DaBlist Posted September 10, 2015 Report Share Posted September 10, 2015 Politics again, huh. Accounting in government is not the same as the private sector. Where you and I live, it's illegal have two sets of books, but in government, it's standard accounting practice. One book is set spending and the other Discretionary spending. All too often one set of books is used over the other to favor a position in an argument, or to influence the public's opinion. What's the difference? In the United States, discretionary spending refers to spending set on a yearly basis by decision of Congress. Such spending is usually authorized by Congress in another act. Provisions of an appropriations act that authorize spending are earmarks. When an authorization act also appropriates funds, it is called mandatory spending. This is not the same as "Total Spending" Here's what the truth looks like. Follow the money and you find out who is serving who in government. The beneficiaries of those billions spent hold a lot of power. Follow the wars, I mean money 1 Link to comment
a.d._510_n_ok Posted September 10, 2015 Report Share Posted September 10, 2015 on the subject of wars (kinda) in 1993 I was a SP4 truck mechanic stationed on Fort Sill, OK when a senior maintenance NCO let me in on a bit of news that he thought was hilarious. A type of bolt that was used throughout the track of an older armored personnel carrier had jumped in price from 25¢ each to $12 each because the army had changed suppliers and we were now getting a BETTER price. yeah, you got it. basically, the contract of the previous supplier had expired so the army put the contract up for bid. the new bidder was going to supply the same bolt for 20¢ instead of 25¢ but before he could supply the bolt Department of Duh-fense was required to buy all the new equipment for the guy to manufacture the bolt, pay him to hire new folks to complete the order, help him become DoD compliant etc. in theory, we would indeed be getting our track bolts cheaper in twenty years. the kicker was that the equipment using that bolt was due to be phased out in ten and while we had thousands of those bolts in the supply system to keep those APCs rolling until phase out we didn't have enough to carry us for twenty years which was the length of the contract and that couldn't be altered so........ Link to comment
VFR800 Posted September 10, 2015 Report Share Posted September 10, 2015 Politics again, huh. Accounting in government is not the same as the private sector. Where you and I live, it's illegal have two sets of books, but in government, it's standard accounting practice. One book is set spending and the other Discretionary spending. All too often one set of books is used over the other to favor a position in an argument, or to influence the public's opinion. What's the difference? In the United States, discretionary spending refers to spending set on a yearly basis by decision of Congress. Such spending is usually authorized by Congress in another act. Provisions of an appropriations act that authorize spending are earmarks. When an authorization act also appropriates funds, it is called mandatory spending. This is not the same as "Total Spending" Here's what the truth looks like. Follow the money and you find out who is serving who in government. Same here in Australia,the Treasury can do financial "modelling" for what they see the budgetary conditions to be with things like taxation "forward estimates" with this all being dependent on the tax revenue calculations matching the actual tax revenue that comes in. Then there's cost blowouts.... Cost blowouts happen a lot as either the public servants are incompetent or the contractors who are supplying to the govt will pad their bills. All in all,like you say double standard re: two books. Link to comment
TENDRIL Posted September 11, 2015 Report Share Posted September 11, 2015 Pay for your own doctor visits, and you're pretty much a libertarian now. Texas pay for infrastructure and defense. Everything else is none of my business. agreed big oil should be paying for our infrastructure and defense, while big weed should pay for healthecare 1 Link to comment
Rhapakatui Posted September 11, 2015 Report Share Posted September 11, 2015 We do have a surplus in our state spending without an income tax, but I don't see Texas bailing out the Fed any time soon. Link to comment
VFR800 Posted September 11, 2015 Report Share Posted September 11, 2015 If God will not bless them I am sure many of us would. Going even further,they are worthy of anointing with holy water aka sperm. Link to comment
paradime Posted September 11, 2015 Report Share Posted September 11, 2015 You anoint with oil, you faptize with holy water. No, it's not misspelled. 2 Link to comment
paradime Posted September 11, 2015 Report Share Posted September 11, 2015 on the subject of wars (kinda) in 1993 I was a SP4 truck mechanic stationed on Fort Sill, OK when a senior maintenance NCO let me in on a bit of news that he thought was hilarious. A type of bolt that was used throughout the track of an older armored personnel carrier had jumped in price from 25¢ each to $12 each because the army had changed suppliers and we were now getting a BETTER price. yeah, you got it. basically, the contract of the previous supplier had expired so the army put the contract up for bid. the new bidder was going to supply the same bolt for 20¢ instead of 25¢ but before he could supply the bolt Department of Duh-fense was required to buy all the new equipment for the guy to manufacture the bolt, pay him to hire new folks to complete the order, help him become DoD compliant etc. in theory, we would indeed be getting our track bolts cheaper in twenty years. the kicker was that the equipment using that bolt was due to be phased out in ten and while we had thousands of those bolts in the supply system to keep those APCs rolling until phase out we didn't have enough to carry us for twenty years which was the length of the contract and that couldn't be altered so........ 1 Link to comment
q-tip Posted September 11, 2015 Report Share Posted September 11, 2015 A murica land of the low bid, no matter how much it cost to get it. Link to comment
paradime Posted September 11, 2015 Report Share Posted September 11, 2015 maybe we should elect Trump and privatize government. Link to comment
tr8er Posted September 11, 2015 Report Share Posted September 11, 2015 What would happen if everyone just didn't vote? Military control? Senate control? Link to comment
TENDRIL Posted September 11, 2015 Report Share Posted September 11, 2015 What would happen if everyone just overthrew the govt. ? ? 3 Link to comment
flatcat19 Posted September 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2015 You act like our vote counts. 2 Link to comment
tr8er Posted September 11, 2015 Report Share Posted September 11, 2015 You act like our vote counts. It would be a great way to shatter the illusion. Below 1% voter turnout. Politicians and special interest groups only. Still business as usual. No. I do not believe my vote counts. I believe there are plenty of safeguards in place to ensure my power remains marginalized regardless of the effect my freedom of speech may stumble upon. I am a tax payer. An earner. I may appreciate that which is granted me under this role, or I may leave, or I may disassociate. Option 1 and 3 are the only ones worth consideration at this point for me. Link to comment
paradime Posted September 11, 2015 Report Share Posted September 11, 2015 Not even the popular vote matters when the electoral college stands as a "buffer" between our choice and theirs. 1 Link to comment
tr8er Posted September 11, 2015 Report Share Posted September 11, 2015 Buffer? Not a great choice of words, but yes. Link to comment
maltese Posted September 11, 2015 Report Share Posted September 11, 2015 Buffer? Not a great choice of words, but yes. He misspelled Bummer. Link to comment
paradime Posted September 11, 2015 Report Share Posted September 11, 2015 Buffer? Not a great choice of words, but yes. Check your sarcasm detector. I think it needs calibrating. 1 Link to comment
flatcat19 Posted September 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2015 You didn't use the sarcasm font. 2 Link to comment
tr8er Posted September 11, 2015 Report Share Posted September 11, 2015 Now I'm Crying.... *was that the right font? Not much to choose from. And that, being the worst, made the most sense to me. 1 Link to comment
Ratwagon1600 Posted September 11, 2015 Report Share Posted September 11, 2015 A murica land of the low bid, no matter how much it cost to get it. http://apostlesofapollo.com/missions/ The quote from Alan Shepard really sums it up. Link to comment
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