And in regard to the shutdown:

[seekeroftruth]

We don't want higher taxes... but... we do want affordable healthcare.... we don't want to take fruits and vegetables away from the children. Children need all the broccoli they can refuse to eat! LOL...

Contrary to something I read, SNAP does not work in McDonalds.

Chesapeake Ranch Estates [CRE] once went to the Government to get funds to study the "tiger beetle" so they could get some grant money to repair the falling cliffs. We all paid so some "richer than me" people could save their beautiful views and their houses.

IMHO, the government is stuck putting money into too many "private" concerns. If we stop helping the "rich" pay for their schemes, there would be plenty of funds for SNAP and medical care.

If we charged incompetent doctors, when they say they are going to cure you and they don't and then they charge you for three more surgeries to cover up their mistakes, there would have to be some major savings there. If "double billing" or "over billing" was a criminal offense in healthcare, the bookkeepers would watch what they were doing and refuse to "double bill" or "over bill"!

Someone is always upset when we tighten purse strings.

 

[Kyle]

I just can’t get over you believing they’re actually buying broccoli with snap.

 

[vraiblonde]

IMHO, the government is stuck putting money into too many "private" concerns. If we stop helping the "rich" pay for their schemes, there would be plenty of funds for SNAP and medical care.

That's what Trump is trying to get rid of, but neither the Democrats nor the Republicans are down. Somehow *he's* the devil because he wants to eliminate or at least reduce frivolous spending on bullshit.

We are a wealthy nation and there's no reason why we shouldn't be able to help out low income American families. But our politicians are too busy funding foreign nations and illegal aliens, propaganda programs at home and abroad, their own little nichey sht that doesn't help a single American, unless you count the special interest grifters who receive the nichey sht money and kick some back to their pet legislator.

How does it benefit any American to put up foreign nationals in a hotel, feed them, educate them, and give them free health care?

How do any of us benefit from all the money we gave Zelenskyy?

Our elected leaders are stealing from us, right out in the open in front of our faces. I'm not sure why we're putting up with that.

 

[Hijinx]

Hegseth is trying to jack up on the defense Industry Contractors. What he needs is a Harry S. Truman to keep them in line.
When a Government contractor gets a Contract make them stick to the Contract. Deliver on time and within the cost.

 

[SamSpade]

Funny thing about spending money - if you spend money on a program or service LONG ENOUGH, you reach a point where you LOATHE the idea of stopping it. I’m already in a battle with family over little things like a streaming service they didn’t KNOW about six months ago but evidently can no longer do without.

And I’ve fallen prey to it myself. Years of listening to regular radio while I drive, I’m way too accustomed to SiriusXM - a service I once MOCKED.

The Democrats know this.

 

[GURPS]

from what I have heard across multiple sources [ could just be the same talking point regurgitated ]

along with 20 million illegals being let in and reclassified as ' asylum ' seekers therefor NOT Illegals

Biden Admin BLEW UP SNAP great increasing the number of people on the program with little or NO care for qualifications

which is how we ended up with all of these EBT Queens

 

[herb749]

from what I have heard across multiple sources [ could just be the same talking point regurgitated ]

along with 20 million illegals being let in and reclassified as ' asylum ' seekers therefor NOT Illegals

Biden Admin BLEW UP SNAP great increasing the number of people on the program with little or NO care for qualifications

which is how we ended up with all of these EBT Queens

They blamed it all on Covid. Well Covid is over so those people need to be removed from the list. Problem is those people now rely on that money because they now spend it on stuff they didn't buy in the past. Same with adding people on Obamacare.

 

[Hijinx]

My friend had Covid just last week. He got this medicine for Covid, the total cost was over $1700 dollars and his co-pay was over $300 dollars. It seems the Covid scare is over and the Government stopped their subsidizing of the medicine so the cost is now on the user.

Now me? I would have told them to shove their costly medicine up their ass, but my friend said his family talked him into it because he was really sick. I don't know about anyone else but IMO Big Pharma are Effing thieves.

 

[seekeroftruth]

That's what Trump is trying to get rid of, but neither the Democrats nor the Republicans are down. Somehow *he's* the devil because he wants to eliminate or at least reduce frivolous spending on bullshit.

We are a wealthy nation and there's no reason why we shouldn't be able to help out low income American families. But our politicians are too busy funding foreign nations and illegal aliens, propaganda programs at home and abroad, their own little nichey sht that doesn't help a single American, unless you count the special interest grifters who receive the nichey sht money and kick some back to their pet legislator.

How does it benefit any American to put up foreign nationals in a hotel, feed them, educate them, and give them free health care?

How do any of us benefit from all the money we gave Zelenskyy?

Our elected leaders are stealing from us, right out in the open in front of our faces. I'm not sure why we're putting up with that.

It seems to me... that feeding our children, offering them safe schools, offering them affordable homes and healthcare are not frivolous spending.

I can, however, see how providing economic assistance to the nations of the world would keep them from attacking us [or our friends]. Back in the 60's the propaganda films shown to high school kids in Army Base schools called it "the domino affect". If Ukraine falls... Poland would be next, etc., etc., etc.!

But we do have balls in the water in front of the CRE cliffs! Ha Ha Ha....

CRE has balls! Go America!



"Help America Smile Again"

 

[seekeroftruth]

I just can’t get over you believing they’re actually buying broccoli with snap.

There was broccoli in the cart! She was a good mom! Maybe she let them stay up a little later if they ate their broccoli!

 

[herb749]

My friend had Covid just last week. He got this medicine for Covid, the total cost was over $1700 dollars and his co-pay was over $300 dollars. It seems the Covid scare is over and the Government stopped their subsidizing of the medicine so the cost is now on the user.

Now me? I would have told them to shove their costly medicine up their ass, but my friend said his family talked him into it because he was really sick. I don't know about anyone else but IMO Big Pharma are Effing thieves.

Did your friend if it's Covid, Paxlovid .?

Isn't that the wonder drug.

 

[SamSpade]

I can, however, see how providing economic assistance to the nations of the world would keep them from attacking us [or our friends].

And we have fifty years of history that says that nope, it doesn’t buy good will. More if you include our work in cleaning up Europe post WW2. You can’t buy good will even while the gravy train keeps rolling.In the early days of the Republic - we were friends and adversaries with some of the SAME nations.

And that’s ok with me. Nations have *allies*. NOT FRIENDS. They help you as long as you have a mutual need for one another.

I do make exception for the UK - and Australia. Whenever we needed them, they were first in line. But everyone else has been quick to screw us and make nice afterwards. And that’s is normal.

———————————-

And it’s good for us to care for the less advantaged. But I’m always concerned about abuse and about GENERATIONS depending on government assistance. The safety net is there to HELP. It shouldn’t be a place to live. We have had whole sections of population where generation after generation lives off of government. That simply must not be.

 

[LtownTaxpayer]

We don't want higher taxes... but... we do want affordable healthcare.... we don't want to take fruits and vegetables away from the children. Children need all the broccoli they can refuse to eat! LOL...

Contrary to something I read, SNAP does not work in McDonalds.

Chesapeake Ranch Estates [CRE] once went to the Government to get funds to study the "tiger beetle" so they could get some grant money to repair the falling cliffs. We all paid so some "richer than me" people could save their beautiful views and their houses.

IMHO, the government is stuck putting money into too many "private" concerns. If we stop helping the "rich" pay for their schemes, there would be plenty of funds for SNAP and medical care.

If we charged incompetent doctors, when they say they are going to cure you and they don't and then they charge you for three more surgeries to cover up their mistakes, there would have to be some major savings there. If "double billing" or "over billing" was a criminal offense in healthcare, the bookkeepers would watch what they were doing and refuse to "double bill" or "over bill"!

Someone is always upset when we tighten purse strings.

No, they can't buy McDonald's with SNAP. SNAP is not supposed to be used for fully cooked foods. But they can buy uncooked crabs with SNAP. If the seller steams them for free, they end up with fully cooked crabs that were purchased with SNAP. My point is there is no real way to write rules that will eliminate every possible chance for going around them. After all congress is full of lawyers, yet all the bills I know of have loopholes in them. SNAP recipients can also buy what they want that isn't fully cooked. I was once in line at the grocery behind a woman with thick steaks on the belt and a bag of dog food. The clerk told her she owed some cash. The woman was pissed and said I'll be right back. She grabbed the bag of dog food and came back with another package of steaks. Her comment to the clerk was "My dog can eat steak just as easy as me." I was so upset and asked the clerk if she was going to turn her in. The clerk said that she probably goes back to her neighborhood and sells the steaks for 50 cents on the dollar.

 

[LtownTaxpayer]

And we have fifty years of history that says that nope, it doesn’t buy good will. More if you include our work in cleaning up Europe post WW2. You can’t buy good will even while the gravy train keeps rolling.In the early days of the Republic - we were friends and adversaries with some of the SAME nations.

And that’s ok with me. Nations have *allies*. NOT FRIENDS. They help you as long as you have a mutual need for one another.

I do make exception for the UK - and Australia. Whenever we needed them, they were first in line. But everyone else has been quick to screw us and make nice afterwards. And that’s is normal.

———————————-

And it’s good for us to care for the less advantaged. But I’m always concerned about abuse and about GENERATIONS depending on government assistance. The safety net is there to HELP. It shouldn’t be a place to live. We have had whole sections of population where generation after generation lives off of government. That simply must not be.

And many people have figured out how to earn money WHILE keeping those government benefits that are "owed" to their families. It part of the reason that I want income tax to be abolished. Use a consumption tax instead - except for the food ingredients. Then the people who get paid under the table, criminals, and others will have skin in the game. But the income tax has to be completely gone. Congress won't like it because they don't like losing streams of revenue.

 

[Hijinx]

Did your friend if it's Covid, Paxlovid .?

Isn't that the wonder drug.

I believe that was the drug he got.

 

[SamSpade]

And many people have figured out how to earn money WHILE keeping those government benefits that are "owed" to their families. It part of the reason that I want income tax to be abolished. Use a consumption tax instead - except for the food ingredients. Then the people who get paid under the table, criminals, and others will have skin in the game. But the income tax has to be completely gone. Congress won't like it because they don't like losing streams of revenue.

Well you can’t fund the government without taxes. The problem with a consumption tax is, it really would need to be around 35% or more. Maybe more.

The problem with eliminating income tax for Congress is, they won’t have any social engineering leverage. They can’t grant special privileges or punishments. They lose control. They won’t like that.

The source of taxes won’t change the problem we have with zero self control with spending - with some measure of accountability - with the Ponzi scheme that is Social Security. The only way to deal with Social Security is to force people to invest in their own pensions, because they won’t do it.

 

[vraiblonde]

The problem with a consumption tax is, it really would need to be around 35% or more.

You know, people say that but they offer no proof. States that have no income tax - Texas and Florida are the two I have personal experience with - have no problem paying the bills and then some.

A consumption tax is really the only fair way to do it. That way EVERYONE kicks in, even those who don't declare income because their job is illegal. Non-residents kick in as well.

 

[SamSpade]

You know, people say that but they offer no proof. States that have no income tax - Texas and Florida are the two I have personal experience with - have no problem paying the bills and then some.

A consumption tax is really the only fair way to do it. That way EVERYONE kicks in, even those who don't declare income because their job is illegal. Non-residents kick in as well.

Yeah well the state doesn’t cover the War Department or the Veterans Affairs. The federal budget covers stuff states don’t have to pay - moreover, states RECEIVE federal dollars for things unique to that state.


Our national budget is in trillions. It’s twenty times the Texas budget - and I didn’t even include the 100 billion or so it receives from Uncle Sam.

It also - has obligations to pay for decades.

And yeah, seen LOTS of evidence. It would be enormous.

 

[black dog]

No, they can't buy McDonald's with SNAP. SNAP is not supposed to be used for fully cooked foods. But they can buy uncooked crabs with SNAP. If the seller steams them for free, they end up with fully cooked crabs that were purchased with SNAP. My point is there is no real way to write rules that will eliminate every possible chance for going around them. After all congress is full of lawyers, yet all the bills I know of have loopholes in them. SNAP recipients can also buy what they want that isn't fully cooked. I was once in line at the grocery behind a woman with thick steaks on the belt and a bag of dog food. The clerk told her she owed some cash. The woman was pissed and said I'll be right back. She grabbed the bag of dog food and came back with another package of steaks. Her comment to the clerk was "My dog can eat steak just as easy as me." I was so upset and asked the clerk if she was going to turn her in. The clerk said that she probably goes back to her neighborhood and sells the steaks for 50 cents on the dollar.

What's gotton popular here in the local family owned grocery and sub shops is, you use your snap card to buy the uncooked chicken, beef or fish and then you pay a 1.00 to have them cook it.

 

[PeoplesElbow]

Hegseth is trying to jack up on the defense Industry Contractors. What he needs is a Harry S. Truman to keep them in line.
When a Government contractor gets a Contract make them stick to the Contract. Deliver on time and within the cost.

A lot of the problem is called concurrency, it means to test and design while in production. It sounds great in a Power Point presentation "oh great we can save all this time" but it means going to production before the design is complete and usually having to go back and redo things.

Another big one is the government/military changing requirements as the system is being designed. You simply can't convince people that this is a bad idea because everyone gets a pat on the back for initially reporting faster times and lower costs and by the time comes to pay the piper the decision makers that screwed everything up are gone, having gotten a promotion for their "innovative" way of doing things.