SecDef Gates announces surprising cuts in defense budget
“Defense Secretary Robert Gates Thursday told Congress the administration is seeking $78 billion in cuts to the Defense budget over the next five years on top of $100 billion in efficiencies.
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon (R-Calif.) said after the morning briefing that he was deeply concerned about the surprising depth of the spending cuts. McKeon said he had gone into the meeting expecting to oppose the plan to trim $100 billion in waste when Gates announced the additional $78 billion in reductions.
“We are fighting two wars, you have China, you have Iran: Is this the time to be making these types of cuts?” McKeon said.
The depth of the cuts exceeded that predicted by defense analysts and appear to show the seriousness with which the White House is pursuing deficit reduction. Analysts had expected the approximately $80 billion in savings returned to the Treasury to come out of the $100 billion in savings Gates was seeking.”
Just to make sure it’s clear, $100 billion of the savings sought by Gates would be kept within the Defense Department and used for other defense purposes. The additional $78 billion over five years would be actual reductions in projected spending. (And again, just for clarity’s sake, the cuts are in projected spending — actual Defense spending would rise slightly and then level out over the next five years.)
I think the only way to understand this move is as the opening gambit of a series of budget-cutting, deficit-reducing proposals by the Obama administration. I don’t see it being reported that way yet, but it makes sense. The president is not going to make cutting defense his only or even his major deficit-reducing effort. Between now and his State of the Union address, I suspect we’ll see a string of similar announcements, so that he can tell the American people that he is doing his part to close the deficit and challenging the Republicans to do the same.
For example, the Gates proposal calls for “modest increases” in the amount that working-age veterans pay for health care through the government’s TriCare program, noting that such fees haven’t been raised since 1995. That makes sense, but it suggests that similar or greater increases will be proposed for civilian contributions to federal health-care programs, including perhaps for federal employees.
Again, this is all just conjecture on my part. But it’s the only thing that makes sense.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
238 comments Add your comment
md
January 6th, 2011
7:32 pm
Jo,
Yeh, a new target for the bad guys…………..
buck@gon
January 6th, 2011
7:33 pm
I’m conjecturing too Bookman, and the only thing that makes sense is that Obama seems to care about deficits whenever the politics suits him–after the SHELLACKING. This sudden insincere concern is brought forward for one reason only, the hinder Republicans from cutting spending, AND to sell the US budget as the bigger problem than unemployment and the economy. In the fantasy island of Washington DC, everything is hunky dory if and only if there is plenty of money to spend. If there are Republicans around saying there isn’t, then it’s just no fun for Pelosi, Reid and Barney Frank.
Suddenly the Adolesident is a budget hawk? Don’t even go there. The only reason for suggesting this is to obfuscate the fact that the Obamune would love to catch the Republicans in another “read my lips” moment a la George Bush 41. Not going to happen.
The only reason that Defense is getting anything resembling a budget shaving is that it is the only department of government that the Chicago-bama thug Adolesidency loathes with every fiber of their being. (Maybe just “hates” is appropriate now because a key democrat constituency is allowed to come out of the closet).
josef nix
January 6th, 2011
7:35 pm
Part of the solution to the drop out rate is the have programs in place in the public schools for its graduates to enter the workforce with viable skills in the artisan trades. That ain’t gonna happen with the simultaneous demand to cut spending on education…you gets what you pays for…
md
January 6th, 2011
7:36 pm
“I don’t see a solution being offered here.”
I’ve posted it many times in the past…………..pretty simple actually…….in order for one to get assistance, they must “choose” to re-enter the initial assistance program – education.
We provide the first program and one should finish the first program before asking for assistance in alternate programs.
Hillbilly Deluxe
January 6th, 2011
7:38 pm
Common Sense
That’s a valid point about the 1099’s. They could just give you a W2, like they do now (for those who get W2’s) except don’t withhold taxes weekly, just keep track of what’s owed. I think if most people had to pay their taxes in a lump sum, annually or whatever, they’d crap a gold brick and things might get changed.
I know with my property taxes, which I get a bill for, once a year (which increases annually but that’s another story for another day), I’m painfully aware of just how much it costs, when I take the check to them.
Mary Elizabeth
January 6th, 2011
7:39 pm
md @ 7:15
Those who are successful in school do not drop out. There are literally hundreds of reasons that students are not successful and over which they have no control. One is I.Q. If Student A has an IQ of 80 and Student B has an IQ of 140, both students are capable of learning the same curriculum, but it will take Student A twice as long as Student B to learn the same curriculum.
However, schools are not presently set up to take into account that needed the time variable – called ensuring mastery learning. Instead, every student has the same 9 months to master the same curriculum for a given grade level respective of his or her varied I.Q. level. That is the fault of the school systems, not the students. So the students, in that particular case, are the victims of the ignorance of mastery learning within of the school systems.
And I.Q. variances are only one type of variable.
But when I was speaking of selfishness, I was not speaking in terms of education. I am speaking of a consciousness in this nation that has turned to judging everyone else regarding their success in comparison to one’s own success. That is so what is so short-sighted and selfish. Why not think in terms of how we can lift others instead of how we can judge them?
We are better as a nation when we try to understand others – even the weak – with compassion and insight instead of continuing to pass harsh judgments on others – judgments of which we have such limited knowledge.
Beware of those who are so against a federal role in national healthcare. At least the federal government is non-profit. Health insurance companies are for profit. Vouchers will never change that basic concept. Are we to become a nation whereby every man and woman must fend for him or herself in healthcare or could we, instead, think of education and healthcare as essentials and rights for every American citizens?
That is what I mean by a consciousness of communion versus a consciousness of selfishness in our nation. And, without a doubt, our consciousness as a nation will carry over into world consciousness in ways that are not always simply logical.
Southern Comfort
January 6th, 2011
7:41 pm
Cutting the EFV was Obama, Gates and Mullins way of punishing the Marine Corps for being politically incorrect on their non-support of DADT.
I guess it’s the same for reducing the number of Marines by 20,000. But what was his motivation for the other stuff? He’s talking about an increase in TRICARE, cutting back in the general officer corps, freezing civilian pay, and other stuff.
md
I’m with you now. I understand and agree with your point much better.
josef nix
January 6th, 2011
7:41 pm
md
@ 7:32
Kinda makes you want to know which party Noble Energy is contributing to, doesn’t it?
TaxPayer
January 6th, 2011
7:42 pm
Real Scooter
January 6th, 2011
6:10 pm
Thank you, Real Scooter and I’ll try to be less less snarky with you in exchange.
Southern Comfort
January 6th, 2011
7:42 pm
josef @ 7:35
Amen!!!!
False Evidence Appearing Real (FEAR)
January 6th, 2011
7:44 pm
Well said Mary Elizabeth.
Mary Elizabeth
January 6th, 2011
7:49 pm
FEAR @ 7:44
Thank you for your comments. BTW, the word in my post at should have been “irrespective” not “respective.”
md
January 6th, 2011
7:49 pm
“I am speaking of a consciousness in this nation that has turned to judging everyone else regarding their success in comparison to one’s own success. That is so what is so short-sighted and selfish.”
But are you yourself not judging with that very statement??
Common Sense isn't very Common
January 6th, 2011
7:52 pm
Hillbilly Deluxe@7:38 pm
With 1099s the employee has no NEED to pay taxes as in property taxes etc.
1099 have no taxes taken out therefore the recipient just doesn’t pay them
That leads to non contribution to SS which will not enable them to ever retire unless the fed creates a totally seperate retirement program for them (retire, starve, die)?
md
January 6th, 2011
7:52 pm
“Kinda makes you want to know which party Noble Energy is contributing to, doesn’t it?”
Just another stock I didn’t buy…………par for the course.
I’m thinking they may have wanted to keep it under wraps though…..I’m guessing Hezbollah and Hamas and their handlers are plotting on their maps as we speak, waiting for the day to see a bit of infrastructure……………
Southern Comfort
January 6th, 2011
7:53 pm
The Marine landing craft, called the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle, was conceived in the late 1980s, and each one was meant to carry 17 Marines ashore and roar inland without pausing on beaches raked by enemy fire. But difficulties in marrying the land and sea technology have led to billions in cost overruns and years of delay, with an early cost estimate of $9 billion for 1,000 vehicles ballooning to $14.4 billion for 574 of them. The government has so far spent about $3 billion on its development.
Mr. Gates, moreover, has questioned whether amphibious assaults, which were crucial in World War II and the Korean War, make sense now that adversaries can fire missiles at ships and tanks from many miles away.
Could also be that Mr. Gates is trying to save the lives of both Marines and Navy personnel by not putting them within range of missiles that could kill them before they even have a chance to get started.
From the same link:
And even some Marines acknowledge that they made themselves vulnerable to the cost-cutting by becoming just as caught up in high-tech projects as the rest of the military.
“The Marine Corps used to say, ‘Our weapons system is the Marine,’ and tout its affordability as a service,” said Dakota Wood, a retired Marine lieutenant colonel who is now a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, a research group in Washington. “But they seem to have become enamored with the very high-end programs that in previous years they would have criticized the Army or the Air Force for pursuing.”
Scout
January 6th, 2011
7:55 pm
N-GA :
No problem. Thanks.
Mary Elizabeth
January 6th, 2011
7:59 pm
md @ 7:49
You are now playing a semantics game with me in which I am not going to indulge.
But I will say that even Christ made judgments, but He judged those who did not have their spirits or hearts in the right place. He judged them for their lack of compassion and called it what it was. Likewise, MLK Jr. knew racists when he saw them, but he tried to have compassion even for them while at the same time not relenting on calling what they were doing as wrong. He kept that duality of thought in his consciousness in order to lift the society as a whole, as well as the individuals within it – from a standpoint of spiritual strength, not from spiritual passivity.
TaxPayer
January 6th, 2011
7:59 pm
SoCo,
The military should have hired Bruce Wayne to design that amphibious craft.
josef nix
January 6th, 2011
8:01 pm
md
just another stock I didn’t buy…may still be time…take a look…
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-29/noble-says-tests-show-leviathan-is-significant-gas-discovery-off-israel.html
Hillbilly Deluxe
January 6th, 2011
8:01 pm
Common Sense
That’s not what I’m talking about though. The IRS can keep track of what you owe, the amount can be sent in every week and the end of the year, they send you a bill (similar to property taxes). Pay up or face the IRS, similar to what it is now. They can still take the SS out weekly, if they choose.
md
January 6th, 2011
8:07 pm
“You are now playing a semantics game with me in which I am not going to indulge.”
Not really….merely pointing out that each of us have our own set of definitions, and although both sets may be different, it doesn’t necessarily equate to either being wrong…………………..
My philosophy on helping the “poor and weak” may be different, but it doesn’t make it wrong. I’m a firm believer in long term solutions, and to me, short term assistance without conditions could very well be much more damaging in the long term.
TaxPayer
January 6th, 2011
8:10 pm
Technology will ultimately lead to the exclusion of humankind from the battlefield. “Man” will be replaced by the more efficient killing machine and then the machine will turn on man. It all began on Caprica. Unless you are a fan of Terminator. In that case, it was all Arnold Swartzenager’s fault. Unlike Obama, he’s a real alien.
Southern Comfort
January 6th, 2011
8:12 pm
TaxPayer
LOL!!!!
On a serious note, I think that EFV is an example of government waste that can and should be cut. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t invest and research technology. However, I think the whole contracting scheme is nothing but a way to funnel taxpayer money into someone’s pocket. The whole contracting process should be reviewed and revamped. If I were to rewrite government contracting rules, here’s where I would start:
*End of all no-bid contracts. Even if it’s a contract to shovel sh*t, it will be bidded on.
*All bids must be realistic bid amounts and not low-balled just to get the contract.
*Contractors would be allowd a maximum of 5% overruns before a complete audit would take place. If the contract can not be completed within a 15% overrun, their contract would be voided. The job would then go to the 2nd place bidder.
*Any contractor who has multiple overruns would be barred from competing for future contracts for a period of no less than 20 years.
That’s just for starters. It would force companies to bid the true costs of their projects or it would cut the “significant delays” that leads to decade-long overruns and delays.
josef nix
January 6th, 2011
8:12 pm
md
I would agree with much of your 8:07 except that no responsible parties are at all interested in those long-term solutions…we are a culture of immediate gratification and obsessive self interest.
Southern Comfort
January 6th, 2011
8:13 pm
It all began on Caprica. Unless you are a fan of Terminator. In that case, it was all Arnold Swartzenager’s fault. Unlike Obama, he’s a real alien.
If you ever hear of a military project called SkyNet, we’re in deep ****!!!
md
January 6th, 2011
8:15 pm
“Technology will ultimately lead to the exclusion of humankind from the battlefield.”
May not be too far off…………our joystick generation against their joystick generation in the battle of drones…………….
Who would of thought that nintendo, sony and microsoft were actually developing warfare systems disguised as gaming sets…………..
Mick
January 6th, 2011
8:17 pm
sinkwich@7:18
You really have to be a doofus to make comment like that….
Mary Elizabeth
January 6th, 2011
8:17 pm
md @ 8:07
I am glad to hear that you are not playing a semantics game with me, md, and I take you at your word and believe your words.
But your words, “I’m a firm believer in long term solutions, and to me, short term assistance without conditions could very well be much more damaging in the long term,” simply seem like abstract philosophizing to me. Remember I spent 35 years of my life “where the rubber hits the road” working with kids. Just help them as best you can, without judgments is all I am saying.
I certainly don’t have all the answers, but I do trust the wisdom of God through Christ when He said, “Judge not that you be not judged.” It is a matter of degree, as we have both pointed out. Even Jesus judged, but the dominant lesson of his life was love, not judgment.
The problem with judgment is our limited humann perceptions. You may think you know why someone is failing in life or school, but one really have such limited awareness – like seeing the top of an iceberg only. That is why it is better to love than to judge. Love nurtures and creates growth. Judgment can crush and destroy.
Del
January 6th, 2011
8:19 pm
SoCo, I don’t think you’re an expert on Marine Corps infantry operations. I think Marine Corps command are the best experts. Robert Gates has always been a finger in the wind political appointee who is no expert either on the aforementioned subject, so I guess you’re in good company.
md
January 6th, 2011
8:20 pm
Jo,
I concur……too bad it isn’t looked at like preventative health-care. Ensuring education on the front end would cure a lot of what ails us on the back end.
Mick
January 6th, 2011
8:24 pm
Scout
Check this out-
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gilt-manual/bush-crocs-presidential-socks-obama-flip-flops_b_805337.html
josef nix
January 6th, 2011
8:25 pm
Jay the other day referred to Newt as a “Republican Robespierre,” and while I thought it was a good turn of phrase and not to far off in certain aspects, this Revolution so many of those wanting to cut this, that or the other program and lambasting the poor (most of whom are working poor) tend to forget that that revolution began with the bread riots…revolutions are not fought on full bellies, and L-rd knows what would happen of these assistance programs WERE axed forthwith…it wouldn’t be pretty and that’s pretty clear from every jacquerie of the past…
TaxPayer
January 6th, 2011
8:25 pm
SoCo,
I agree with your list of requirements for contractors but it is a two-way street there. The military also needs to have something a little more concrete to share with contractors than, “well, I want the best and it needs to be better than anything else out there including whatever we come up with in twenty years and it needs to be ready soon no matter what it costs and it needs to be built in this particular state in order to get enough votes and this state and this state…” On second thought, we should let China build whatever we need because we already know they’re the lowest bidder and their work is as good as anything we do here.
Mary Elizabeth
January 6th, 2011
8:27 pm
md @ 8:20
“Ensuring education on the front end would cure a lot of what ails us on the back end.”
—————————————————————————-
Early childhood education intervention ( 3 and 4 year old pre-school) is one of the critical programs to helping insure long-range success. That program, however, is now being cut in large part from Georgia’s educational budget.
Del
January 6th, 2011
8:27 pm
So weasel gates sends another reinforced Marine Corps Battalion into Afghanistan because they’ve been getting the job done, while stabbing them in the back. Shades of Robert STRANGE McNamara another Secretary of Defense idiot in a Democrat administration.
md
January 6th, 2011
8:28 pm
Mary,
I equate it to giving a child an allowance……tie that allowance to doing chores and the child learns the value of earning the allowance. Give that same child an allowance with no conditions, and that child learns the it is entitled to an allowance. Long term, which is better?
Common Sense isn't very Common
January 6th, 2011
8:29 pm
Hillbilly Deluxe@8:01 pm
I understand what you are saying and agree to a point.
Many 1099 employees are also renters and will NOT pay income taxes unless forced to (the IRS would have to hire many more to enforce those rules). If the money is taken when the employee is paid it would then become the employees responsibility to file to get their money BACK or to pay the under payments).
But like with W2 employees claiming more dependants than they have it is a problem in the amount of people NOT paying what is required by law.
At least with a W2 employee you can go to their address or current employer. Some 1099s float from company to company so they are harder to track.
The gov’t like all gov’ts forecast revenues and plan accordingly or NOT LOL.
kind of like having payment liabilities of $3,000 a month and getting layed off and living off UI benefits.
Southern Comfort
January 6th, 2011
8:30 pm
Del
I’ve never claimed to be an expert on Marine Corps infantry operations. I merely pointed to an article that talked about the cost overruns in relation to the EFV. Unlike you, I don’t think the logic behind cutting that program had anything to do with DADT. How can you be serious about cutting the budget and leave a program on the books with delays and overruns going back to the 1980’s and that vehicle may not even be of great use for future Marines?
I have no problem with investing money in technology and equipment that will greatly enable our military to maintain the strength and presence we already have. However, I have a problem with continuously funneling money into a bottomless pit with little to no ROI. Cost overruns may have been the norm when programs existed that developed the SR-71, the M1-A1 Abrams, and other goodies. However, the huge difference between then and now is more than 8 million fewer taxpayers contributing to those programs in the form of taxes because they are not working.
If you read the link I posted earlier, there was even a retired Marine Lt. Col who talked about the Marines getting too involved with the high tech stuff instead of just being Marines. Maybe you should talk to him. He’s probably more of a Marine Corps infantry operations expert than I am.
md
January 6th, 2011
8:31 pm
“Early childhood education intervention ( 3 and 4 year old pre-school) is one of the critical programs to helping insure long-range success. That program, however, is now being cut in large part from Georgia’s educational budget.”
And there in lies the problem as we can only afford a finite number of programs…………pick your poison on which ones to fund.
md
January 6th, 2011
8:35 pm
A finite number of programs goes back to my question of “how many programs do we put in place for those that choose not to participate?”
If we have limited funds, we need to make sure we are not wasting them with shoddy programs. If one understands that assistance is tied to education, I’m willing to bet it becomes a priority.
josef nix
January 6th, 2011
8:37 pm
Mary Elizabeth
@ 8:27
The focus of my work this year is developing strategies to bring those kindergartners who did not have pre-school to the level of those who did (on which the kindergarten curriculum is now predicated). The gap between the two is a chasm. The lack of that early intervention was NOT the parents’ fault. There simply were not enough seats funded to meet the demand. Believe me, the efforts those parents went to to obtain a seat for their children, and the ultimate failure to obtain one, is the stuff of a tragedy. Roughly 15-20% of our kindergartners fall into this category. Our middle and upper middle class parents could buy a seat in a private program. At age 5, we have already set ourselves up for another generation of the cycle of poverty in the working class.
It’s not hard to tell those days when the frustration gets a little tough. I come in here spitting, hissing and cussing!
Hillbilly Deluxe
January 6th, 2011
8:39 pm
The gov’t like all gov’ts forecast revenues and plan accordingly or NOT LOL
That’s another place I think they screw up. Instead of spending what they think they are going to have, why not spend what they actually have. In other words, this years spending comes from last years income. Of course, given the system we have now and the shape it’s in, it’d take a good 100 years to phase that in.
Del
January 6th, 2011
8:40 pm
SoCo, I’ve been there done that so I don’t have any need to talk with anybody to formulate my opinions. Evidently, you’re dependent on other sources beyond your own experiences, so being absent from your own experienced based knowledge please don’t comment on my posts, particularly when you put my comments in a quote without addressing me by my name.
Common Sense isn't very Common
January 6th, 2011
8:42 pm
josef nix@8:37 pm
It’s not hard to tell those days when the frustration gets a little tough. I come in here spitting, hissing and cussing!
—————–
Not our Josef?
I’m shocked, shocked I tell ya
josef nix
January 6th, 2011
8:47 pm
common sense
Oh, shut up!
Common Sense isn't very Common
January 6th, 2011
8:48 pm
moi?
Mary Elizabeth
January 6th, 2011
8:54 pm
md @ 8:28
I agree with you completely as far as the example of allowance that you have stated. It is the using of that basic trusim you stated through your example to justify thinking broader than allowances that is problematic for me in your thinking, or at least, as I have perceived your thinking to be.
Let me give you a real example from my educational life experience. I taught 16 years at an all black suburban high school. Students were reading in 9th grade from grade levels 4 – 16+ because of the failure in the system (which I gave you earlier this evening). One half – or about 250 kids yearly – were reading on 6th grade level and below. Those scores were equally true with 10, 11, and 12th graders.
I taught a course of SAT prep and college level prep to Juniors and Seniors in high school. But my Reading Dept. also taught a Personalized Reading course for those students who were 3 or more grades below their year in school. A peer teacher taught those classes.
All of our classes in our Reading Dept. were elective so that if the students did not sign up, we were out of a job. At one time, our dept. was one of the biggest in the state, with 3 reading specialists and 2 reading paras to help students in a high school of about 1700 students. We offered morning tutorials and lunch tutorials and after school tutorials during the course of my 16 years there. I never had a problem with students wanting to enroll in any of our classes because they wanted to improve themselves and we helped them believe that they could improve themselves. Though we were detailed in knowing their specific, individual reading test scores, underneath that precision, they knew we cared deeply for them and that we knew we were there to make sure they improved and became all they could in life. That comes from love, not judgment. No one was concerned about the “discipline of allowance to chores” thinking; it was purely based on I believe in you and I know you will be motivated of your own volition to improve, and that is what happened. All of our classes were filled every semester, and students were on waiting lists many years, in all the years I was there.
BTW, I hope this testimony disputes some very ugly racial stereotypical thinking that I was reading on this blog about black people a few days ago. That thinking was so untrue based on my experiences. I found black kids hungry to improve and to learn of their own free will. And they were so grateful just to have someone to care enough to help them improve – with no strings attached. And by the way, I had no discipline problems in my classes. They knew I cared and that we were all there to insure their academic growth. No need for “allowance and reward” type of thinking. My kids were self-motivated for the most part with few exceptions.
josef nix
January 6th, 2011
8:59 pm
Mary Elizabeth
I taught in such a school as you describe. Latin was not in the curriculum. Some of the kids found out that I knew it and asked if I would tutor them in it. I had 53 kids come in at 7 a.m. to take advantage of it. Oh, yes, and the reading scores went up for them!
Matti
January 6th, 2011
9:01 pm
jo nix,
Regarding your statements about early education, and the difference it makes in lives of those little ones, and their ability to care for themselves and contribute to society over the next 60 years, I have to say this:
The advantage to our entire state of educating ALL our children (early and well) is not only obvious, but it could not possibly BE more obvious if it were a giant Chic Fil A cow humping the Big Chicken at Noon with the live, eye-team copter cam hovering overhead and broadcasting live!
However, this simple, meaningful, HUMONGOUS ROI initiative is poo-poo’ed by the conservatives of this state as pointless, and they’d rather not “waste” their money on schools when there are boat ramps to build on fish ponds for important goobernatorial friends. In short, they LIKE the system we have now: a permanent underclass mired in ignorance and a few select good ol’ boys (and their carpetbagger friends) who enjoy Georgia’s good life on the golf courses and prime waterfront hideaways, cleaned and maintained by immigrants whose green cards may or may not be legit. Don’t rock the boat, josef, or they might just throw you overboard and send their lackey sheriff away with a cold one when he comes poking around with a question or two.
Mary Elizabeth
January 6th, 2011
9:05 pm
Josef @ *:37
I agree with everything you said – including not the parents fault – and I commend you for your wonderful efforts for the kids. I am not surprised at all at your dedication.
md @ 8:35
Glad you support education – esp. early childhood educational intervention. That is probably THE most important program to keep kids from having a reading range from 4 – 16 grades in grade 9. There would not be such a wide span if early intervention were practiced.
Mary Elizabeth
January 6th, 2011
9:06 pm
Getting a little shopworn – think I will sign off for the evening. Goodnight all.
Mick
January 6th, 2011
9:09 pm
Mary elizabeth & josef
There’s a popular documentary out there called “waiting for superman”. In reality superman never shows up to teach, stop crime or anything else. However, clark kent-mild mannered reporter, shows up everyday to offer a helping hand behind the scenes in the guise of teachers, police and many others who are now being demonized for public service. Many of us realize your contributions, like the story’s just told, and we vociferously thank you for it..
Matti
January 6th, 2011
9:11 pm
What Mick said!!!
josef nix
January 6th, 2011
9:12 pm
matti
As you can see, there are times when I’m in your camp!
Seriously, though, and I’ve posted this before. When the Great White Chief of Mississippi Theodore G. Bilbo vetoed the black education funding back at the turn of the last century, he said, “why waste money on his education when the only result is to spoil a good field hand and make an insolent cook.” Well, yes, that pack down at the state house here at the beginning of this century are much of the same line of thought. And it’s not just a white, Republican thing, either…once when I forewent my arrogrance and went begging with hands out for a few shekels to provide extra help tutorial for our latino children, I was told by the melanin rich that, essentially, they’ll drop out anyway. They’re illegals and won’t be going to college. They were not very happy when the white liberal popped up with the Bilbo quote…but, it was the same thing…
Southern Comfort
January 6th, 2011
9:13 pm
so being absent from your own experienced based knowledge please don’t comment on my posts, particularly when you put my comments in a quote without addressing me by my name.
Del
If you don’t want comments on your post, then don’t post them on an open blog. The good thing about life and being an American is that we all come from different backgrounds and different experiences. I don’t have the same experiences as you do, but I do have experiences in budgeting and avoiding overruns.
The point I was trying to make was not a point based in Marine infantry experience. I would never attempt to make a point based on that because that is not my base of knowledge. However, I do have years of experience in budgets and finance, and feel that I CAN make comments from that angle based on my experience.
Whatever your personal problem is with Gates, Obama, Mullen and whomever else is your problem and not mine. You linked the budget cuts to DADT. I simply stated that I think it was more of a financial decision. The only people who know the TRUE message behind the cuts are the people who decided to make them.
I guess you’re one of those fiscal responsible people who want fiscal restraint unless it’s a program of interest to them. I’ll make sure to avoid commenting on your posts in the future. I don’t want you to get upset if I don’t agree with something you’re saying. Have a good evening.
josef nix
January 6th, 2011
9:17 pm
Aw! Thank y’all for the kind words! And while I’m not fishing for them, they do mean a LOT when that time comes when we in the schools ask ourselves, “does ANYbody give a sh*t?”
You Distort/We Deride
January 6th, 2011
9:17 pm
I seem to remember a time not so long ago when a very famous and empowered Republican uttered the words, “Deficits don’t matter”. Now the sheep have flip-flopped. It’s all about political expediency for you folks, though you claim to take the ethical high ground.
Matti
January 6th, 2011
9:22 pm
jo nix,
I am always pro-education. As Ron White says, “you can’t fix stupid,” but we can sure as hell fix ignorance, and we can surely help most every young person find his or her own pathway to becoming a contributing, self-supporting adult by enhancing the skills and aptitudes the Good Lord alotted.
That being said, I HAVE NO CAMP. I’ve come to accept that I am alone in this wilderness, observing, and sometimes howling about what I see, but I no longer imagine I have a camp, a side, or anyone guarding me or my interests. (DAMN I hate all this lucidity! Life was so much easier when I believed the BS!!!)
Common Sense isn't very Common
January 6th, 2011
9:25 pm
It would be interesting if all depts had to pick their must have programs/projects, then their need but can waits, then like to’s, and last their if I were rich programs.
Then defend them with hard numbers (jobs, attainable goals for education, etc.) Also not allow the representatives to vote on projects in their HOME state. That way you could do away with lobbyists as the reps themselves would be forced to lobby.
Nah it would never work as the back office deals would choke a horse LOL
Del
January 6th, 2011
9:27 pm
SoCo, It’s not a matter of being offended of replies to comments I post on an open blog, it’s an aversion to someone who lacks personnel experience and attempts to make up for it by posting links they postulate as proof of points they themselves couldn’t make from their own experience. Condescension doesn’t cut it with me lad, so don’t even think you pack gear to try it. Have a nice evening.
Common Sense isn't very Common
January 6th, 2011
9:28 pm
Matti@9:22 pm
I believe in thorazine and scotch LOL.
doesn’t it feel better when you stop beating your head against the brick wall of STUPID
josef nix
January 6th, 2011
9:28 pm
matti
I keep trying to tell ya, Sweet, you do, too have a camp! It’s the ones without a camp!
And thanks for the line for me to use with you in the future when I’m taking a poke at ya, It’ll be “I see you’re howling in the wilderness!”
Seriously, though, I DO know the feeling and I’ve become quite comfortable here in the wilderness…
Common Sense isn't very Common
January 6th, 2011
9:31 pm
josef nix@9:28 pm
And thanks for the line for me to use with you in the future when I’m taking a poke at ya, It’ll be “I see you’re howling in the wilderness!”
—————-
But is she wearing clothes in the wilderness??
Love ya Matti
Paulo977
January 6th, 2011
9:32 pm
josef @9:17pm
“does ANYbody give a sh*t?”… Oh God don’t I know that ‘desperate ‘ feeling!
Re: …The Common Good ..this is what Deepak Chopra has to say..”As long as you’re giving you will be receiving” Take heart !
Southern Comfort
January 6th, 2011
9:34 pm
Del
The link I posted to was in reference to the point I was making from my experience. So, now you’re going to question whether or not I know anything about budgeting? Did you even read the link? The part I posted from the retired Lt. Col was his words and not mine. If he doesn’t know what he’s talking about, then how did he get to Lt. Col? It’s not a matter of being condescending or lacking experience. If that vehicle was finished without major cost overruns, we wouldn’t be having this conversation and it would not be on the chopping block.
But during the two decades that the vehicle has been in development, the range of antiship missiles has shot up to 75 miles, making Navy vessels vulnerable if they tried to bring in Marines to attack more sophisticated adversaries.
Mr. Gates has also said that a flat hull, needed for the vehicle to skim the surface of the water at 20 to 25 knots, would have exposed it to another threat — roadside bombs — once it came ashore.
But after years of breakdowns and poor reliability in testing, program officials said new prototypes had finally seemed on the verge of meeting minimal reliability standards.
Navy officials have suggested that Marines would only undertake assaults after enemy defenses had been largely subdued through weeks of bombing by ships and planes. But retired Marines say it is naïve to think that the military would always have such a luxury of time or that bombing works that well.
If you had read the article, assuming you didn’t, you would have seen why I said it appears to be budgetary. After 20+ years they have prototypes that are on the VERGE of meeting minimal reliability standards. How long before it’s ready for use? How much more money will General Dynamics need? Could that money be better used on basic equipment that will help Marines on the ground in Afghanistan? I’m not questioning personnel matters, I’m questioning financial matters. If you don’t understand that, then that’s on you. I’ve stated my case.
josef nix
January 6th, 2011
9:36 pm
PAULO
Are you a Deepak Chopra fan?
Common
No. The Howling in the Wildnerness wear hair shirts!
TaxPayer
January 6th, 2011
9:37 pm
Condescension doesn’t cut it with me lad, so don’t even think you pack gear to try it.
Isn’t that cute.
Southern Comfort
January 6th, 2011
9:38 pm
NoCom
You need to cut back on those. You’re gonna kill a brain cell or two. LOL!!!!
Paulo977
January 6th, 2011
9:38 pm
Josef
@9:36PM
Is this atrick question?
barking frog
January 6th, 2011
9:40 pm
I’ve stated my case
———————————–
While in the Air Force I had a flight sergeant
named Case. Such an *ss. He named his son
Justin.
Common Sense isn't very Common
January 6th, 2011
9:41 pm
Southern Comfort@9:38 pm
NoCom
You need to cut back on those. You’re gonna kill a brain cell or two. LOL!!!!
————————-
It’s how I deal with STUPID lol.
I will eventually become a REGRESSIVE
TaxPayer
January 6th, 2011
9:42 pm
I see the GOP’s little constitution ritual cost the taxpayers 1.1 million dollars. That’s the way to cut that deficit.
TaxPayer
January 6th, 2011
9:43 pm
While in the Air Force I had a flight sergeant
named Case. Such an *ss. He named his son
Justin.
His name was Justin Ass!
Southern Comfort
January 6th, 2011
9:46 pm
NoCom
I couldn’t use your method. My last three brain cells are very important. LOL!!!!!
Common Sense isn't very Common
January 6th, 2011
9:46 pm
defeshyts don’t matter
Dusty
January 6th, 2011
9:46 pm
Well, here we are living in the finest country in the world, the best fed, schooled and the best health facilites and there’s crying and weeping over our terrible situation! Ingrates! We have a debt that will harm our children more than not having a kindergarten or tutoring or a doc/at/the /door program.
How many here had kindergarten, free lunch and organic school lunches before you were in first grade? You Elizabeth? You Josef? It is amazing how people fought in WWII and became the “finest generation” when many of them had little more instruction than high school without any kndergarten. It is possible to not have the finest of all things and suceed in life.
When you have a 15 trillion $ debt, push has come to shove. EVERYTHING in government is going to have to be cut. All the sobbing and crying in the world will not cut a cent from the national debt.
Face it folks. We are not talking about leaving off the pickles at the picnic. We are talking about having bread and water at the picnic. Can you not see the whole picture?
Responsibility is going to shift back to the families. It has to. Government can no longer be the wet nurse, the home nurse, the remedial studies, the dietition or the provider. The money for those things is ALREADY GONE. Repeat after me: Independence! Frugality! Self dependence! And above all, APPRECIATION for what you have in the USA. Now act smart and remember.
Common Sense isn't very Common
January 6th, 2011
9:48 pm
well I could have said become a part of the naval service but some might have taken offense
barking frog
January 6th, 2011
9:49 pm
TaxPayer
January 6th, 2011
9:43 pm
His name was Justin Ass!
—————————–
Justin Case he was.
barking frog
January 6th, 2011
9:52 pm
The Secretary of Defense must become
the Secretary of Defence for our protection
from illegalaliens.
TaxPayer
January 6th, 2011
9:54 pm
The Republicans sure didn’t waste any time giving their constituency a fresh dose of their trickle down economic policy. Then again, it is what they voted for so it must be what they wanted.
Matti
January 6th, 2011
9:54 pm
Dusty,
“Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?” Preznit GWB…
If you’d pull your head out of moth balls long enough to look around, you’d see that having an ignorant, illiterate, unskilled populace — while other nations are educating their children — is SINKING us. I guess as long as we all wave flag on the fourth and salute apple pie, you’re okay with that? As the kids say, WhatEVS!
Common Sense isn't very Common
January 6th, 2011
9:55 pm
But what about Deplane?
josef nix
January 6th, 2011
9:56 pm
SoCo
St Elsewhere….
PAULO
Not a trick question…I was just wondering…personally I find him fascinating…
Soothsayer
January 6th, 2011
9:56 pm
Jay, this is just another “feel-good” story to hoodwink the public into thinking that we aren’t really the military bullies the rest of the World sees us as. Just more “sound-bite” propaganda so the restive public can believe that the lion’s share of their tax dollars will not be spent on a military industrial complex gone wild. Yes, $100 bn or is it $78 bn, yes that’s what we need! Get a good night’s sleep little sheeple!
Common Sense isn't very Common
January 6th, 2011
9:57 pm
Now time for the daily nominations for the glass navel award.
Mick
January 6th, 2011
9:58 pm
dusty
I guess your ok with exempting the 2% that hold 95% of all the counties wealth from the sacrificing…
josef nix
January 6th, 2011
10:01 pm
DUSTY
I had a priviledged childhood and have had a life full of those things many only dream of. And I owe something to society and G-d for that blessing. Why should I not want others to have it, too?
Scout
January 6th, 2011
10:07 pm
josef:
Are you old enough to know what Monday’s used to be ?
Southern Comfort
January 6th, 2011
10:11 pm
Now time for the daily nominations for the glass navel award.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ASQy4KCD9CY/SehP-NGTcSI/AAAAAAAAAHs/6wBx3DYMPAk/s200/Dumbass+of+the+week.jpg
Paulo977
January 6th, 2011
10:13 pm
Josef @9:56pm ..
I think his concept of “the law of pure potentiality ” is powerful and helpful, especially for teachers. I attended a lecture of his when he was here a few years ago in Marietta
Dusty
January 6th, 2011
10:18 pm
Matti,
Our chillun is learning, honey, and if yours aint, just maybe it aint the school. If they hear the same depressing dribble you post here every day, I would not be surprised.
I do like apple pie better than sack cloth and ashes and a little patriotism doesn’t hurt. I value my children (and those of everybody else) Only two went to kindergarten. They have seven college degrees among them and we are not rich. Not one had ever attended a remedial program or had a food stamps meal at home.. So my family is lucky? Yes,and so is everybody else born and living in this USA. Let us not ruin our children with debt and depression. They don’t deserve that.
I care about all children but did you notice? We have a national debt that will be loaded on your children and mine. Be sure you teach them self reliance with little money because what you are doing NOW is taking their money from the future. Yeah, that’s smart.
Dusty
January 6th, 2011
10:20 pm
Well, Josef, so did I and I did not go to kindergarten. You did not answer. Did you go to kindergarten?
Dusty
January 6th, 2011
10:25 pm
And Josef,
How much debt do you want laid on your children and their children? Did your family pass that on to you? I prefer to pass on thanks and blessings too but without a demoralizing debt.
TaxPayer
January 6th, 2011
10:25 pm
I see Dusty is back with her national debt tale yet she backs away as soon as I mention that her fair share of just one trillion of that debt comes to over $7200.00. Call or write your Republican congressman and demand that taxes be raised across the board on all tax filers so we can do our patriotic duty and pay down that debt so Dusty can sleep better at night.
Common Sense isn't very Common
January 6th, 2011
10:28 pm
SoCo
That’s 2 votes for me LOL
jm
January 6th, 2011
10:30 pm
“Did you go to kindergarten?” I’m just nosing in, and going to but out. Isn’t whether someone went to Kindergarten a pretty lame “*****” measuring contest? How about SAT scores, or GPA perhaps….
Cheers folks.
Common Sense isn't very Common
January 6th, 2011
10:31 pm
Dick Cheney says defsehits don’t matter
Talk about needing thorazine and scotch, might improve his aim
Common Sense isn't very Common
January 6th, 2011
10:32 pm
jm@10:30 pm
No measuring contests allowed lol
josef nix
January 6th, 2011
10:32 pm
SoCo
Got it!
Scout
Yes, I do. I also know what Jan. 9th is!
PAULO
I agree on his views and teaching…
DUSTY
To answer your question. I am Jewish, remember, and from a long line of rabbis…I didn’t go to kindergarten. I went to Granddaddy’s study and began formal studies at age 3 as per tradition (without our traditions, you know, our lives would be as shaky as a fiddler on the roof)