Democrat's Platform

Defense requirements are established by the politicians. Reduce our commitments and you can reduce the defense budget. It cannot be reduced independently. That was tried under Obama, and we ended up with a combat force which was not combat ready.

If you do not want us in the UN or NATO then reduce those requirements and the defense budget can be reduced accordingly. I do not have a problem with becoming Fortress America. But don't gripe about abandoning our allies at the same time.

 

But you won't find any relationship between US and, for example, European expenditures. You're more likely to find US military expenditure is counter-cyclical and therefore dominated by domestic concerns. I always found whinging about foreign country commitments comical when the US has always overspent.

 

A major part of the our allies expenditures is buying us military products as substantially the same price the US military pays for them. The cost of our military equipment and the salaries of our military personnel is similar to our allies. However, it costs more to put our military forces on foreign soil primarily because of the logistics involved. For instance, when we send a GI to Europe for three years, he also takes his family to Europe which requires transportation of that GI and his household goods and housing and other necessities while living there. In short, it pretty much doubles the cost.

 

I disagree. Corporations owe their largess to their customers/consumers and IMO they should pay taxes that benefit those customers. That is, if they want us to keep buying their goods and services. Hugely profitable companies like GE and Amazon often pay zero in taxes. That seems wrong to me.

 

The tax on a corporation is merely another expense to them just like the rent or cost of goods. Like all expenses they handle them in different ways. Some are passed on and some are absorbed and some result in lower pay to employees. If they can find a way to reduce those expenses, they are likely to find a way to do it by either moving somewhere else or by buy some products which they could manufacture themselves. Taxing corporations is counter productive. Tax the profit which is passed on to the stockholder.

 

This is actually a red herring. The nature of arms production has ensured immense economies of scale. US arms producers need significant arms sales, but ultimately bloated domestic expenditure. Ultimately any whinge about burden sharing is ignoring how the US has allowed both its arms production and military expenditure to jointly bloat.

 

You indicated we spent more on military equipment than Europe. On a piece by piece basis, they pay about the same price we do. Unfortunately, sophisticated equipment is expensive. We could buy less sophisticated equipment, but it would be less survivable in a military environment. Reduce the military mission and you can reduce the military equipment. You cannot have it both ways.

By the way, I retired from Lockheed Martin. It is very competitive and the number of corporations supplying military equipment has been reduced considerably.

 

Except your getting paid, by the govt.

 

No I don't, sometimes businesses have to deal with making less profits for a time.

 

It’s a right in other countries much smaller than the US. Our healthcare system currently answers to shareholders and CEOs, not patients.

Can you tell me what is wrong with that picture? Covid exposed just how bad our healthcare system is. Can you justify the massively expensive ambulance and helicopter rides, the obscene costs of medications when one could get them in Canada for a much cheaper price?

Healthcare needs to be a right, make it another amendment in our constitution. First world countries can’t operate off third world healthcare, or for hospitals only concerned about profit.

 

That’s quite the attractive platform that will help families in poverty.

Thanks for giving the forum reason to elect Biden.

 

What the government thinks it's worth, not what I think it's worth. So I shut down. Forcing me to stay open and sell things for the price they dictate is exactly what the Nazis and Italian fascists did.

 

So now you know what an employee feels like.

 

You presume the business will survive if deficits continue. Your premise is completely unworkable in the long run.

 

What are you talking about? I don't care about feelings.

 

Obviously.

 

That's not what business is. If you want someone who cares about your feelings call your mommy.

If my farm had employees and they felt they weren't paid what they were worth they could renegotiate or leave.

That has squat to do with giving you a right to my labor.

 

Our health care system is primarily run by private enterprise, so.... no.

In terms of... what? How did our -system- fail with regard to CV19?

You already have a right to health care, just a I have the right to own a gun.
What you do not have is an entitlement to have the state force other people to pay for your health care, just as I do not have an entitlement to have the state force other people to pay for my gun.
So, no, you want an entitlement, not a right.

 

40 acres... AND a mule?
Nothing like promising to use other people's money to buy someone's vote.

 

Nope its a right. So who's being forced?

 

Nope their money.

 

Persuasive. Compelling. Boy, you sure sold me.

How do you not understand that if you only have it because the government gives it to you, it's a privilege, not a right?

Anyone who pays taxes into the fund that provides health care goods and services to others, w/o compensation.
You know, like what happens when the state creates a health care entitlement.

 

Wait...
The people receiving the benefits Biden promises them paid for those benefits with their tax money?
Why not just let them keep their tax money and cut out the middle man?

 

Health care is not an entitlement.

 

In 1866 a book titled “Christian Ethics or The Science of Duty” suggested that taxes are used to assure “life and property” [CEJA]:

A man’s taxes are what he pays for the protection of his life and property, and for the conditions of public prosperity in which he shares. He ought to pay his just portion of the expense of government.