the phyiscal number of govt employees or the size of the budget; it's also the level of control the government has over all aspects of life.

I'm not opining on what's better for America right here. I'm just telling you that Trump's very interested in increasing regulation when it comes to certain aspects of the economy, absolutely trade and manufacturing.

This is on point. "Smaller government" means less government interference in economic, monetary, educational policy etc. not just numbers.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Man there is nobody there watching this parade, even right next to where Trump is sitting. There were more people at the DC Memorial Day parade when I went years ago.

[KidD]

Presumably the number grows at the baseline to ultimately be a far larger number after another 10 years, at which point the cuts would also proportionally reduce spending. Also could have dune entitlement reform included.

Ultimately, regardless of the size, the goal of reining in government spending is promising, and far from the stated "4 years smaller gov. conservatives will hate"

Cutting dual entitlement would be a mistake and show blatant disregard for the less than 1% of Americans who stood up and stepped forward when our nation called in them. Multiple years fighting an increasingly unpopular war against an enemy that is able to fade into the civilian populace the moment that you try to strike back takes a very large toll on the psyche. And not just on the individual Soldier, Sailor, Airman or Marine but on the services themselves and the leadership of these services.

I've deployed 4 times to the ME. I have irreversible damage to both my knees and my lower back from years of wearing 70% of my body weight in gear. And that's just some of my physical ailments. I would take it very personally if, after 20 years (8 years from now) I was forced to choose between my promised retirement pay (50% of my base pay for the highest paying 36 months) or my disability pay. At this point I'm probably already looking at 60% disability, I struggle to stand for more than about an hour at a time, I can't handle crowds, have panic attacks at the right mixture of sound and smells, can't tolerate in the least people not being able to follow simple directions, or tardiness, have trouble being questioned when giving directions and snap at anyone being blatantly disrespectful. Does that sound like someone who will be able to easily be able to transition to the civilian workforce?

No, not really. I've actually debated spending my post military career in politics. I feel that there are not enough veterans in it because after years of wading through bullshit most are just done, not wishing to step into even more bullshit. I think that the opposite is true though, civil service is a mandate to represent every person in your area and attempt to ensure that their voice is heard.

Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk

[Wellington_beefhouser]

Man there is nobody there watching this parade, even right next to where Trump is sitting. There were more people at the DC Memorial Day parade when I went years ago.

Does this say more about the new president or more about the disillusionment with the American political system?

[whodean]

Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

First, thank you for your service.

Muy auto correct changed "some entitlement reform" to "dune entitlement reform".

What is dual entitlement?

The entitlement return I favor is means testing, waste removal, gradually increasing retirement age, things that probably would not affect most middle age to older truly needing Americans

[Dr. Strangelove]

Does this say more about the new president or more about the disillusionment with the American political system?

Probably option 2. I think a lot voted for Trump more out of frustration than rapturous adulation of the man.

[Wellington_beefhouser]

Probably option 2. I think a lot voted for Trump more out of frustration than rapturous adulation of the man.

Agreed. The real kicker here is what happens when nothing changes? Seems to me Trump's cabinet selections signal same ol' DC politics. If nothing changes, nothing changes. The way the voting is shaking out time after time has me losing faith in the intelligence of the voters. Next president....Kanye West! Crazier and crazier.

[hack]

I've actually debated spending my post military career in politics. I feel that there are not enough veterans in it because after years of wading through bullshit most are just done, not wishing to step into even more bullshit. I think that the opposite is true though, civil service is a mandate to represent every person in your area and attempt to ensure that their voice is heard.

Do it!

[Dr. Strangelove]

This is from right by the White House. Lot of wasted money on port-a-potties

[ame]https://twitter.com/SamSeder/status/822566396282466309[/ame]

[WingsFan]

Here you go DLS feel better!


[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2R2btO4MEo"]Liberal Protester screams in agony as Trump sworn in - YouTube[/ame]

[froot loops]

The crowds today will be nothing in comparison to when Trump has his military parades in May, they will have to order twice as many Don Johns.

[KidD]

First, thank you for your service.

Muy auto correct changed "some entitlement reform" to "dune entitlement reform".

What is dual entitlement?

The entitlement return I favor is means testing, waste removal, gradually increasing retirement age, things that probably would not affect most middle age to older truly needing Americans

Dual entitlement is receiving both your military retirement and a VA disability check. Sorry that I misunderstood your post, but the idea of cutting dual entitlement has been floated in the Senate the last few years as a cost cutting measure.

I fully agree that the military budget is far too bloated, but vehemently disagree that cutting troop pay and/entitlements is the way to go about it. The is plenty of pork to cut, from rediculous contacts to civilian defense companies to over the top future weapon programs that never amount to anything to the multibillion spent on making unnecessary incremental improvements to technology that is the best in the world as is.

Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk