what about our military?
 

with everything going on recently with the tsunami victims and all of the stars the media and athletes coming out asking for people to donate money i cant figure out what happen to our soldiers who come back with missing arms, legs, or the familes of the dead ( meaning the wives and children who have to get on without that income). i just saw an ad where manning was asking us to help those people over seas. i feel very terrible for them. it is sad. i also have a hard time watching all this money being donated to countries and people who will not allow a cross and more importantly our flag be displayed. that just bothers me. with the nfl supporting this and i know they always support our troops. im just wondering why there arent any concerts or donation lines set up for our heros. why isnt the nfl having commercials asking for us to donate o a fund for a our soldiers. why is this the biggest news item and not our heros that are not only loosing life but thier ability to live it the same way before they left. it makes me sad and sick.

what about our military?
 

...it is actually simple... President declares \"war\" sending our troops into harm\'s way at a cost of billions of dollars to \"liberate the Iraqis\"...1000 or so dead in almost 2 years... dismembered soldiers come to free health care (mind you, not that great, but health care none the less), veterans\' benefits (again, not the best by any stretch of the imagination, but benefits none the less)... and so forth and so on...

..tsunami kills 150,000.. . well, not only kills 150,000 (and counting), it does it in a matter of days, and it wipes out entire communities within seconds, killing entire families, men, women, children alike, and taking away what little they had...

..so it is human tragedy, vs self-inflicted wounds, no pun intended...

what about our military?
 

good thread but it needs to be on the everything else board.

[Edited on 16/1/2005 by JOESAM2002]

what about our military?
 

it\'s really not that simple tobias. theese are our people. theese are our troops. our friends. our fathers, mothers and children. when they wont allow the people there helping with the aid to show our flag well then they dont need anything from us. theese are people in ind. and sri lanka that have many muslims that dont like americans or our country. let them fend for themselves. i say they shouldnt ask the world for help but allah. you want to give to a fund why dont you help our soldiers. help americans first. if the shoe was reversed they wouldnt help us but more then likely would celebrate in the streets about us having so many die. screw the muslims.

what about our military?
 

..well, let them starve then, let them rot in desease... don\'t send any aid...

if you want to help, help without constraints... if you need to tell people \"I AM the one helping you\", then you really don\'t want to help...

...besides, must of the aid from the U.S. is coming from private funds, and not from the Federal Gov\'t... so honestly I don\'t see the need to have fly any flags anywhere...

.. but you know what? ..you are right, the troops are \"our\" people.. these are \"our\" troops... why don\'t you tell the U.S. government that? Why don\'t you tell the G.O.P. to use those 40,000,000 dlls of tax payers\' money they are going to spend in this year\'s inauguration alone, on the betterment of \"our\" troops\' lives? Why don\'t you tell the G.O.P, you know, the \"Support Our Troops\" party that, instead of paying those 10,000 to 20,000 dlls for a plate at any of the dozens of inauguration parties, why they don\'t put that money in a fund to help \"our\" soldiers?

what about our military?
 

well i agree with you 100% about the miuse of federal funds. i think its ridiculous. but clinton spent nearly the same amount of money on his party. so really it isnt a party pronblem as much as it is a problem. the money used for our reps is ridiculous. i do agree. but please dont tell me about the problems with the gop directing funds to the troops. because first congress has to okay the direction of the funds. also more importantly i was in the navy under clinton. when a month into the budget we were broke and couldnt fix essential operating systems on our ship. i also know that the raises we recieved were well towards the end of his presidency and were a result of congress. a replublican congress. the raises have continued every year thank god. when my wife was in after i got out i didnt see her for nine months a year with all of the deployments when she had a 6 month deployment that year. most people dont know that the navy is never in port for long. there is always constant underways. then you go out for a 6 month cruise every year and a half. so the pay they deserve. im sorry that i see this as wrong. when thats all that is talked about and our boys are never talked about in the same regard. do i really see anything worng with us helping. no i dont. thats what you do in life. or at least you hope poeple do. you help people who need it. but the thing that makes me sick is that the media acts as if this is the most important event. im sorry i think you help your own first. whenthe kids in this country are no longer waking up hungry then we can send donations else where. i understand about welfare in this country. i know that the poor here are not as poor as other countries. but you still help your own first. even if they dont help themselves like they should. i dont think you would help someone elses kids eat before your own children.

what about our military?
 

ok...
.. first off, just for the record, I\'m not a democrat...
..second, what Clinton did or didn\'t do is not relevant to this discussion...
... you made a statement about the money that the media, athletes, and movie stars are putting together and sending overseas to help the victims of the tsunami, asking why they aren\'t doing the same for U.S. troops and their families, further questioning why do so when this aid is being sent to people who will not allow a cross or a U.S. flag displayed...

... now, we all know, that the most of the media and movie stars are \"left-wingers\"... my point was, why aren\'t you questioning the \"right-wingers\" when it comes to helping our troops? The \"right-wingers\" are those wearing the yellow ribbons, yet you don\'t see them rushing to aid our troops and their families...

... and I wasn\'t talking about the gov\'t allocating any federal funds for anything or to anyone... I am talking about private funds... I mentioned the Inauguration because that money allocation doesn\'t require a fight in Congress... it\'s pretty much petty cash... how great would have been had our President turned around and said he was going to have a small ceremony for his second swear-in and giving the inauguration money to some fund that would help our troops\' families, instead of wasting 40,000,000 dlls in a meaningless public spectacle.. he needs only to make the oath in front of a member of the Supreme Court and a couple of witnesses to make it official...

..and as far as the dozens of inauguration parties going on around the District, the money people are going to spend there is not federal allocated money... it is private money ... 10,000 to 20,000 dlls a plate dinners, not to mention the 5,000 to 20,000 dlls new dresses, the limo rides, the food and drink fit for a Caesar, and most sickening of all, the gold plated yellow rribbons by Ann Hand who these people are going to be flaunting in \"support of our troops\".. actually I think is the crystal elephant brooch this year.. but I digress... and where does that money go? Campaign funds for the G.O.P...

..and our troops? \" Fine, thank you.. we sent them around the world to fight to their deaths against terrorism.... we support them!! What? Dead soldier leaving 3 kids and a wife? Here\'s your 12,000 bucks... We support you!!!! Lost your arm? Oh, you were a reservist? We support you!!! oh, no we are not going to pay you for rehab.. but we support you!!!! Didn\'t you see my yellow ribbon bumper sticker???.. could you please pass the rost beef? Thank you\"...

...you don\'t see them rushing to put private funds together to help our troops and their families.. you do see them rushing to their couture appointment at Neiman Marcus, though...


[Edited on 20/1/2005 by Tobias-Reiper]

what about our military?
 

i see your point but it really isnt true that our soldiers or their families only get 12000 dollars . our military is offered a life insurance policy that can be worth 250000 dollars but it is up to each person to choose that if they want to. also when i was in and my wife who got out last july the cost was less the 20 dollars per month to have that life insurance. also you dont have to pass any checks to have that insurance. you can be a smoker and still get 250000 life insurance policy for you and your family. you cant do that in any other. plain and simple as an american you dont go aorund the world to help others until you help our own people. if you want i can post a link on here to where you can help our fallen soldiers and their familes.

what about our military?
 

well clinton had a big party also. and um the curerent tax laws come from the worse president ever roosevelt. his new deal was paid for by the middle class. so you tax the hell out of the middle class to pay for all of theese programs to help people who dont help themselves. i mean the idea is the robinhood idea. steal from the rich to pay the poor. but the rich got samrt. they invented corps. and they dont pay as much tax as the middle class do. i mean thats why the rich are rich. they are more intelligent then the middle class and the poor. but people hate them for this. what? do we not live in a a capitalist society. i would admit were trying to move more towards a socialist or communist society, but are we not suppose to be built on capitalism. for god sakes how long can a society sustain when they are robbing the workers to feed,shelter, and clothe the nonworkers. for christ sakes it is not the job of others to provide for other people and their families. do more if you dont have enough

what about our military?
 

gatorman first i like your post. it was written with intelligence and thought. for most of the people you spoke of i dont have a problem helping. but i think that the biggest problem is that to try and punish the rich for working harder then other people is wrong. why do we punish people for making more then someone else. they are responsible for themselves. now as far as children they should never ever go hungry. i have no problem providing breakfast, lunch, and dinner. but this should not be funds given to the parents , since as you said they dont always use the money on what they should. this is something that could be provided through the schools. but please explaine to me how it is ok to punish people who are more responsible and more intelligent then others. what you are saying is that if you work hard and achieve more you should be punished for that. really in all honesty it wasnt until i think 1913 that this country even had a tax on income. and if your going to have a tax on income then you shouldnt have other taxes also. im sorry gatorman that is 100% communism. when you try to have the same for all that is communism. and no bro we dont need to do away with corps. we need to keep them so i can start my own and save myself some money in taxes. the only way to get ahead in this country is through corps. you cant do it by working hard because the harder you work the more they take. sorry but i cant get on board with that idea. this country will not last the way we are headed.

what about our military?
 

gatorman what you said is that everyone pays the same percentage on thier taxes. thats not true at all. the people that earn the most are paying like 35% on their money. what. 1/3. under clinton the amount was 40%. dude are you kidding me. now when im talking about other taxes im not talking about state taxes. im talking about federal taxes on phone bills, your cable and interent bill, gas ect. now after those federal taxes you also pay on your phone bill (wireless or home) a tax called universal service fund. this is a 12.5 % tax on those communication bills that is a federal tax to help provide phone service to people and schools in low income areas. also known as non workers. gator bro this is 100% unfair. i mean even after all of the money your taxed here you are also taxed by your state through income tax-state sales tax -personal properety tax. then after you were taxed on your money from your check if you put that money into some investment that can make you money you are taxed again. what? all because you are more intelligent then someone else is with their money. no this country does not need to do away with corps and other tax breaks. we need to keep them so that someone can actually get somewhere. if people dont like thier situation i would tell them to educate themselves and change their situation. there are ways to educate yourself with out having to go to college. what theese people do instead is wait for the first of the month and sit home everyday never doing anything. it is not the way you repay that type of behaior. i see it through my job. its amazing when you go into the middle class neighborhoods in the middle of the day noone is home. but when you go into the poor neighborhoods they are all over the place. im sorry i dont have pitty for that. it has just been in this centruy the early 1900\'s that the income tax came about. if we were able to get on without it before we still can. what has happen instead is that we have all the same taxes as before and they added an income tax. bro noone deserves to be taxed to try to make life equal for all. you are paid by the work you do. its not all spread out to make it even. that my firend is communism. its sad.