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Procurement is often not about warfighting but about politics. That's why they split construction up among multiple locations -- that's multiple congressmen who

by cwyers 12y ago

Procurement is often not about warfighting but about politics. That's why they split construction up among multiple locations -- that's multiple congressmen who have a vested incentive in seeing that money continue to roll into their district and provide jobs.

glesica 12y ago
It's basically "New Deal"-type spending that is acceptable to the right wing (which, for the most part these days, includes the Democrats). The economy is in shambles, so you have to do something about it. But fixing the economy would involve breaking from your orthodoxy and upsetting your wealthy sponsors. So what do you do? Pay the unemployed to build killing machines, everyone loves those.
- cbd1984 12y ago
  It's easy to blame the wealthy sponsors, but some blame also rests on the people who are convinced that literally all of the taxes they pay on their 250%-of-poverty-line income go to support those on 150%-of-poverty-line assistance programs, and that that's a terrible thing, because of someone they met once who got more than they 'deserved' from the system. There's a whole psychology there which is missed by the usual "blame everything on the rich" reflexes. It's a problem which will have to be addressed if any social reforms are actually going to stick, as opposed to being pissed away in tax cuts and whinging about how much more deserving the poor were back before they could afford to treat two major diseases a lifetime.
  - glesica 12y ago
    Oh I agree with you. But I also think that that attitude is driven, at least partially, by the rich. If you're part of the top N%, for N<50, you must convince other people that what is in your best interest is also in their best interest. This is what has happened, the middle class have been turned against themselves and the poor.
- josho 12y ago
  Yes. It sometimes feels like the U.S. Is a social welfare state. Except all the social welfare is given to large military contractors. Humph, I suppose that's what they mean by military industrial complex.

by cwyers 12y ago

glesica 12y ago

It's basically "New Deal"-type spending that is acceptable to the right wing (which, for the most part these days, includes the Democrats). The economy is in shambles, so you have to do something about it. But fixing the economy would involve breaking from your orthodoxy and upsetting your wealthy sponsors. So what do you do? Pay the unemployed to build killing machines, everyone loves those.

cbd1984 12y ago
It's easy to blame the wealthy sponsors, but some blame also rests on the people who are convinced that literally all of the taxes they pay on their 250%-of-poverty-line income go to support those on 150%-of-poverty-line assistance programs, and that that's a terrible thing, because of someone they met once who got more than they 'deserved' from the system. There's a whole psychology there which is missed by the usual "blame everything on the rich" reflexes. It's a problem which will have to be addressed if any social reforms are actually going to stick, as opposed to being pissed away in tax cuts and whinging about how much more deserving the poor were back before they could afford to treat two major diseases a lifetime.
- glesica 12y ago
  Oh I agree with you. But I also think that that attitude is driven, at least partially, by the rich. If you're part of the top N%, for N<50, you must convince other people that what is in your best interest is also in their best interest. This is what has happened, the middle class have been turned against themselves and the poor.
josho 12y ago
Yes. It sometimes feels like the U.S. Is a social welfare state. Except all the social welfare is given to large military contractors. Humph, I suppose that's what they mean by military industrial complex.