Our country would be infinitely better off after sequestration than it is now. $500 billion could easily come out of the military budget without compromising our security in any way.
First of all, our present military budget is in excess of $700 billion annually. That budgeted figure does not reflect other military spending that is hidden in other budgets, like military retirement. military retirement alone is over $200 billion annually and is not included in the military budget. In total, the US spends in excess of $1 trillion annually on “defense.”
A $500 billion cut over 10 years amounts to only $50 billion annually. Out of a $1 trillion defense budget, A $50 billion decrease annually would not even be noticed. That’s coffee money and golf trips for the military. Furthermore, by the time the budget wizards get through with it, they will say that the $500 billion savings will come out of the defense budgets in the ninth and 10th years but, for next year, defense spending probably will actually go up from its present levels.
If Leon Panetta thinks that this will “hollow out the military,” it’s well past time he was replaced as Defense Secretary.
Neil Thex
Mesa
truth posted at 4:13 pm on Wed, Feb 20, 2013.
When was Christ born? Herod the Great, who died in 4 B.C. Pope Benedict writes that Christ was probably born less than two years before that , putting his birth 5 or 6 B.C. The Roman Catholic Church chose Dec. 25 as Christ's birth date in 4th. century, in order to co-opt a pagan feast day. The Star of Bethlehem was actually a convergence of Jupiter and Venus that took place on June 17 in 2 B.C. “ The two planets had merged into one single gleaming object in the direction of Jerusalem as seen in Persia,”
truth posted at 4:14 pm on Wed, Feb 20, 2013.
So the Wise Men were Persian? The idea that there were three of them, and that they were kings, originated in much later texts identifying them as Balthazar, Melchior, and Caspar, kings of Arabia, Persia, and India, respectively. Biblical scholars say this element was incorporated into the nativity tale to reflect the Christian tradition that all peoples recognized Christ's divinity. An 8th-century text that purports to the the Magi's own account of Christ's birth. In it, a dozen religious mystics travel, probably from China, to Bethlehem to witness the event. “ There are no other early Christian writings that provide such a complete explanation of these mysterious figures.” According to Pope Benedict XVI that the traditional manger scene has little basis in fact.
chatmandu002 posted at 4:23 pm on Wed, Feb 20, 2013.
Neil,
I'm sure you are also on-board with the sequester with other parts of the federal budgets. Right?
DonMey posted at 6:27 pm on Wed, Feb 20, 2013.
Actually, they have to cut an additional 487 billion beyond the 500 billion. And claiming the cuts apply to a trillion dollar budget by tacking on programs whose budgets will not be expected to incur these cuts is a distraction.
Rich posted at 7:20 pm on Wed, Feb 20, 2013.
truth,
You answered your own questions. Magi are Zoroastrian priests, Identified as 'Kings' because they were superior to rulers as the earthly representatives of Ahura Mazda. The original story, following the genealogy in the New Testament which makes Jesus the King of Israel was intended to make him the heir of Zoroaster. Two Gnostic gospels mention the three magi, as well the semi-Gnostic Gospels compiled by Marcion, which provided the impetus for the Vulgate and it's acceptance by the mainstream church. Your point was?
Neil,
The sequester may be too little, too late, but I agree. There comes a time when the drunken sailor wakes up with a hangover, the alternative is to keep drinking.
Accuracy posted at 7:24 pm on Wed, Feb 20, 2013.
Neil Thex thinks: “Our country would be infinitely better off after sequestration than it is now.”
Automatic spending cuts are known as the sequester. And the entire sequester cut is $85 billion out of a nearly $4 trillion budget. President Obama’s sequester controversy with Congress is about one thing: more taxes.
Rich posted at 10:07 pm on Wed, Feb 20, 2013.
Accuracy,
A little boy asked Santa Claus for a hundred dollars. The P.O. sent it to the White House because they thought it was funny. Well Obama thought it was cute and sent the kid five bucks, out of his pocket, figuring the kid would get a kick out of it. The little boy being raised by responsible parents wrote a thank you note to Santa: "Dear Mr. Claus, thank you so much for the hundred dollars, but please don't send it through Washington D,C, anymore, Obama took ninety-five dollars out in Taxes,"
Arizona Willie posted at 7:51 am on Thu, Feb 21, 2013.
But, Obama didn't TAKE anything, Rich. He GAVE $5.
There ya go again, trying to make government a bad guy when in fact no one else had given the kid a dime.
Republican politicians didn't kick in anything.
Republicans only believe in BORROW AND SPEND.
Cerulean posted at 8:31 am on Thu, Feb 21, 2013.
Yes, and Accuracy, “Republicans only believe in BORROW AND SPEND.”
Cerulean posted at 8:53 am on Thu, Feb 21, 2013.
The book of Mathew tells us nothing about the “magi” except that they came from the east. Mathew did not say how many magi there were, their names or even that they were all men.
Most of the story of the ‘Three Kings’ was made popular by a man named John of Hildesheim (Germany). John was a fourteenth century cleric who wrote the Historia Trium Regum or the History of the Three Kings.
VofReason posted at 1:47 pm on Thu, Feb 21, 2013.
Now that is real leadership. Create crisis. Didn't they know this was coming 2 years ago? Yes Niel we can all agree that the Military probably spends more money then they should. Any mention of the web of agencies that overlap, no one knows what they do and are full of well paid employees that have pensions looming into the future? How about the fact that more people are on some form of welfare then ever before in our nation's history? Or was that Bush's fault?
truth posted at 2:18 pm on Thu, Feb 21, 2013.
Yes it is Bushs' fault, Bush made it very profitable for U.S. Corporations to outsource American jobs to Communist China, around 8 million, by giving huge LOOP-HOLES to U.S. Corporation. The Republicans want to keep these LOOP-HOLES in place so people like Mitt Romney can make $22 million a year and pay less than 8% taxes. The U.S. Is a non producing country except for weapon, we sell weapons around the world, The U.S. is Number one in weapons sales in the world.
Leon Ceniceros posted at 7:18 pm on Thu, Feb 21, 2013.
So now, the Liberals, Socialists, Anarchists, Occupy Wall Street Rioters, Marxists, Commie Wanna-Be's and other assorted ....DEMOCRATS......are blaming past President George W. Bush for .....SEQUESTER....which President Barack Hussein Obama (aka....Barry Soetoro...the name he went by at Occidental College in California to get a scholarship)...........SIGNED INTO LAW.
Rich posted at 7:38 pm on Thu, Feb 21, 2013.
truth,
Get off it, if it was Bushes' fault, then Obama in not correcting it four years ago, makes him the world's worst incompetent, the village fool for the whole country, the universe's prize idiot. At this point, blaming Bush is more an indictment of Obama than anything else.
Accuracy posted at 8:23 am on Fri, Feb 22, 2013.
The federal budget “sequester” was what the White House recommended back in August 2011 and put it together for President Obama. Now that the sequester will becomes a reality in just eight days, Obama is blasting Congress for it and saying it never should have gotten to this point.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon has announced it will furlough most of its 800,000-strong civilian workforce if the $85 billion automatic spending cuts happen.
Bluepoet posted at 1:51 pm on Fri, Feb 22, 2013.
So, because we can't raise taxes, to pay for debts incurred, and no one can agree on what or how much we need to cut, in spending, we will be unemploying even more people, and cutting the pay of even more, as well?
That's brilliant...just brilliant. A Government by default. A vending machine with an "exact change" light flashing, and sticky notes all over it, that say, "The US owes me a dollar"...
Rich posted at 7:48 pm on Fri, Feb 22, 2013.
Obama spent the bank, maxed out the nation's cards on re-election. It has to be paid for. If justice were the standard, Obama voters, voting themselves the supposed largese, should pay more taxes, as that is what they voted for. This election was decided by people who don't contribute, aren't stake holders. Want more, when the well is dry and there is no more blood in the stone. At this point, what you're looking at is simply a slide into disaster for your children and grand children. Suck it up now, before it gets worse.
sockratties posted at 8:59 am on Mon, Feb 25, 2013.
So truth, are you saying to magi were for or against the sequester? Or did you accidentally click on the wrong line when looking up non-sequitur? Weird!