Because to him the Constitution of the USA is nothing more than toilet paper, to be disregarded when it gets in the way of his agenda. That being socialism.
but on this issue, it appears that this *Comedian* certainly has a better grasp on this issue than the *Experts* at the FCC.
Nope, his grasp is just as bad as the FCC's. He says the FCC already has the "power to issue regulations that protect net neutrality" but he does not name those powers. As a matter of fact court rulings have said the FCC does not have those powers. In order to get around those court rulings the FCC is unilaterally making changes to it's regulations.
you shoudl be cheering the high illegal population
I don't cheer so called "illegal immigrants", I actually oppose laws that make immigration illegal. I totally support open borders.
the ones who would take the jobs the illegals are doing now
Except many of those here legally, citizens and immigrants, don't willing work at jobs taken by "illegals". How many citizens will work as a garbage collector? Unless pay is high, which then raises taxes, not many are willing to do the work. I have done the work. Agriculture is where a lot of immigrants work, again because Americans are unwilling to work for the pay, or because it's too hard. The same with construction. And again I've worked in construction.
Okay, yes, illegal aliens pay sales tax. They do not, however, generally pay income tax, social security, or medicare.
Why, oh why, do I post links when people won't read them?
renters do not pay property tax. The person who owns the rental property pays that. And no, you can't say that part of your rent goes to pay the tax; that tax would have been paid by the owner whether you were renting the property or not.
Renters do pay taxes. I as a rental property owner, not really, will consider how much I can charge for rent by what my expenses, which includes property taxes, are going to be. If my expenses are high then I will want high rent. People like Donald Trump don't get rich off of rental property by ignoring the taxes they will have to pay, they will lose their property if they do not pay it. How stupid can a person be?
just the thought that some 19 year old kid might be prosecuted for saying something racially insensitive.. in a war zone.. it's just beyond retarded.
No what's retarded, beyond retarded, is making disparaging remarks against someone who will be covering your back in a foxhole. You don't want to antagonize someone who's protecting you.
When do you get to be a normal person?
If you want to be a "normal person" then don't put yourself where you can't be one. There is no draft, enlisting is a personal choice. From the moment you enlist you are not free to do whatever you want, not without consequences. Hell civilians shouldn't put themselves in situations where they can't "normal" either. And what is "normal"?
It is difficult, if not impossible, to cover every possible clue, trace and or happenstance.
Not really. Do you have an idea of how many unsolved murders there are? How many ways are there to kill people? Want to shoot someone? Remove the slug from the bullet and use ice. With the cartridge below freezing gouge out a piece of ice from a block keeping it frozen until it's shot. Like the slug it replaced the ice can kill the person, but then it melts so the caliber of the shell may not be known. About all that is known, or can be tested for, is the power used in the round. However even the power can be made and doesn't need to be bought. The use of an air gun and even power traces don't exist.
If they don't encrypt/decrypt for the gov't, they don't do it for anyone else!
Actually code talkers used based on their native languages so other native speakers could conceivably understand them. For instance though many code talkers were from American Indian tribes, the US Marines used Basque code talkers during WWII in areas where there were no Basque or Euskara speakers.
Per-capita would be a start, so what's the change in population over that period?
You didn't go through the state of California webpage I linked to did you? Just now the first link I clicked on on that page was to Schedule 6 — Summary of State Population, Employees and Expenditures. The pdf has the per capita numbers. Since you didn't bother to look I won't bother to answer the rest of your questions either.
Any votes on how long the policy lasts after someone 'transgendered' files a lawsuit requesting permission to live in the opposite-sex barracks and wear the opposite-sex uniform?
But he can close Guantanamo by executive order. He doesn't even need Congress for that.
I wish he would, but where will the prisoners there be taken to? Myself, I'd release them but I can easily imagine the uproar if Obama did that. He proposed bringing them to the states but there was opposition for each state proposed, and it's not something he can unilaterally decide on his own.
I once believed in Obama. Now I believe he's just a politician.
I didn't believe but I had hopes. Those hope were quickly dashed.
Will I vote for him again? Of course: I'd rather his incompetence than that of Gingrich or Palin.
The only way I would vote for Obama was if I had a gun rested on the temples of people I cared for and was ordered to vote or they would be shot and the election was between Obama and someone worse. As it was in 2008, I thought Obama was the lesser of 2 bads, him and McCain.
I think the voters could have been been educated to realize that tax cuts for millionaires would be bad for everyone else.
Either you are naive or you want to steal, and what gives you the right to steal from the wealthy? As a matter of fact the wealthy pay more taxes in the US than others. On 14 May 2010 Roshawn Watson posted the question Do The Rich Pay Their Fair Share Of Taxes? He then answers by linking to and using numbers from Congressional Budget Office (CBO) calculations in Spreading the Wealth Around: Reflections on Joe the Plumber [pdf]. The bottom 1/5 of the population in income, the poorest in other words, pay 4.5% of their income in taxes. The middle 1/5 pays 13.9%. And the top 1/5 pays 31.1%. If you want "fair taxes" those percentages should be the same, in other words after cost of living is deducted everyone pays the same percent of their income in income tax.
They also mention what Warren Buffet said about his secretary paying more in taxes than he pays. His income is from dividends and capital gains which is taxed at 15% whereas making $60,000 his secretary was taxed at 30%. Now if the secretary had income from dividends and capital gains, and if not then why has s/he not invested some pay as well, the secretary would pay the same percent on that income. Also what Buffet did not say is that he pays more in taxes than he let's on. When the CBO included the taxes Berkshire Hathaway, Buffet is the biggest shareholder, pays such as individual income taxes, payroll taxes, and corporate income taxes his tax burden is higher.
Are soldiers going to get in trouble for saying things like "that's gay" or "you fag" or "that sucks dick" now because they have to be aware and sensitive to sexuality, even amongst themselves?
Have you served in the military? I have and we had a bunch of rules about saying things some may find offensive. Say something about Blacks and you'll be dealt with. Whistle at a pretty female, or handsome male, and you could find charges filed against you. There is no difference between having these policies and having policies against harassment because of someone's sexual orientation.
this is just a wedge issue that Republicans can use to gain midwestern support
This would be true if Republicans voted against repeal of Don't ask, don't tell. But some Republicans voted for the repeal.
Of course so called Conservative Christians as well as some Tea Partiers will use their vote as ammunition against them.
I'd rather they be safe at home and not be allowed to talk about their sexuality than serving in hostile territory allowed to talk about it.
And I'd prefer they had the choice. As a matter of fact everyone in the military joined voluntarily, there is no draft. No one is forced to serve in the military, not by the government.
It just doesn't matter if DADT is right or wrong, it's nowhere near as wrong as putting these soldiers in harm's way unnecessarily.
There are two separate issues here, unnecessary wars, and Don't Ask, Don't Tell. But you are equating them. Personally I was against both invasions and am pro repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
Now let me ask you two questions. One, have you served in the military? I served in the US Army as a Small Arms Specialist, aka infantry. As such if I have been sent to Afghanistan or Iraq I would have been on the front lines. Two, do you know anyone who is in the military and has been sent to either Afghanistan or Iraq? I do, I have a nephew who went to Iraq once. His Marine Corp unit was sent back to Iraq, he didn't go back a second tyme himself because military doctors say there's something wrong with his heart.
The National Guard is still under the federal government's control.
Not quite. Those who enlist in the National Guard are trained by the US military but they are under the command of governors. Though when needed the president can order them to active duty, as Bush did for the Afghanistan and Iraqi wars. When the Ohio National Guard went to Kent State University, where 4 students were killed and another 9 wounded, the guard unit was under the command of Jim Rhodes the governor of Ohio.
Without federal control I think we would have seen numerous wars among the states
Conflict or disputes between the several states is one of the functions of the federal government.
Without knowing it you brought issues some fear. Recall what happened in Tiananmem Square in 1989? Tiananmem Square is in Beijing and local People's Liberation Army (PLA) units, local Chinese military, refused to fire on protesters. It so concerned the Chinese leadership they thought PLA units would revolt and start a new civil war. Beijing eventually ordered the 27th Army, who was led by Yang Jianhua the nephew of President Yang Shangkun, to Beijing to put down any insurrection.
See, unlike the US Army Chinese army units are local. That is the people serving in the units come from the area where the unit is located. They don't get transferred all around China never mind the world. My Dad, who retired from the US Air Force, was stationed in 5 different states as well as Taiwan and Japan. When I was in the Army I was stationed in Georgia and Germany and I went to Alaska, Florida, Wisconsin, and Panama for training. Though I'm not sure I think my sister went to South Korea when she was in the Army. That does not happen in the PLA.
Unit cohesion is not necessary on the civilian side of things (barring a repeat of the Pentagon attack of 9/11) even though vital for combat units.
In combat sexual orientation doesn't matter much either. What does matter is if your left and your right is covered. What matters are the bullets whizzing overhead. The members of a fire team are like the fingers of a hand, they cover each other, a Band of the Hand. Though I didn't serve in combat, I did serve in the US Army. As a Small Arms Specialist, most commonly known as the infantry. My unit trained cadet officers and Rangers and trained with the Special Forces.
but if you don't have studio (or some other well-heeled backer) money behind you it's a serious investment for an individual or two to make.
But it does not have to be a serious financial investment. The "EOS 5D Mark II can record up to 4GB per clip or record up to a maximum continuous video capture time of 29 minutes and 59 seconds, whichever comes first. This means you can get about 12 minutes HD video or 24 minutes of SD video on a 4GB memory card." Amazon lists the price at $2700. I don't recall what camera it is but there used to be an ad on TV for a digital camera, the camera was used to make the ad. While software can be expensive relatively, it doesn't have to be. Amazon lists Final Cut Studio, Apple's video editing suite, for just over $800. For free there's CinePaint which is open source. It started out as FilmGIMP when the author added 16 bit colour depths but the developers of GIMP did not accept it. A number of movies were made that used CinePaint. That about page lists some, such as the "Harry Potter" movies, Sean Connery's "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen", and Tom Cruise's "Last Samurai".
I haven't done it yet but I want to start a business as a photographer and I may do some videography as well.
better off globally with smaller countries and more power given to local authorities
Yes, we call these "states". They each can have their own laws, too.
And if those states don't do what the feds want they may lose. Look at what the feds did with the REAL ID Act, the feds told the states that if they did not create new IDs that met the new national standards they would lose federal dollars.
Going on 6 years since it was passed and signed, it may be repealed soon. Twenty five states "approved either resolutions or binding legislation not to participate in the program".
They can talk about recruitment during a recession but the local recruiters are hitting the streets every damned day and offering every incentive short of hookers and blow and simply can't make their numbers.
Recruiters certainly are not hitting the streets where I am. About a year ago I went to an Army recruitment office and asked them about enlisting, well because I already served, reenlisting. But I was too old.
This and the talk of allowing illegals in in return for citizenship is nothing but a way to deal with depleted manpower
Except that does not explain the Dream act. Yes it does allow illegal aliens to gain a pathway to citizenship by serving in the military, but it does the same for those who go to college for 2 years.
The largest percentage of illegal immigrants (most of whom don't pay taxes) of any state in the U.S.
Immigrants do pay taxes. They shop and pay sales tax. And they either own or rent property so they pay property tax. Illegal immigrants even pay income tax. Overall illegal immigrants pay more taxes than the cost of the benefits they get. And if all immigrants were to pay into Social Security without being able to collect it then Social Security would be solvent, have plenty of money for retiring Baby Boomers.
The Federal government takes much more in taxes from California than it returns
While that may be true California would be in better shape if the government there hadn't increased spending as much as it did in the 1990's while the economy was booming. The state budget [pdf] in 1990-91 was $51,445.5 million, 2000-01 it was $96,381.5 million, and in 2010-11 it's $125,254.9 million.
Given the scale of the US political system I am amazed anything gets done at all.
Congress was "compelled" to end Don't Ask, Don't Tell because there is more than one lawsuit in federal courts and it was thought the courts would rule the policy unconstitutional. Both military brass and politicians believed that if the courts did rule that way it could cause more harm than if politicians ended the policy.
I am coming to the view that we would be better off globally with smaller countries and more power given to local authorities. It is possible that population growth has turned formerly manageable nations into unmanageable ones.
I want as little government as possible, and most of the government is best at the local level. Regional, "national", and international courts would decide on disputes between different areas then.
Slashdot Mirror
Because to him the Constitution of the USA is nothing more than toilet paper, to be disregarded when it gets in the way of his agenda. That being socialism.
Falcon
Same here.
but on this issue, it appears that this *Comedian* certainly has a better grasp on this issue than the *Experts* at the FCC.
Nope, his grasp is just as bad as the FCC's. He says the FCC already has the "power to issue regulations that protect net neutrality" but he does not name those powers. As a matter of fact court rulings have said the FCC does not have those powers. In order to get around those court rulings the FCC is unilaterally making changes to it's regulations.
Falcon
Another person who doesn't read articles links are provided to.
Falcon
you shoudl be cheering the high illegal population
I don't cheer so called "illegal immigrants", I actually oppose laws that make immigration illegal. I totally support open borders.
the ones who would take the jobs the illegals are doing now
Except many of those here legally, citizens and immigrants, don't willing work at jobs taken by "illegals". How many citizens will work as a garbage collector? Unless pay is high, which then raises taxes, not many are willing to do the work. I have done the work. Agriculture is where a lot of immigrants work, again because Americans are unwilling to work for the pay, or because it's too hard. The same with construction. And again I've worked in construction.
Falcon
Okay, yes, illegal aliens pay sales tax. They do not, however, generally pay income tax, social security, or medicare.
Why, oh why, do I post links when people won't read them?
renters do not pay property tax. The person who owns the rental property pays that. And no, you can't say that part of your rent goes to pay the tax; that tax would have been paid by the owner whether you were renting the property or not.
Renters do pay taxes. I as a rental property owner, not really, will consider how much I can charge for rent by what my expenses, which includes property taxes, are going to be. If my expenses are high then I will want high rent. People like Donald Trump don't get rich off of rental property by ignoring the taxes they will have to pay, they will lose their property if they do not pay it. How stupid can a person be?
Falcon
just the thought that some 19 year old kid might be prosecuted for saying something racially insensitive.. in a war zone.. it's just beyond retarded.
No what's retarded, beyond retarded, is making disparaging remarks against someone who will be covering your back in a foxhole. You don't want to antagonize someone who's protecting you.
When do you get to be a normal person?
If you want to be a "normal person" then don't put yourself where you can't be one. There is no draft, enlisting is a personal choice. From the moment you enlist you are not free to do whatever you want, not without consequences. Hell civilians shouldn't put themselves in situations where they can't "normal" either. And what is "normal"?
Falcon
It is difficult, if not impossible, to cover every possible clue, trace and or happenstance.
Not really. Do you have an idea of how many unsolved murders there are? How many ways are there to kill people? Want to shoot someone? Remove the slug from the bullet and use ice. With the cartridge below freezing gouge out a piece of ice from a block keeping it frozen until it's shot. Like the slug it replaced the ice can kill the person, but then it melts so the caliber of the shell may not be known. About all that is known, or can be tested for, is the power used in the round. However even the power can be made and doesn't need to be bought. The use of an air gun and even power traces don't exist.
Falcon
If they don't encrypt/decrypt for the gov't, they don't do it for anyone else!
Actually code talkers used based on their native languages so other native speakers could conceivably understand them. For instance though many code talkers were from American Indian tribes, the US Marines used Basque code talkers during WWII in areas where there were no Basque or Euskara speakers.
Falcon
Why is polygamy wrong here yet accepted in a rather large part of the world?
Where is polygamy, polygamy and not polygyny, accepted?
We almost had a huge hole in the US, known as Utah, due to this issue over 100 years ago.
Mormons practice polygyny NOT polygamy.
Falcon
Per-capita would be a start, so what's the change in population over that period?
You didn't go through the state of California webpage I linked to did you? Just now the first link I clicked on on that page was to Schedule 6 — Summary of State Population, Employees and Expenditures. The pdf has the per capita numbers. Since you didn't bother to look I won't bother to answer the rest of your questions either.
Falcon
Any votes on how long the policy lasts after someone 'transgendered' files a lawsuit requesting permission to live in the opposite-sex barracks and wear the opposite-sex uniform?
Go for it, I don't have a problem with it.
Now what would you say if the person was an intersexual, ie someone with either Ambiguous Genitalia or with both male and female sex organs? Would you make the cut?
Falcon
But he can close Guantanamo by executive order. He doesn't even need Congress for that.
I wish he would, but where will the prisoners there be taken to? Myself, I'd release them but I can easily imagine the uproar if Obama did that. He proposed bringing them to the states but there was opposition for each state proposed, and it's not something he can unilaterally decide on his own.
I once believed in Obama. Now I believe he's just a politician.
I didn't believe but I had hopes. Those hope were quickly dashed.
Will I vote for him again? Of course: I'd rather his incompetence than that of Gingrich or Palin.
The only way I would vote for Obama was if I had a gun rested on the temples of people I cared for and was ordered to vote or they would be shot and the election was between Obama and someone worse. As it was in 2008, I thought Obama was the lesser of 2 bads, him and McCain.
Falcon
Health care reform? Please. I can't believe people call this guy a socialist.
Requiring everyone to buy health care insurance or fining them if they do not is socialistic.
Falcon
I think the voters could have been been educated to realize that tax cuts for millionaires would be bad for everyone else.
Either you are naive or you want to steal, and what gives you the right to steal from the wealthy? As a matter of fact the wealthy pay more taxes in the US than others. On 14 May 2010 Roshawn Watson posted the question Do The Rich Pay Their Fair Share Of Taxes? He then answers by linking to and using numbers from Congressional Budget Office (CBO) calculations in Spreading the Wealth Around: Reflections on Joe the Plumber [pdf]. The bottom 1/5 of the population in income, the poorest in other words, pay 4.5% of their income in taxes. The middle 1/5 pays 13.9%. And the top 1/5 pays 31.1%. If you want "fair taxes" those percentages should be the same, in other words after cost of living is deducted everyone pays the same percent of their income in income tax.
They also mention what Warren Buffet said about his secretary paying more in taxes than he pays. His income is from dividends and capital gains which is taxed at 15% whereas making $60,000 his secretary was taxed at 30%. Now if the secretary had income from dividends and capital gains, and if not then why has s/he not invested some pay as well, the secretary would pay the same percent on that income. Also what Buffet did not say is that he pays more in taxes than he let's on. When the CBO included the taxes Berkshire Hathaway, Buffet is the biggest shareholder, pays such as individual income taxes, payroll taxes, and corporate income taxes his tax burden is higher.
Falcon
Are soldiers going to get in trouble for saying things like "that's gay" or "you fag" or "that sucks dick" now because they have to be aware and sensitive to sexuality, even amongst themselves?
Have you served in the military? I have and we had a bunch of rules about saying things some may find offensive. Say something about Blacks and you'll be dealt with. Whistle at a pretty female, or handsome male, and you could find charges filed against you. There is no difference between having these policies and having policies against harassment because of someone's sexual orientation.
Falcon
this is just a wedge issue that Republicans can use to gain midwestern support
This would be true if Republicans voted against repeal of Don't ask, don't tell. But some Republicans voted for the repeal.
Of course so called Conservative Christians as well as some Tea Partiers will use their vote as ammunition against them.
I'd rather they be safe at home and not be allowed to talk about their sexuality than serving in hostile territory allowed to talk about it.
And I'd prefer they had the choice. As a matter of fact everyone in the military joined voluntarily, there is no draft. No one is forced to serve in the military, not by the government.
It just doesn't matter if DADT is right or wrong, it's nowhere near as wrong as putting these soldiers in harm's way unnecessarily.
There are two separate issues here, unnecessary wars, and Don't Ask, Don't Tell. But you are equating them. Personally I was against both invasions and am pro repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
Now let me ask you two questions. One, have you served in the military? I served in the US Army as a Small Arms Specialist, aka infantry. As such if I have been sent to Afghanistan or Iraq I would have been on the front lines. Two, do you know anyone who is in the military and has been sent to either Afghanistan or Iraq? I do, I have a nephew who went to Iraq once. His Marine Corp unit was sent back to Iraq, he didn't go back a second tyme himself because military doctors say there's something wrong with his heart.
Falcon
The National Guard is still under the federal government's control.
Not quite. Those who enlist in the National Guard are trained by the US military but they are under the command of governors. Though when needed the president can order them to active duty, as Bush did for the Afghanistan and Iraqi wars. When the Ohio National Guard went to Kent State University, where 4 students were killed and another 9 wounded, the guard unit was under the command of Jim Rhodes the governor of Ohio.
Without federal control I think we would have seen numerous wars among the states
Conflict or disputes between the several states is one of the functions of the federal government.
Without knowing it you brought issues some fear. Recall what happened in Tiananmem Square in 1989? Tiananmem Square is in Beijing and local People's Liberation Army (PLA) units, local Chinese military, refused to fire on protesters. It so concerned the Chinese leadership they thought PLA units would revolt and start a new civil war. Beijing eventually ordered the 27th Army, who was led by Yang Jianhua the nephew of President Yang Shangkun, to Beijing to put down any insurrection.
See, unlike the US Army Chinese army units are local. That is the people serving in the units come from the area where the unit is located. They don't get transferred all around China never mind the world. My Dad, who retired from the US Air Force, was stationed in 5 different states as well as Taiwan and Japan. When I was in the Army I was stationed in Georgia and Germany and I went to Alaska, Florida, Wisconsin, and Panama for training. Though I'm not sure I think my sister went to South Korea when she was in the Army. That does not happen in the PLA.
Falcon
Unit cohesion is not necessary on the civilian side of things (barring a repeat of the Pentagon attack of 9/11) even though vital for combat units.
In combat sexual orientation doesn't matter much either. What does matter is if your left and your right is covered. What matters are the bullets whizzing overhead. The members of a fire team are like the fingers of a hand, they cover each other, a Band of the Hand. Though I didn't serve in combat, I did serve in the US Army. As a Small Arms Specialist, most commonly known as the infantry. My unit trained cadet officers and Rangers and trained with the Special Forces.
Falcon
That's what I said.
but if you don't have studio (or some other well-heeled backer) money behind you it's a serious investment for an individual or two to make.
But it does not have to be a serious financial investment. The "EOS 5D Mark II can record up to 4GB per clip or record up to a maximum continuous video capture time of 29 minutes and 59 seconds, whichever comes first. This means you can get about 12 minutes HD video or 24 minutes of SD video on a 4GB memory card." Amazon lists the price at $2700. I don't recall what camera it is but there used to be an ad on TV for a digital camera, the camera was used to make the ad. While software can be expensive relatively, it doesn't have to be. Amazon lists Final Cut Studio, Apple's video editing suite, for just over $800. For free there's CinePaint which is open source. It started out as FilmGIMP when the author added 16 bit colour depths but the developers of GIMP did not accept it. A number of movies were made that used CinePaint. That about page lists some, such as the "Harry Potter" movies, Sean Connery's "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen", and Tom Cruise's "Last Samurai".
I haven't done it yet but I want to start a business as a photographer and I may do some videography as well.
Falcon
Are you suggesting that each of the 50 US states should have their own military?
The states already do, they're called the National Guard and militias.
Falcon
better off globally with smaller countries and more power given to local authorities
Yes, we call these "states". They each can have their own laws, too.
And if those states don't do what the feds want they may lose. Look at what the feds did with the REAL ID Act, the feds told the states that if they did not create new IDs that met the new national standards they would lose federal dollars.
Going on 6 years since it was passed and signed, it may be repealed soon. Twenty five states "approved either resolutions or binding legislation not to participate in the program".
Falcon
They can talk about recruitment during a recession but the local recruiters are hitting the streets every damned day and offering every incentive short of hookers and blow and simply can't make their numbers.
Recruiters certainly are not hitting the streets where I am. About a year ago I went to an Army recruitment office and asked them about enlisting, well because I already served, reenlisting. But I was too old.
This and the talk of allowing illegals in in return for citizenship is nothing but a way to deal with depleted manpower
Except that does not explain the Dream act. Yes it does allow illegal aliens to gain a pathway to citizenship by serving in the military, but it does the same for those who go to college for 2 years.
Falcon
factors:
The largest percentage of illegal immigrants (most of whom don't pay taxes) of any state in the U.S.
Immigrants do pay taxes. They shop and pay sales tax. And they either own or rent property so they pay property tax. Illegal immigrants even pay income tax. Overall illegal immigrants pay more taxes than the cost of the benefits they get. And if all immigrants were to pay into Social Security without being able to collect it then Social Security would be solvent, have plenty of money for retiring Baby Boomers.
Falcon
The Federal government takes much more in taxes from California than it returns
While that may be true California would be in better shape if the government there hadn't increased spending as much as it did in the 1990's while the economy was booming. The state budget [pdf] in 1990-91 was $51,445.5 million, 2000-01 it was $96,381.5 million, and in 2010-11 it's $125,254.9 million.
Falcon
Given the scale of the US political system I am amazed anything gets done at all.
Congress was "compelled" to end Don't Ask, Don't Tell because there is more than one lawsuit in federal courts and it was thought the courts would rule the policy unconstitutional. Both military brass and politicians believed that if the courts did rule that way it could cause more harm than if politicians ended the policy.
I am coming to the view that we would be better off globally with smaller countries and more power given to local authorities. It is possible that population growth has turned formerly manageable nations into unmanageable ones.
I want as little government as possible, and most of the government is best at the local level. Regional, "national", and international courts would decide on disputes between different areas then.
Falcon