http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3234960.stm

Bush approves $400bn defence bill
US troops in Iraq are coming under daily attack

US President George W Bush has signed a defence spending bill that tops $400bn for the first time since the Cold War.
The president said the US armed forces were engaged in a great and historic task to confront terrorism.

The money includes an average 4.15% pay rise for US troops, as well as controversial funding for research into new types of nuclear weapons.

In a ceremony at the Pentagon, Mr Bush said the US faced enemies who measured progress by chaos, fear and death.

The $401.3bn defence bill was approved by Congress earlier this month. Separate legislation is needed before the money can actually be spent though.

"We will do whatever it takes to keep our nation strong, to keep the peace and to keep the American people secure," Mr Bush said.

SUPPORT THE WAR AT WHATEVER THE COST!

ITS YOUR AMERICAN DUTY!

He could just save us a few hundred billion and get out of office if he was serious about that statement.

Our country will ONLY be strong if we kill Iraqis!

Our freedom is at stake, please keep us FREE MR BUSH.

GOD HAS SENT YOU TO US

Got to protect against the "evil doers"... :blink:

He should take his sorry ass down into the projects and tell them that.

But he's much too busy having tea with gay royalty, and things like that.



Last edited by cherrylula at Nov 24 2003, 03:43 PM

cherrylula, why are you upset about?
he is spending MY money, not yours. I paid more taxes in one year alone than you, Fletch and your next 5 generations wil pay in their life times...

do you see me complain?

I have no problem spending my tax money on the military. We should have the baddest military around. A strong defense is vital to our nations future!!

and who complains the most???
the ones who put the least in the collection cup...Virtual life duplicates the real life
;-)))

and who complains the most???
the ones who put the least in the collection cup...Virtual life duplicates the real life
;-)))[/b][/quote]


No doubt Serge!!

I complain, but I see lots of tax money being wasted on pork, and stupid handouts - to the VERY people who complain about military spending but do not contribute at all!!

I support our military 100%, however that budget is so loaded with FAT its sickening. I know people that own companies that supply the DoD, and my father when he was a Colonel in the Army Reserves, worked in the Selective Service and Logistics & Supplies Divisions.

If you've never been to one of the major Army supply command centers, that's all you need to see how much waste, corruption, fraud and mismanagement goes on in the US Military.

I could write a 60's Minutes investigative special on some of the things I saw when I got to see a supply center years ago up in Philly.

There's easily $100 Billion you could trim out of that budget if not more and get the same results. Think long and hard on that number. That's over $1 Billion per day? 1 BILLION every 24 hours.

And the War Machine Keeps Turning..

Hahahahaha

<_<

No doubt Serge!!

I complain, but I see lots of tax money being wasted on pork, and stupid handouts - to the VERY people who complain about military spending but do not contribute at all!![/b][/quote]
I'm not particularly fond of (political) pork myself.

However, if you think that the military budget is remotely "kosher", you're out of your flippin' mind.

Fighting terrorism with nuclear weapons? riiiight....

that makes as much sense as believing that Saddam Hussein is related to al qaeda


:agrin:

I am not a huge fan of the movie "bowling for columbine" but there is one part that I really liked.

"Americans are so "used" to be afraid. They have been fed so much fear and scares, that they dont even need an actual reason anymore."

"Its a blanket alert, because of noise from different sources about Evil-doers."


Why not say that the boogie-man is looming.

He's using that fear to spend your money on his friends and buddies.

I'd like to see that number higher ....

.... and more $$$ spent on care for Veterans

*shakes fist*

Damn House! Damn Senate!

(No one ever blames them for anything even though they are just as responsible. It needed to be done.)

Having spent a little time in the military, I can tell you that the troops are celebrating the 4.15% payraise--even though it's peanuts, they and their families need it. :)

Dave
www.davecummings.com

Welcome to Oprano Dave. Hope to see you in Vegas!

I agree with pay increase for troops. I really think that they should be getting more, a LOT more especially when going into combat.

The amount of money and resources that are getting wasted in army is insane. Many companies exist just to supply army with products and services that are not even necessary.

The increase in wages is good thing. A bit higher would be even better.





Last edited by Soul_Rebel at Nov 25 2003, 05:13 PM

The government has never been known for being thrifty. More money spent on the military sounds fine to me.. I read a quote the other day that I liked...

Diplomacy is saying "nice doggy" until you can find a big stick.

The military is that big stick.. I like the idea that the government isn't skimping on the expense. Yes the money could be used in alot of other places.. yes those other places are very important but all in all I feel better with a big stick handy.

Not to sound like a cock, but what do they need it for? All their basic expenses are paid like housing, food, etc are paid right?

Pretty much all their income is disposable.

Or am I wrong? I could be wrong. I've never been in the military.

Not to sound like a cock, but what do they need it for? All their basic expenses are paid like housing, food, etc are paid right?

Pretty much all their income is disposable.

Or am I wrong? I could be wrong. I've never been in the military.[/b][/quote]
Actually, no. Bush cut a bunch of their funding already, and many of them are getting unpleasant surprises when returning stateside... Bills for the food they ate.

[quote]

The pay in the military is so small an amount, especially for the lower grade folks, that having a housing allowance and food allowances still doesn't keep MANY of them off of food stamps.

Somehow, things have got to get better for them!

Dave
www.davecummings.com

[quote]Originally posted by davecummings@Nov 25 2003, 06:04 PM

Quote:

The pay in the military is so small an amount, especially for the lower grade folks, that having a housing allowance and food allowances still doesn't keep MANY of them off of food stamps. Somehow, things have got to get better for them! Dave www.davecummings.com

Ahhh. I did not know that.

Thanks. :)

Not to sound like a cock, but what do they need it for? All their basic expenses are paid like housing, food, etc are paid right?

Pretty much all their income is disposable.

Or am I wrong? I could be wrong. I've never been in the military.[/b][/quote]
Not hardly, unless you want to live like a monk. These are folks just like you and me - they have lives.

You may have read about some of the folks who were "charged" for meals while they were in the hospital. That wasn't exactly true (but it sure as shit got a couple of Congressmen/Senators some free press). They had the $8.00 a day they get for meals deducted from their checks - which is now and always has been Standard Operating Procedure.

The base pay of an E-3, based on 52 40-hour weeks, works out to $7.83 an hour. Yes, there are good benefits - 30 days paid vacation, medical and dental, etc. - but for what is asked of them it's a pretty paltry sum.

And 4.15%? Shit, that's nothing. While I was in Reagan gave us a 14% raise - once. Of course, the rate of inflation back then was about 10% a year and we'd been through about 5 years of raises that averaged half the rate of inflation. It actually took me (with a wife and two kids) above the poverty line for six months ... andj once Reagan had to pay for Star Wars, bringing back the battle ships (the best fucking technology 1939 had to offer), and Nancy's astrologer, we went back to getting chump change.



Last edited by PornoDoggy at Nov 25 2003, 10:25 PM

I've read that 80% of military families of 4 people and over (that includes the serviceman/woman) are on food stamps.

Fucking Congress votes themselves a raise EVERY year and the military get zip nada zero. I think we need to take back about 5 years of Congress pay raises and give it all to our folks in uniform.

And for pork, how I long for a line-item veto.

Well, five years of congressional pay raises divided among the folks in uniform ain't going to go too far. Not defending the pay raises ... just pointing out it wouldn't do much

My girlfriend's son is a USMC Captain, and he makes a point of making sure his men get a chance to go pick up the free bread they give away a couple of times a (month?) on Camp Pendleton. When I heard about that I felt two things at once - disgust that they've got to do stuff like that, and jealous that they didn't have it when I was in - we sure could have used it, because I was too proud to take the food stamps.

Line item vetos might help (until the guy from the other party gets elected and abuses it) - but a crackdown on fraud in contracting and elimination of some of the ripoffs being done in the name of "privatization", and you'll have more than enough to go around.

But the chances of it happening? Snowball where?

That is disgracefully low!!! Bush should be ashamed. Seriously.

Yeah, right now we can only destroy regions, we needs one of dem babies that can destroy the whole planet with one shot! That'll show dem terrorists who's da boss, dagnabit varmits!

... except for having a suplus in funds that took three decades to get and about one Bush year to destroy. We're strong except for being back in debt up to our eye balls with a horribly weakened dollar ... But hey, other than that, we're strong.

American imperalism at any cost! Especially American lives! Woohah, Nelly!

Get GWB outta there and save some money for all of us at home....

I'd take the 400 billion and invest it in deveoping other sources of energy, hydro-electric engines, synthetics to replace oil. Then can toss all of the middle east back a few thousand years and let them assholes eat sand.

Maybe then they would all learn not to bite the hand that feeds them.

Just pull out our tropps, carpet bomb the entire area these assholes are in and show them who is the baddest motherfucker on the planet.

Worked at the end of WW2....... :redance:

But didn't in Vietnam...