Beijing Develops Pulse Weapons
22nd July 2011
For purely peaceful purposes, you understand. So we can go ahead and cut the defense budget in order to pay out more welfare benefits. Not a problem.
Maybe we can make a deal with the Chinese: They ship us manufactured goods and we ship them poor people.
July 22nd, 2011 at 09:46
China’s numbers of poor people already dwarf the entire US population, so that trade won’t fly.
And if cutting the war budget encompasses not buying $600 toilet seats, then maybe that would be a Good Thing.
Anyway, I’m sure there’s a Secret Test Facility somewhere (Area 51, maybe?) where we’re already ahead of them in this application. Not to worry.
July 23rd, 2011 at 08:30
So you moved from quoting Marx to quoting Alfred E. Neumann?
Then again, it’s not really that big of a leap.
$600 toilet seats make great headlines, but anyone who has dealt with Pentagon accountants understands how this sort of thing happens. When rules get crazy, crazier things happen. But a very important question to ask is this: Who made that toilet seat? Most of the goods purchased by the Pentagon are made by American workers. You can’t cut the “war budget” during an economic crisis because you’ll put people out of work and bring a whole bunch of military folks back with no jobs to fill.
July 23rd, 2011 at 23:16
Just to round out the picture and expose my erudition, here’s another quote not to far from Alfred Neuman: “Well, there you go again.”
Let me get this straight: You say we can’t cut the defense budget in economic hard times because it’s a government-run jobs program for government employees? Speaking of talking out of both sides of your mouth…
And you have first-hand experience with these “crazy rules” which lead to paying $600 dollars for a toilet seat functionally identical to the $15 model I can pick up at any Home Depot?
Seems to me if we want to target bloated government bureaucracies which waste taxpayer money and promulgate copious red tape which add needless expense, the Penatagon would be an excellent place to start. Just ask Tim; he’s been there.
But that’s the 600 lb. conservative Sacred Cow in the room (to mix metaphors), so the Republicans won’t touch it.
Much easier to go after the old and the sick. The herd needs culling, you know…
July 24th, 2011 at 05:28
Indeed it does. Thanks for making my point.
July 24th, 2011 at 10:58
Seeing that you will soon be on the “culling block”, I’m surprised you are so sanguine about it.
July 24th, 2011 at 11:56
Just you keep thinking that.
July 24th, 2011 at 13:02
Everybody gets old, dude. Even self-satisfied conservatives.
Too bad there are fewer polar bears than there used to be. We could just maroon the old folks on an ice floe–problem solved. And it’s an eco-friendly solution.
July 25th, 2011 at 07:13
Well, then, no wonder you’re in favor of it.
July 25th, 2011 at 09:16
Just remember: No matter how old I get, I’ll still be younger than you. Have a nice day.