Meanwhile Congress Spends another 1.5T We Dont Have

[jonny5]

And full of pork as usual.

Earmarks Are Back, and They're Just as Sleazy and Secretive as Ever

Lawmakers packed $8 billion of pork into the omnibus bill that passed Congress last night.

reason.com

Last night while we're all distracted with Ukraine, congress finally passed appropriations for FY22, which is almost half over. All Dems voted yes, most Republicans voted no in the Senate, yes in the House. It was a big increase over last year and as is now the normal, its in the form of a massive omnibus bill which mainly just copies last year, and add in this years pet causes. CBO says we already have a 500bn deficit this year, so this just adds on more. At a time when they should be cutting, theyre growing.

And it likely wont change if GOP takes over. Maybe a little less, but still more than we can afford, more than is neccesary.

Full summary, not a typo. They amended a Haiti bill to run the omnibus through.

H.R.2471 - 117th Congress (2021-2022): Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022

Summary of H.R.2471 - 117th Congress (2021-2022): Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022

www.congress.gov

Haiti Development, Accountability, and Institutional Transparency Initiative Act

This bill revises reporting and strategy requirements related to recovery and assistance efforts for Haiti.

Specifically, the bill repeals existing reporting and strategy requirements related to earthquake recovery and economic assistance for Haiti. Further, the bill directs the Department of State to undertake specific initiatives that prioritize and assess the protection and preservation of human rights, the promotion of press and assembly freedoms and the protection of journalists, anticorruption efforts, and a strategy of post-disaster and post-pandemic recovery and development efforts.

The State Department must also submit a report concerning the July 7, 2021, assassination of former Haitian President Jovenel Moïse.

 

[eohrnberger]

And full of pork as usual.

Earmarks Are Back, and They're Just as Sleazy and Secretive as Ever

Lawmakers packed $8 billion of pork into the omnibus bill that passed Congress last night.

reason.com

Last night while we're all distracted with Ukraine, congress finally passed appropriations for FY22, which is almost half over. All Dems voted yes, most Republicans voted no in the Senate, yes in the House. It was a big increase over last year and as is now the normal, its in the form of a massive omnibus bill which mainly just copies last year, and add in this years pet causes. CBO says we already have a 500bn deficit this year, so this just adds on more. At a time when they should be cutting, theyre growing.

And it likely wont change if GOP takes over. Maybe a little less, but still more than we can afford, more than is neccesary.

Expect yet more inflationary pressure heaped on the already existing inflationary pressures.

Political elites can't even manage to budget much less manage a budget.
The political elites no longer represent nor act in the best interests of the nation nor it's electorate.
A Convention of States is most certainly called for.

 

[Exquisitor]

And full of pork as usual.

Earmarks Are Back, and They're Just as Sleazy and Secretive as Ever

Lawmakers packed $8 billion of pork into the omnibus bill that passed Congress last night.

reason.com

Last night while we're all distracted with Ukraine, congress finally passed appropriations for FY22, which is almost half over. All Dems voted yes, most Republicans voted no in the Senate, yes in the House. It was a big increase over last year and as is now the normal, its in the form of a massive omnibus bill which mainly just copies last year, and add in this years pet causes. CBO says we already have a 500bn deficit this year, so this just adds on more. At a time when they should be cutting, theyre growing.

And it likely wont change if GOP takes over. Maybe a little less, but still more than we can afford, more than is neccesary.

Full summary, not a typo. They amended a Haiti bill to run the omnibus through.

H.R.2471 - 117th Congress (2021-2022): Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022

Summary of H.R.2471 - 117th Congress (2021-2022): Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022

www.congress.gov

The pork's going to have to come out if we're ever going to balance the Budget and pay back the Debt.

 

[phoenix2020]

Tax-and-spend liberals and tax-cut-and-spend conservatives do have one thing in common.

They all love to spend.

 

[Mycroft]

And full of pork as usual.

Earmarks Are Back, and They're Just as Sleazy and Secretive as Ever

Lawmakers packed $8 billion of pork into the omnibus bill that passed Congress last night.

reason.com

Last night while we're all distracted with Ukraine, congress finally passed appropriations for FY22, which is almost half over. All Dems voted yes, most Republicans voted no in the Senate, yes in the House. It was a big increase over last year and as is now the normal, its in the form of a massive omnibus bill which mainly just copies last year, and add in this years pet causes. CBO says we already have a 500bn deficit this year, so this just adds on more. At a time when they should be cutting, theyre growing.

And it likely wont change if GOP takes over. Maybe a little less, but still more than we can afford, more than is neccesary.

Full summary, not a typo. They amended a Haiti bill to run the omnibus through.

H.R.2471 - 117th Congress (2021-2022): Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022

Summary of H.R.2471 - 117th Congress (2021-2022): Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022

www.congress.gov

Why...it's almost as if they WANT the country to go into a recession.

 

[ChickenTendies]

We can start by cutting our bloated defense budget

 

[eohrnberger]

We can start by cutting our bloated defense budget

At the start of the New Cold War, with Russia, China, and Iran as the new axis of evil?
Doesn't seem to make any sense to do that.

 

[ChickenTendies]

At the start of the New Cold War, with Russia, China, and Iran as the new axis of evil?
Doesn't seem to make any sense to do that.

Russia is a fading power, especially now under the weight of sanctions. So is Iran. China's military spending is less than a third of ours. We have an effective nuclear deterrence and now an economic one. China cannot attack the US without either getting nuked or a catastrophic recession due to economic ties. Russia and China's alliance is one of convenience, as China's first priority will be...China

 

[Mycroft]

At the start of the New Cold War, with Russia, China, and Iran as the new axis of evil?
Doesn't seem to make any sense to do that.

Nobody...neither Dems nor the Republican Elites...will cut the defense budget. They WANT this cold war.

It's good for the Globalists.

 

[eohrnberger]

Russia is a fading power, especially now under the weight of sanctions. So is Iran. China's military spending is less than a third of ours. We have an effective nuclear deterrence and now an economic one. China cannot attack the US without either getting nuked or a catastrophic recession due to economic ties. Russia and China's alliance is one of convenience, as China's first priority will be...China

This sounds a lot like the same sort of rationale and thinking which got us into the present situation.

Biden's admin is going to cut a deal with Iran. Expect that nation exporting terrorism in it's region to be unsanctioned in pretty short order.

There is no need to have a Cold War with Russia, they are not nearly as powerful an adversary as they once were. Sanctions crippling their economy is more than enough.

China is the far more threatening a geo-political and economic opponent.

An insight into their perspective on this:

• “It turns out that China is going to overtake the United States in 2027. It was said that this might be delayed for a year or two, but this year, God has pulled off a little trick, right? God created COVID-19 and spread it to every country in the world.”
• “COVID-19 is bad for Europe and America, but it is beneficial for North Korea and China.”
• “We still have 4,000 dead, right? But if 4,000 (Chinese) die versus 220,000 in the United States, we haven’t really lost a single person, have we? We’re close to zero infections and zero deaths. If 4,000 people out of 1.4 billion die, that’s the same as no one getting sick and no one dying.”
• “In the global economy, China stands out. We are ahead of schedule in terms of overtaking the United States. There will be no problem reaching this goal in 2027. The U.S. will not survive.”
• “As long as 1.4 billion Chinese people eat, sleep, defecate, and urinate every day, as long as we go to work every day, we will drive the U.S. to its death.”

Chinese Sociologist: We’ll Soon Surpass U.S., ‘U.S. Will Not Survive,’ We’ll ‘Drive U.S. To Its Death’ | The Daily Wire

www.dailywire.com

Sure, Iranians continue to shout 'Death to the USA', militarily that is not a concern. China, on the other hand . . . constantly growing their military capabilities.

Likely these developments, with the inflation here in the US, and the excessive spending and growing debit, a very real possibility that the US dollar isn't going to be the world reserve currency.

Nobody...neither Dems nor the Republican Elites...will cut the defense budget. They WANT this cold war.

It's good for the Globalists.

I think it would have been far better had it been against China, rather than Russia.

 

[ChickenTendies]

This sounds a lot like the same sort of rationale and thinking which got us into the present situation.

Biden's admin is going to cut a deal with Iran. Expect that nation exporting terrorism in it's region to be unsanctioned in pretty short order.

There is no need to have a Cold War with Russia, they are not nearly as powerful an adversary as they once were. Sanctions crippling their economy is more than enough.

China is the far more threatening a geo-political and economic opponent.

An insight into their perspective on this:

• “It turns out that China is going to overtake the United States in 2027. It was said that this might be delayed for a year or two, but this year, God has pulled off a little trick, right? God created COVID-19 and spread it to every country in the world.”
• “COVID-19 is bad for Europe and America, but it is beneficial for North Korea and China.”
• “We still have 4,000 dead, right? But if 4,000 (Chinese) die versus 220,000 in the United States, we haven’t really lost a single person, have we? We’re close to zero infections and zero deaths. If 4,000 people out of 1.4 billion die, that’s the same as no one getting sick and no one dying.”
• “In the global economy, China stands out. We are ahead of schedule in terms of overtaking the United States. There will be no problem reaching this goal in 2027. The U.S. will not survive.”
• “As long as 1.4 billion Chinese people eat, sleep, defecate, and urinate every day, as long as we go to work every day, we will drive the U.S. to its death.”

Chinese Sociologist: We’ll Soon Surpass U.S., ‘U.S. Will Not Survive,’ We’ll ‘Drive U.S. To Its Death’ | The Daily Wire

www.dailywire.com

Sure, Iranians continue to shout 'Death to the USA', militarily that is not a concern. China, on the other hand . . . constantly growing their military capabilities.

Likely these developments, with the inflation here in the US, and the excessive spending and growing debit, a very real possibility that the US dollar isn't going to be the world reserve currency.


I think it would have been far better had it been against China, rather than Russia.

The Iran deal is falling apart because Russia demands sanction relief for it to pass through.
China will not surpass the US military within the next half century at the very least. Covid-19 is also bad for China economically because of their frequent lockdowns due to Zero Covid policies and supply chain disruptions.
You also haven't touched on the point of the consequences of China picking up a fight with the US.

 

[eohrnberger]

The Iran deal is falling apart because Russia demands sanction relief for it to pass through.

That it's falling apart may not necessarily be all that bad, since the Iranians weren't complying anyway and playing 'hide the weenie'.

China will not surpass the US military within the next half century at the very least.

Assumed allot, such as continued US investment in the military, and ever more capable systems. On the AI front, especially for military and population surveillance, China is ahead of the US.

China is way ahead in the AI game, leaving the US behind​

https://techwireasia.com › 2021 › 10 › china-is-way-ahead-in-the-ai-game-leaving-the-us-behind​

China is way ahead in the AI game, leaving the US behind. Source: Getty Images US cyber defense capabilities are at "kindergarten level" in some government departments, according to the Pentagon's former chief software officer. Nicolas Chaillan reckon US has no "competing fighting chance against China in 15 to 20 years" when it comes to AI.​

China has won AI battle with U.S., Pentagon's ex-software ...​

https://www.reuters.com › technology › united-states-has-lost-ai-battle-china-pentagons-ex-software-chief-says-2021-10-11​

LONDON, Oct 11 (Reuters) - China has won the artificial intelligence battle with the United States and is heading towards global dominance because of its technological advances, the Pentagon's...​

China Leads US In 3 Of 6 AI Areas: Bob Work - Breaking ...​

https://breakingdefense.com › 2021 › 04 › china-leads-us-in-3-of-6-ai-areas-bob-work​

"Because talent, hardware, and algorithms are so central and important to the stack, we judge the United States, actually, is ahead of China in AI technologies more broadly," Work said. "But … the...​

Covid-19 is also bad for China economically because of their frequent lockdowns due to Zero Covid policies and supply chain disruptions.

Points to how bad a 'Zero COVID' public policy is.

You also haven't touched on the point of the consequences of China picking up a fight with the US.

China is looking at the weak performance and weak positions Biden, more so his administration, have been taking, and is eyeballing Taiwan. I suspect they imagine that should they take action against Taiwan, Biden, more so his administration, would again take weak positions and deliver a weak performance.

 

[ChickenTendies]

That it's falling apart may not necessarily be all that bad, since the Iranians weren't complying anyway and playing 'hide the weenie'.


Assumed allot, such as continued US investment in the military, and ever more capable systems. On the AI front, especially for military and population surveillance, China is ahead of the US.

China is way ahead in the AI game, leaving the US behind​

https://techwireasia.com › 2021 › 10 › china-is-way-ahead-in-the-ai-game-leaving-the-us-behind​

China is way ahead in the AI game, leaving the US behind. Source: Getty Images US cyber defense capabilities are at "kindergarten level" in some government departments, according to the Pentagon's former chief software officer. Nicolas Chaillan reckon US has no "competing fighting chance against China in 15 to 20 years" when it comes to AI.​

China has won AI battle with U.S., Pentagon's ex-software ...​

https://www.reuters.com › technology › united-states-has-lost-ai-battle-china-pentagons-ex-software-chief-says-2021-10-11​

LONDON, Oct 11 (Reuters) - China has won the artificial intelligence battle with the United States and is heading towards global dominance because of its technological advances, the Pentagon's...​

China Leads US In 3 Of 6 AI Areas: Bob Work - Breaking ...​

https://breakingdefense.com › 2021 › 04 › china-leads-us-in-3-of-6-ai-areas-bob-work​

"Because talent, hardware, and algorithms are so central and important to the stack, we judge the United States, actually, is ahead of China in AI technologies more broadly," Work said. "But … the...​

Points to how bad a 'Zero COVID' public policy is.


China is looking at the weak performance and weak positions Biden, more so his administration, have been taking, and is eyeballing Taiwan. I suspect they imagine that should they take action against Taiwan, Biden, more so his administration, would again take weak positions and deliver a weak performance.

Lol the US will always continue to invest in the military, if only to maintain their world hegemony. China would only pick a fight with Taiwan when they feel stable enough to withstand sanctions and have the military capabilities. That wont be during a Biden presidency tbh.

 

[eohrnberger]

Lol the US will always continue to invest in the military, if only to maintain their world hegemony. China would only pick a fight with Taiwan when they feel stable enough to withstand sanctions and have the military capabilities. That wont be during a Biden presidency tbh.

I think the threat is more significant than what you appear to be trying to make it out to be.

 

[ChickenTendies]

I think the threat is more significant than what you appear to be trying to make it out to be.

Former generals and admirals and even Taiwan's minister of interior have said that China needs at the very least 5 years to be militarily capable of an amphibious invasion of Taiwan. I think they will wait longer in order to minimize casualties and achieve joint capabilities. Since China is so entwined with the global economy, they will and are already boosting and increasing the viability of domestic production while making the yuan a viable foreign exchange currency. I do think the threat is significant, but that it'll manifest in the next decade or so. The CCP realize time is on their side.

 

[j brown's body]

Make the rich pay the taxes they owe.

 

[eohrnberger]

Former generals and admirals and even Taiwan's minister of interior have said that China needs at the very least 5 years to be militarily capable of an amphibious invasion of Taiwan. I think they will wait longer in order to minimize casualties and achieve joint capabilities. Since China is so entwined with the global economy, they will and are already boosting and increasing the viability of domestic production while making the yuan a viable foreign exchange currency. I do think the threat is significant, but that it'll manifest in the next decade or so. The CCP realize time is on their side.

And you feel that what should be done in the intervening 5 years? Nothing? 5 years isn't really a lot of time.

 

[ChickenTendies]

And you feel that what should be done in the intervening 5 years? Nothing? 5 years isn't really a lot of time.

Preparing the army for a conventional war, preventing the continued theft of intellectual property, more development into cyberwarfare and cheap, numerous UAVs. Improve relations between Taiwan and China to at the very least delay this inevitability. The US also needs to make it so the threat of economic cut-off with trade with China is always present and will make China wary of said invasion.

 

[jonny5]

We can start by cutting our bloated defense budget

Why start there?

 

[ChickenTendies]

Why start there?

Bc its 770 billion and since we're no longer the world police there's no need, despite what war hawks might say.

 

[jonny5]

Bc its 770 billion and since we're no longer the world police there's no need, despite what war hawks might say.

Ok, if its a price tag issue then why not start with the biggest outlay, healthcare? Its 1.5 trillion.

or
Welfare 1 trillion
Social Security 1 trillion

Why would we start with something critical which costs less?

 

[ChickenTendies]

Ok, if its a price tag issue then why not start with the biggest outlay, healthcare? Its 1.5 trillion.

or
Welfare 1 trillion
Social Security 1 trillion

Why would we start with something critical which costs less?

So your plan is to cut safety nets?

 

[What if...?]

Tax-and-spend liberals and tax-cut-and-spend conservatives do have one thing in common.

They all love to spend.

And they can’t comprehend why I would be ok with paying $100 a year in road taxes on a electric vehicle. Roads have to be paid for. No gas no fuel taxes for roads. But paying my way is somehow anathema to the personal responsibility crowd.

 

[HangLow]

​

 

[wist43]

We're not too far off from collapse anyway... so might as well buy votes and steal as much as you can, right??

Americans are dumber than dumb, and will keep voting for the same crooks, so they deserve their comeuppance.