What about an article on the flying turd the F-35 or the Osprey?  Money galore has been spent on those to things.

basemetal: Meh, they will never get it until you vote every last one of them out.  Of course, then they just become lobbyist.

/enjoy your shiat sandwich

im enjoying my douche. Enjoy YOUR shiat sandwich while I feel fresh and clean.

Well duh.  They budget opposite of what is prioritized.  They pay off Lobbyists, unions, and pork contracts first...then pay military, police, infrastructure, and schools last.  Then when the sequester hits us for a WHOPPING 2% OF OUR BUDGET, HOLY shiat...they cut from schools, infrastructure, police, and military.  Nobody will take a tax hike if the politician says "I need to pay off my lobbyist", but the sheep come runnin when there's no money left and they need it for schools.

/on both sides

Jaws_Victim: im enjoying my douche. Enjoy YOUR shiat sandwich while I feel fresh and clean.

Two ideas separated by a taint.  That's just beautiful, man.

Our government sucks.

I just want to know what are we going to do with the Stark Rebellion up north? That's the real issue.

This is the kinda thing Paul Ryan complained about during the election.

Too bad Democrats did not get the memo.

Must be nice to have a job where you can get away with doing a shiatty job, and still give yourself bonuses and pay raises.

NewportBarGuy: Similarly, Rep. Dennis Ross, R-FL insisted that the bonuses allowed him to save money. "I believe performance-based pay is an important incentive in the workplace... Also, in the past year we've reduced our staff... The bonuses are to reward those remaining for taking on additional duties,"

He later added... "...but the rest of the Federal workforce can f*ck right off because they are socialist commie Nazis and deserve to have their pay and benefits cut!"

Which is why he votes with Eric Cantor to eliminate overtime. What a swell dude.

I'm a fed employee and will get a bonus next month for the EOQ.

How much of this bullshiat do you think is going to go down before the American people pull their balls out of their purse and pull those bastards screaming into the streets for their comeuppance?

I hate people

Oh, I thought this was going to be about how we can afford to give in-state tuition to illegal immigrants, but can't take care of our veterans.

basemetal: Meh, they will never get it until you vote every last one of them out.

And replace them with who, exactly? EVERYONE in politics is the same, and the exceptions to the rule are marginalized and ineffective to make change.

It's the system that is broken, and there is not a goddamned thing we can do about it.

/business, too

Sonderling: How much of this bullshiat do you think is going to go down before the American people pull their balls out of their purse and pull those bastards screaming into the streets for their comeuppance?


Too fat to revolt. Also, American Idol is on at 8.

NewportBarGuy: Similarly, Rep. Dennis Ross, R-FL insisted that the bonuses allowed him to save money. "I believe performance-based pay is an important incentive in the workplace... Also, in the past year we've reduced our staff... The bonuses are to reward those remaining for taking on additional duties,"

He later added... "...but the rest of the Federal workforce can f*ck right off because they are socialist commie Nazis and deserve to have their pay and benefits cut!"

Which is why he votes with Eric Cantor to eliminate overtime. What a swell dude.

"performance based pay" -- So they get a bonus for failing to pass a budget (or do anything else resembling progress)?

Another Onion-type scenario come true. Hell, there may actually be an Onion story that says this, but I'm too lazy to look it up.

tenpoundsofcheese: Oh, I thought this was going to be about how we can afford to give in-state tuition to illegal immigrants, but can't take care of our veterans.

Go back to using both hands to hold your sippy cup.

In state tuition is a state decision. Screwing vets out of tuition assistance is a US Army decision.

Tuition assistance = Recruiting tool

No jobs = Join the military, learn a skill = lots of applicants

Cannon fodder just keeps getting cheaper.

Your Government working hard to keep the cost of Empire under control!

Subby wants every soldier to go to college.

What a snob.

Sonderling: How much of this bullshiat do you think is going to go down before the American people pull their balls out of their purse and pull those bastards screaming into the streets for their comeuppance?

It would take a lot more.

They can continue to chip away at the well being of most of the citizens - so long as those citizens still have 'something to lose'.  A middle class guy trying to support his family isn't going to riot because of yet another small tax increase.  Because he's still got a lot to lose, and a family to look after.  The government makes sure to keep the people who might otherwise take to the streets, happy enough not to via our ever increasing amount of social programs.



As long as there is enough money to keep flat screen TVs in the houses of our poor, Americans will be happy enough to keep the status-quo.  It will mean an increasing divide between the wealthy and poor, and the slow disappearance of the 'middle class'.  Things would have to get much worse before enough people cared.

Sure, you'll get lots of e-signatures and maybe even more 'Occupy Wallstreet' type crap.  We'll certainly see lots of politicians promising change, but we all know how that goes.

One less entitlement program for the welfare queens of the military?

/tiny  violin
/but seriously, if you joined the military just for tuition assistance, you joined for the wrong reason.

I don't care about the military. Turds who couldn't get jobs elsewhere. Not an issue, In fact, those that volunteer should not be paid.Want to fire a gun? Great, no pay.

Satanic_Hamster: Delay: Establishing air superiority in today's complex global security climate requires the unprecedented capabilities and versatility that only the F-35 can offer. And the F-35's strong global partnership and broad industrial base ensures affordability through economies of scale while delivering 127,000 technology sector jobs in 47 states and Puerto Rico

That's adorable.  Providing air superiority against WHAT?


Wabbits

Add in the fact that only a few weeks ago, both parties worked together to make the Bush tax cuts a PERMANENT feature of our tax code.

Now Billionaires pay less in taxes than the working poor who make just over 35K a year do, and this will NEVER expire.

Now that they have serving the rich taken care of, they are moving on to screwing the poor some more.

edmo: Last week an Air Force base announced they were cancelling their annual airshow due to cuts and the need to save money. In the same article, the public affairs person goes on to explain how they would move that money to other areas on the base that needed it.

I think that's the Daylight Savings Time theory of saving money.

Regarding those issues faced by military units, especially the decision to cancel the Blue Angels' and the Thunderbirds' shows, the logic works like this:

1) Congress ordered across-the-board cuts of x%.
2) That same percent was being cut across operations, maintenance, training and the demo teams' budgets equally.
3) Commanders chose to move the travel and show portions of the budgets of the demo teams (the remaining 100-x)% into operations, maintenance and training.
4) That move won't completely make up for the shortfall, but it will help.
5) We're not entirely sure if it is actually legal, because Congress's color of money language in the sequestration legislation is ambiguous, but Congress isn't likely to press the issue.

We are institutionally and nationwide in a situation where "what feels good" or "what sounds good on the news" is becoming law, without rule of law.  Even the lawmakers don't give a damn about the law.
Hell, my unit has had its mission increase while operating on a third of the budget that we had back in 2009.  I think the trend will be to squeeze organizations like this until they break, and then return their budgets to just before the breaking point.  You've got to admit, it's a much better option than finding out that while your family has been squeezed to feed itself, every government building in town has had new furniture three years in a row so that they can spend their whole budget, so that they get their whole budget again next year.

potterydove: /but seriously, if you joined the military just for tuition assistance, you joined for the wrong reason.

tell us the right reason please.

if it involves an American flag you can shove it up your ass.

Sonderling: How much of this bullshiat do you think is going to go down before the American people pull their balls out of their purse and pull those bastards screaming into the streets for their comeuppance?

As long as people can be distracted to the point of rage about whether people on food stamps buy Doritos with that EBT card, or whether we should piss-test people on unemployment, this shiat will continue.

Yet another reason that the entire US Congress enjoys its staggering ~15% approval rating.  Keep reaching for the stars!
/Except for NASA
//Grrrrr

I'm glad to see the money that came out of my pocket is going to a worthy cause.

Fark_Guy_Rob: Sonderling: How much of this bullshiat do you think is going to go down before the American people pull their balls out of their purse and pull those bastards screaming into the streets for their comeuppance?

It would take a lot more.

They can continue to chip away at the well being of most of the citizens - so long as those citizens still have 'something to lose'.  A middle class guy trying to support his family isn't going to riot because of yet another small tax increase.  Because he's still got a lot to lose, and a family to look after.  The government makes sure to keep the people who might otherwise take to the streets, happy enough not to via our ever increasing amount of social programs.

[radishmag.files.wordpress.com image 850x698]

As long as there is enough money to keep flat screen TVs in the houses of our poor, Americans will be happy enough to keep the status-quo.  It will mean an increasing divide between the wealthy and poor, and the slow disappearance of the 'middle class'.  Things would have to get much worse before enough people cared.

Sure, you'll get lots of e-signatures and maybe even more 'Occupy Wallstreet' type crap.  We'll certainly see lots of politicians promising change, but we all know how that goes.

Yes, but those are not in inflation adjusted dollars and thanks to Chairman ButtBongo's Magic Money Printing Press debasing the value of the dollar has plummeted so far that if that chart were shown in gold then it would be completely flat.  So REAL spending hasn't gone up at all thanks to FIAT FIX IT AGAIN TONY money.

Did you know that a bar of gold bought the same number of Obama Phones in 1965 as it did in 2013?  Thanks a lot, 0bummer.

Could someone explain what this cut actually means?  'Tuition Assistance' is completely separate from the 'GI Bill', right?  I'm not in the military - but I've heard the post-9/11 changes made it possible for people to pass on their GI Bill benefits to their children and many turned to the less valuable tuition assistance to cover their own education while still keeping the GI Bill benefits for their kids.  Is that remotely close to true?

Rapmaster2000: Did you know that a bar of gold bought the same number of Obama Phones in 1965 as it did in 2013? Thanks a lot, 0bummer.

Heh. That's funny. Obama was born in 1961. Remember?

SploogeTime: I don't care about the military. Turds who couldn't get jobs elsewhere. Not an issue, In fact, those that volunteer should not be paid.Want to fire a gun? Great, no pay.

you sound like you take it up the ass

" Up your ass, citizen... riiiiight up your ass" !  LOL.

rolladuck: Regarding those issues faced by military units, especially the decision to cancel the Blue Angels' and the Thunderbirds' shows, the logic works like this:

It's definitely a lot more of a little something called Washington Monument Syndrome. Any sequestor / budget impasse situation should lead immediately to the suspension of all pay and privileges for both the President and Congress. After the 89th gets should down, and they have to ride coach on a couple of crappy Delta flights, I'm guessing they'd get their sh*t together pretty quick. And for that matter, paying $180K an hour for Air Force One should be one of the first permanent cuts. Heaven forbid Obama (and future Presidents) would have to fly on one of the 89th's remaining Gulfstream V luxury jets, like some ordinary multi-millionaire prole.

FarkinHostile: Sonderling: How much of this bullshiat do you think is going to go down before the American people pull their balls out of their purse and pull those bastards screaming into the streets for their comeuppance?


Too fat to revolt. Also, American Idol is on at 8.

All they have to do is vote the farkers out. Wash, rinse, repeat.  It's simple really.

Fark_Guy_Rob: Could someone explain what this cut actually means?  'Tuition Assistance' is completely separate from the 'GI Bill', right?  I'm not in the military - but I've heard the post-9/11 changes made it possible for people to pass on their GI Bill benefits to their children and many turned to the less valuable tuition assistance to cover their own education while still keeping the GI Bill benefits for their kids.  Is that remotely close to true?

GI Bill is for veterans.  Tuition assistance is for active duty military.

Fark_Guy_Rob: Could someone explain what this cut actually means?  'Tuition Assistance' is completely separate from the 'GI Bill', right?  I'm not in the military - but I've heard the post-9/11 changes made it possible for people to pass on their GI Bill benefits to their children and many turned to the less valuable tuition assistance to cover their own education while still keeping the GI Bill benefits for their kids.  Is that remotely close to true?

TA is a program that was recently added in the last few years.  It pays directly to the schools, money for GED/BS/BA/MS/MA, and I think certain types of Associates Degree programs.  There is a limit per credit hour and Fiscal Year/student.  It is intended to be used by Active Duty persons.
It has other effects, in that it adds more people to enrollment in colleges, which helps the schools at the risk of having an inflationary effect on overall education rates, if the school isn't prepared to handle the increased enrollment.  As a whole, it's not an economically bad thing, but it is debatable whether NOW is the right time to be doing it, considering the rest of the USG's fiscal situation.
TA is funded each Fiscal Year, originally through the appropriations bills, but now through the CR's.  Ostensibly, GI Bill money is supposed to be funded during a person's career.  But we know how Congress likes to play with funds that are allocated but aren't actually being used... like social security.

The deal is that if you don't spend all the money in your budget, you won't get as much next year. That's why the different agencies spend every last cent and order stuff they don't need.
I thought the budget cuts were to cut waste, like duplicate agencies, and projects like spending a billion dollars to have the different computer systems they have to talk to each other. A billion dollars and they aren't even close. Instead they will make cuts to high profile things so the people will get outraged over it. Stopping Whitehouse tours was one of them, they could have shut down a park or two out in East Jockstrap, somewhere and no one would have even noticed.
Cut a submarine, maybe some aircraft and you could use the money for tuition's.