Posted by cccp1014 on 9/16/2018 11:55:00 AM (view original):

Posted by tangplay on 9/15/2018 7:00:00 PM (view original):

Posted by cccp1014 on 9/15/2018 6:57:00 PM (view original):

Posted by tangplay on 9/15/2018 12:48:00 PM (view original):
Yeah, so it's social welfare. Anyway please answer the question.

Answer what question? France spends 11% of its GDP on healthcare for example? What would you like to know? I am not an encyclopedia. You have access to public info. just as I do. WTF?!?!?

US does not spend as much as you think.

I want to know what countries YOU think spend a correct amount on healthcare/'entitlements'.

BTW, you see the country at the top of that list? Yeah, that's the USA. We spend way more than other countries.

You are not asking the right question. We have a deficit and around $22Trn in debt. We need to balance the budget and that means spending less on entitlements. The right number is the number that will get us to a profit so we can start repaying the debt. Your question would be equivalent to asking me how much a family should spend on entertainment. I may make more than you and less than wylie. So I can spend more than you but less than him. The correct # is the # that gets you in the black. Say the pie is $100. We spend $16 of it on military and $66 of it on entitlements. Military spend creates jobs, protects the country and results in great innovation. Entitlements help the elderly and sick but create very few jobs and are not innovative. We can still help but do so more efficiently.

We need to:

1. Raise the retirement age to 73.
2. Invest in medicare and medicaid fraud.
3. Revamp both medicare and medicaid. There are numerous articles on the web as to how to do that. Problem is none of the politicians want to because they fear they will lose votes.

My issue with Democrats is that many, including the new darling Beto O'Rourke want to give illegals free healthcare. We are already under water because of the entitlements. We need to first and foremost fix this and then we can address immigration, etc. If we were a business our stock price would be under fire.

Boris, I know you're not debating with me on this issue but I just want to let you know that (On this) I think you're mostly correct.
The National debt IS a big issue, and a part of that is WHO do we owe it TO?
As to entitlements. The problem could be solved easily with two (2) moves!
1. A sliding level of "means testing" (based on accumulated wealth) so that the VERY wealthiest (millionaires and better) ONLY get back from Medicare the amount that they paid into it. No more. Their accumulated "increase" (due to growth in value) is forfeited to the National good/coffers.
2. Crack down on abuse and fraud within SSI. That's the BIG waste of dollars. Millions of lazy folk sitting around collecting disability because of their OWN physical "limitations" many/most caused by things such as alcohol abuse. Do you know that you can get declared "disabled" because you're too fat to work? Or unable to because you've ruined your body with booze/drugs?

Finally, Do you remember who was in CHARGE of the economy the Last time (only time in my lifetime) this Country had a balanced budget??
I'll give you a hint. It weren't the Republicans!
Enjoy the weekend!

Doug thinks that pollution is FAKE NEWS.

Fake News is the only pollutant.

Posted by laramiebob on 9/16/2018 12:34:00 PM (view original):

Posted by cccp1014 on 9/16/2018 11:55:00 AM (view original):

Posted by tangplay on 9/15/2018 7:00:00 PM (view original):

Posted by cccp1014 on 9/15/2018 6:57:00 PM (view original):

Posted by tangplay on 9/15/2018 12:48:00 PM (view original):
Yeah, so it's social welfare. Anyway please answer the question.

Answer what question? France spends 11% of its GDP on healthcare for example? What would you like to know? I am not an encyclopedia. You have access to public info. just as I do. WTF?!?!?

US does not spend as much as you think.

I want to know what countries YOU think spend a correct amount on healthcare/'entitlements'.

BTW, you see the country at the top of that list? Yeah, that's the USA. We spend way more than other countries.

You are not asking the right question. We have a deficit and around $22Trn in debt. We need to balance the budget and that means spending less on entitlements. The right number is the number that will get us to a profit so we can start repaying the debt. Your question would be equivalent to asking me how much a family should spend on entertainment. I may make more than you and less than wylie. So I can spend more than you but less than him. The correct # is the # that gets you in the black. Say the pie is $100. We spend $16 of it on military and $66 of it on entitlements. Military spend creates jobs, protects the country and results in great innovation. Entitlements help the elderly and sick but create very few jobs and are not innovative. We can still help but do so more efficiently.

We need to:

1. Raise the retirement age to 73.
2. Invest in medicare and medicaid fraud.
3. Revamp both medicare and medicaid. There are numerous articles on the web as to how to do that. Problem is none of the politicians want to because they fear they will lose votes.

My issue with Democrats is that many, including the new darling Beto O'Rourke want to give illegals free healthcare. We are already under water because of the entitlements. We need to first and foremost fix this and then we can address immigration, etc. If we were a business our stock price would be under fire.

Boris, I know you're not debating with me on this issue but I just want to let you know that (On this) I think you're mostly correct.
The National debt IS a big issue, and a part of that is WHO do we owe it TO?
As to entitlements. The problem could be solved easily with two (2) moves!
1. A sliding level of "means testing" (based on accumulated wealth) so that the VERY wealthiest (millionaires and better) ONLY get back from Medicare the amount that they paid into it. No more. Their accumulated "increase" (due to growth in value) is forfeited to the National good/coffers.
2. Crack down on abuse and fraud within SSI. That's the BIG waste of dollars. Millions of lazy folk sitting around collecting disability because of their OWN physical "limitations" many/most caused by things such as alcohol abuse. Do you know that you can get declared "disabled" because you're too fat to work? Or unable to because you've ruined your body with booze/drugs?

Finally, Do you remember who was in CHARGE of the economy the Last time (only time in my lifetime) this Country had a balanced budget??
I'll give you a hint. It weren't the Republicans!
Enjoy the weekend!

Under Clinton I believe. Tang makes zero sense. He'd rather be bankrupt but have social programs. Cannot compare the US to other countries that have social welfare. We are so much bigger than they are. You could shrink it and allow the states to fend for themselves. I'd love to see how Cali deals with illegal immigrants then.

Posted by cccp1014 on 9/16/2018 7:43:00 PM (view original):

Posted by laramiebob on 9/16/2018 12:34:00 PM (view original):

Posted by cccp1014 on 9/16/2018 11:55:00 AM (view original):

Posted by tangplay on 9/15/2018 7:00:00 PM (view original):

Posted by cccp1014 on 9/15/2018 6:57:00 PM (view original):

Posted by tangplay on 9/15/2018 12:48:00 PM (view original):
Yeah, so it's social welfare. Anyway please answer the question.

Answer what question? France spends 11% of its GDP on healthcare for example? What would you like to know? I am not an encyclopedia. You have access to public info. just as I do. WTF?!?!?

US does not spend as much as you think.

I want to know what countries YOU think spend a correct amount on healthcare/'entitlements'.

BTW, you see the country at the top of that list? Yeah, that's the USA. We spend way more than other countries.

You are not asking the right question. We have a deficit and around $22Trn in debt. We need to balance the budget and that means spending less on entitlements. The right number is the number that will get us to a profit so we can start repaying the debt. Your question would be equivalent to asking me how much a family should spend on entertainment. I may make more than you and less than wylie. So I can spend more than you but less than him. The correct # is the # that gets you in the black. Say the pie is $100. We spend $16 of it on military and $66 of it on entitlements. Military spend creates jobs, protects the country and results in great innovation. Entitlements help the elderly and sick but create very few jobs and are not innovative. We can still help but do so more efficiently.

We need to:

1. Raise the retirement age to 73.
2. Invest in medicare and medicaid fraud.
3. Revamp both medicare and medicaid. There are numerous articles on the web as to how to do that. Problem is none of the politicians want to because they fear they will lose votes.

My issue with Democrats is that many, including the new darling Beto O'Rourke want to give illegals free healthcare. We are already under water because of the entitlements. We need to first and foremost fix this and then we can address immigration, etc. If we were a business our stock price would be under fire.

Boris, I know you're not debating with me on this issue but I just want to let you know that (On this) I think you're mostly correct.
The National debt IS a big issue, and a part of that is WHO do we owe it TO?
As to entitlements. The problem could be solved easily with two (2) moves!
1. A sliding level of "means testing" (based on accumulated wealth) so that the VERY wealthiest (millionaires and better) ONLY get back from Medicare the amount that they paid into it. No more. Their accumulated "increase" (due to growth in value) is forfeited to the National good/coffers.
2. Crack down on abuse and fraud within SSI. That's the BIG waste of dollars. Millions of lazy folk sitting around collecting disability because of their OWN physical "limitations" many/most caused by things such as alcohol abuse. Do you know that you can get declared "disabled" because you're too fat to work? Or unable to because you've ruined your body with booze/drugs?

Finally, Do you remember who was in CHARGE of the economy the Last time (only time in my lifetime) this Country had a balanced budget??
I'll give you a hint. It weren't the Republicans!
Enjoy the weekend!

Under Clinton I believe. Tang makes zero sense. He'd rather be bankrupt but have social programs. Cannot compare the US to other countries that have social welfare. We are so much bigger than they are. You could shrink it and allow the states to fend for themselves. I'd love to see how Cali deals with illegal immigrants then.

Bob, it actually was the Republicans. Ya'll had the presidency, but that was about it. Don't forget that the budget comes from congress, not the executive branch. I know that you already realized all of this and if you had pointed out the actual truth it would have hurt your argument, so I figured I would do it for you. ;)

Yes, I would rather be bankrupt but have social programs rather than having a great economy with no healthcare, terrible education, and no welfare. Fortunately the two things aren't mutually exclusive.

Also, yes, we are bigger, but you can account for that by making it be on a % of GDP scale. For all your talk about BL not answering questions, you haven't answered a ton of mine.

Also also, states fending for themselves is a terrible idea. I don't want Kris Kobach having any more control than he already will. Don't torture me more.

BTW, my Jags>Pats pick is looking pretty good right now ;)

So is Mahomes

Posted by strikeout26 on 9/16/2018 10:29:00 PM (view original):

Posted by cccp1014 on 9/16/2018 7:43:00 PM (view original):

Posted by laramiebob on 9/16/2018 12:34:00 PM (view original):

Posted by cccp1014 on 9/16/2018 11:55:00 AM (view original):

Posted by tangplay on 9/15/2018 7:00:00 PM (view original):

Posted by cccp1014 on 9/15/2018 6:57:00 PM (view original):

Posted by tangplay on 9/15/2018 12:48:00 PM (view original):
Yeah, so it's social welfare. Anyway please answer the question.

Answer what question? France spends 11% of its GDP on healthcare for example? What would you like to know? I am not an encyclopedia. You have access to public info. just as I do. WTF?!?!?

US does not spend as much as you think.

I want to know what countries YOU think spend a correct amount on healthcare/'entitlements'.

BTW, you see the country at the top of that list? Yeah, that's the USA. We spend way more than other countries.

You are not asking the right question. We have a deficit and around $22Trn in debt. We need to balance the budget and that means spending less on entitlements. The right number is the number that will get us to a profit so we can start repaying the debt. Your question would be equivalent to asking me how much a family should spend on entertainment. I may make more than you and less than wylie. So I can spend more than you but less than him. The correct # is the # that gets you in the black. Say the pie is $100. We spend $16 of it on military and $66 of it on entitlements. Military spend creates jobs, protects the country and results in great innovation. Entitlements help the elderly and sick but create very few jobs and are not innovative. We can still help but do so more efficiently.

We need to:

1. Raise the retirement age to 73.
2. Invest in medicare and medicaid fraud.
3. Revamp both medicare and medicaid. There are numerous articles on the web as to how to do that. Problem is none of the politicians want to because they fear they will lose votes.

My issue with Democrats is that many, including the new darling Beto O'Rourke want to give illegals free healthcare. We are already under water because of the entitlements. We need to first and foremost fix this and then we can address immigration, etc. If we were a business our stock price would be under fire.

Boris, I know you're not debating with me on this issue but I just want to let you know that (On this) I think you're mostly correct.
The National debt IS a big issue, and a part of that is WHO do we owe it TO?
As to entitlements. The problem could be solved easily with two (2) moves!
1. A sliding level of "means testing" (based on accumulated wealth) so that the VERY wealthiest (millionaires and better) ONLY get back from Medicare the amount that they paid into it. No more. Their accumulated "increase" (due to growth in value) is forfeited to the National good/coffers.
2. Crack down on abuse and fraud within SSI. That's the BIG waste of dollars. Millions of lazy folk sitting around collecting disability because of their OWN physical "limitations" many/most caused by things such as alcohol abuse. Do you know that you can get declared "disabled" because you're too fat to work? Or unable to because you've ruined your body with booze/drugs?

Finally, Do you remember who was in CHARGE of the economy the Last time (only time in my lifetime) this Country had a balanced budget??
I'll give you a hint. It weren't the Republicans!
Enjoy the weekend!

Under Clinton I believe. Tang makes zero sense. He'd rather be bankrupt but have social programs. Cannot compare the US to other countries that have social welfare. We are so much bigger than they are. You could shrink it and allow the states to fend for themselves. I'd love to see how Cali deals with illegal immigrants then.

Bob, it actually was the Republicans. Ya'll had the presidency, but that was about it. Don't forget that the budget comes from congress, not the executive branch. I know that you already realized all of this and if you had pointed out the actual truth it would have hurt your argument, so I figured I would do it for you. ;)

Coach. You're right. I did realize all that. Back then you had Republicans that actually gave a **** about the Country and actually worked WITH the POTUS to put a budget proposal on the table that made sense----------- and Clinton encouraged the Dems to support it, and then signed it into law. Don't you remember? He said something like the era of big government is over. Then along came W. Bush and convinced the Repubs. in Congress to go back on their word and give us big Gov't again! Then along came Weasel McConnell who decided it was more expedient to be anti-anything from Obama, even IF it was better for the Country, and just obstruct for 8 years waiting to get power back. Now the Repubs have the power and no one they can actually buy into to lead them.

The Country is broke. I bet you and I agree on that. I say the Dem. AND the Republican PARTIES are the sole cause of the problem. They BROKE it! They will NEVER fix things. It's NOT in their interests. THEIR interests are only to preserve their own power base! Don't you agree?
THROW then ALL out.
You can't drain a swamp by throwing more swamp creatures into it to "manage it".

Posted by tangplay on 9/16/2018 10:33:00 PM (view original):
Yes, I would rather be bankrupt but have social programs rather than having a great economy with no healthcare, terrible education, and no welfare. Fortunately the two things aren't mutually exclusive.

Also, yes, we are bigger, but you can account for that by making it be on a % of GDP scale. For all your talk about BL not answering questions, you haven't answered a ton of mine.

Also also, states fending for themselves is a terrible idea. I don't want Kris Kobach having any more control than he already will. Don't torture me more.

I cannot answer your question as I don't know nor do I care to delve into the economies of France, UK, Germany, etc.

Our budget is not balanced. Entitltments account for the vast majority of the expenses. They need to be reduced/revamped. Since you don't care about the economy and have zero finance accumen. This discussion is pointless. If I open my fridge up to the neighborhood. Eventually I'll run out of money and my family will starve. It is a stupid way to live.

You probably don't understand what I wrote. So again. If your dad asks you..."how much should we allocate for our cell phone budget?" and you in turn respond with. "Let's see what cccp and his family spend and go by that %"....it is stupid. You need to balance your own budget and see what % you can or want to afford. Comparing the US to other countries on budget makes zero sense. Not sure why you don't understand that.

The Country is broke. I bet you and I agree on that. I say the Dem. AND the Republican PARTIES are the sole cause of the problem. They BROKE it! They will NEVER fix things. It's NOT in their interests. THEIR interests are only to preserve their own power base! Don't you agree?
THROW then ALL out.

Holy crap, bob posted the same thoughts I have posted numerous times over the past 2.5-3 years. The end must be near.

Bob, I agree 100%. This why I don't associate with either party. They are both weasels. And you are right about Clinton's willingness to compromise. Newt and him worked well together as did Reagan and O'Neill. As far Obama/McConnell, Obama had no interest in working with the republicans either. He would rather spend his time publicly blasting them. Leadership starts at the top and Obama lacked leadership qualities, which makes sense as he had no leadership experience prior to being elected.

Posted by strikeout26 on 9/17/2018 9:56:00 AM (view original):
Bob, I agree 100%. This why I don't associate with either party. They are both weasels. And you are right about Clinton's willingness to compromise. Newt and him worked well together as did Reagan and O'Neill. As far Obama/McConnell, Obama had no interest in working with the republicans either. He would rather spend his time publicly blasting them. Leadership starts at the top and Obama lacked leadership qualities, which makes sense as he had no leadership experience prior to being elected.

And again, I agree! On MOST of that anyway. Obama had flaws, definitely. He DID understand some things though. He knew the POTUS is largely a figurehead. He KNEW he needed to be a positive example of character and morality. He knew he had to be (relatively) clean. He KNEW he had to be (somewhat) cautious. Thus the problem IMO. He was too cautious, too slow to make important decisions, too indecisive on some matters.
That, perhaps, was at least partially the result of his lack of leadership/seasoning. I won't argue that.

He WAS a better example/figurehead for our Country (even with his flaws) then what we now have.
I've cast my vote in every Presidential election (save 1?) since 1972.
Rarely have I voted for the winner. (Nixon, to my shame was an exception, as was Obama in 2012)

I've refused (EVER!) to join either (or ANY) of the Parties!
Been an Independent (or Other) all my adult life.
I've ALWAYS been completely disgusted with the LEADERS (So-called, losers is more like it) of BOTH parties.
Rarely has a true leader been presented.

But, speaking just for me, the devolvement of the parties from their respective ideologies has resulted in the "party" of the (so-called) right totally abandoning ANYTHING that remains of their core principles that I found compelling and important to remember.
Things like individual rights, freedom of religion, an adherence to the Bill of Rights, for all of our citizens.
The Republican party now represents NONE of those issues. On nearly every issue they've abandoned principle for expediency and pandering to the tribal nature of our citizenry. Beliefs in God is tribal by definition. We should NOT allow ourselves to be divided by our right to believe differently! It is a large part of what has made this Country so blessed by the creator.

The Dems/dums.......... lol
Here's the deal (for me anyway).
I expect some crazies to reside among the Democratic party. The far left's presence guarantees that.
However, the core principles of the mainstream Dems. are now the ONLY thing the middle and lower income (read that as 90% of all Americans!) citizens have left. Sure, the top end politicians have sold out for dollars (as have the OTHER guys!) BUT the mainstream beliefs of the Party are still with the masses of citizens. The party is still (decidedly) NOT the party of Big Business nor does it NEED to be the party of Big Gov't. BOTH Clinton and JFK proved that!

Meantime, every time the Repugs get ahold of our Economy they shipwreck it. Here's hoping the current clown doesn't repeat the pattern.
You do know............ Custer was a Republican, right?

Posted by cccp1014 on 9/17/2018 9:05:00 AM (view original):

Posted by tangplay on 9/16/2018 10:33:00 PM (view original):
Yes, I would rather be bankrupt but have social programs rather than having a great economy with no healthcare, terrible education, and no welfare. Fortunately the two things aren't mutually exclusive.

Also, yes, we are bigger, but you can account for that by making it be on a % of GDP scale. For all your talk about BL not answering questions, you haven't answered a ton of mine.

Also also, states fending for themselves is a terrible idea. I don't want Kris Kobach having any more control than he already will. Don't torture me more.

I cannot answer your question as I don't know nor do I care to delve into the economies of France, UK, Germany, etc.

Our budget is not balanced. Entitltments account for the vast majority of the expenses. They need to be reduced/revamped. Since you don't care about the economy and have zero finance accumen. This discussion is pointless. If I open my fridge up to the neighborhood. Eventually I'll run out of money and my family will starve. It is a stupid way to live.

You probably don't understand what I wrote. So again. If your dad asks you..."how much should we allocate for our cell phone budget?" and you in turn respond with. "Let's see what cccp and his family spend and go by that %"....it is stupid. You need to balance your own budget and see what % you can or want to afford. Comparing the US to other countries on budget makes zero sense. Not sure why you don't understand that.

Here's a better analogy: Your family has an about even income with other households in your neighborhood, yet your family is starving and other families have plenty to eat. Well the solution would be to look at what other households are doing and take what is successful for them.

Your analogy fails because unlike cell phone budget, entitlements are a necessity and not a privilege. Defense spending is the privilege. Yes, I am open to entitlements cutting IF you can prove that it makes life better for all Americans, not just businesses and the uber rich. The best way to prove that is by looking at what other countries do and saying "X country does this, and they have the best healthcare in the world. Maybe we should do something like that too."

But you won't do that, because the best healthcare systems in the world spend a lot and are universal. It doesn't support your argument.

re the Obama argument, I largely agree with what LB said. Obama was, at the very least, a good figurehead leader. He still is. I can't say the same of our current President, or, to a lesser extent, the one before Obama.

Posted by tangplay on 9/17/2018 11:15:00 AM (view original):

Posted by cccp1014 on 9/17/2018 9:05:00 AM (view original):

Posted by tangplay on 9/16/2018 10:33:00 PM (view original):
Yes, I would rather be bankrupt but have social programs rather than having a great economy with no healthcare, terrible education, and no welfare. Fortunately the two things aren't mutually exclusive.

Also, yes, we are bigger, but you can account for that by making it be on a % of GDP scale. For all your talk about BL not answering questions, you haven't answered a ton of mine.

Also also, states fending for themselves is a terrible idea. I don't want Kris Kobach having any more control than he already will. Don't torture me more.

I cannot answer your question as I don't know nor do I care to delve into the economies of France, UK, Germany, etc.

Our budget is not balanced. Entitltments account for the vast majority of the expenses. They need to be reduced/revamped. Since you don't care about the economy and have zero finance accumen. This discussion is pointless. If I open my fridge up to the neighborhood. Eventually I'll run out of money and my family will starve. It is a stupid way to live.

You probably don't understand what I wrote. So again. If your dad asks you..."how much should we allocate for our cell phone budget?" and you in turn respond with. "Let's see what cccp and his family spend and go by that %"....it is stupid. You need to balance your own budget and see what % you can or want to afford. Comparing the US to other countries on budget makes zero sense. Not sure why you don't understand that.

Here's a better analogy: Your family has an about even income with other households in your neighborhood, yet your family is starving and other families have plenty to eat. Well the solution would be to look at what other households are doing and take what is successful for them.

Your analogy fails because unlike cell phone budget, entitlements are a necessity and not a privilege. Defense spending is the privilege. Yes, I am open to entitlements cutting IF you can prove that it makes life better for all Americans, not just businesses and the uber rich. The best way to prove that is by looking at what other countries do and saying "X country does this, and they have the best healthcare in the world. Maybe we should do something like that too."

But you won't do that, because the best healthcare systems in the world spend a lot and are universal. It doesn't support your argument.

Fine. Maybe those families shop and go out once a month and I go out too frequently. In the end you have revenues and expenses and if your expenses are higher than your revenues you need to cut them. Why can you not comprehend that cutting the military budget will cost jobs? And if you cut it to ZERO, which you cannot the entitlements spend will still be too high. Defense is not a privelege. It is a critical component. We have the best healthcare systems in the world. What are you talking about?

I need someone else to weight in on this before I start using ad hominems again.

Posted by tangplay on 9/17/2018 11:15:00 AM (view original):

Posted by cccp1014 on 9/17/2018 9:05:00 AM (view original):

Posted by tangplay on 9/16/2018 10:33:00 PM (view original):
Yes, I would rather be bankrupt but have social programs rather than having a great economy with no healthcare, terrible education, and no welfare. Fortunately the two things aren't mutually exclusive.

Also, yes, we are bigger, but you can account for that by making it be on a % of GDP scale. For all your talk about BL not answering questions, you haven't answered a ton of mine.

Also also, states fending for themselves is a terrible idea. I don't want Kris Kobach having any more control than he already will. Don't torture me more.

I cannot answer your question as I don't know nor do I care to delve into the economies of France, UK, Germany, etc.

Our budget is not balanced. Entitltments account for the vast majority of the expenses. They need to be reduced/revamped. Since you don't care about the economy and have zero finance accumen. This discussion is pointless. If I open my fridge up to the neighborhood. Eventually I'll run out of money and my family will starve. It is a stupid way to live.

You probably don't understand what I wrote. So again. If your dad asks you..."how much should we allocate for our cell phone budget?" and you in turn respond with. "Let's see what cccp and his family spend and go by that %"....it is stupid. You need to balance your own budget and see what % you can or want to afford. Comparing the US to other countries on budget makes zero sense. Not sure why you don't understand that.

Here's a better analogy: Your family has an about even income with other households in your neighborhood, yet your family is starving and other families have plenty to eat. Well the solution would be to look at what other households are doing and take what is successful for them.

Your analogy fails because unlike cell phone budget, entitlements are a necessity and not a privilege. Defense spending is the privilege. Yes, I am open to entitlements cutting IF you can prove that it makes life better for all Americans, not just businesses and the uber rich. The best way to prove that is by looking at what other countries do and saying "X country does this, and they have the best healthcare in the world. Maybe we should do something like that too."

But you won't do that, because the best healthcare systems in the world spend a lot and are universal. It doesn't support your argument.

Tang, with all due respect, this may be the dumbest thing you've ever written. The military is not a necessity? Seriously? Entitlements are a necessity?

What you are essentially saying by this is that the country can't survive if a few people starve, but it will still exist if we get blasted off the face of the earth. I am all for protecting the indigent; however, I don't believe it's the government job, but the military is most definitely a necessity.