Old people, is their more BS with our institutions than in the past???

[LANTIRN]

we need to back to privitizing government functions.

Want a letter delivered, pay UPS/FedEx/a jackass on horse
Want a Disaster Relief, hire a private company to come fix your shit
Want free health care, go to Mexico...won't be free but it will be cheaper, you should get what you pay for.


Not to change the topic but when we went to war in Afghanistan/Iraq the Government and the military got smart for a just a brief second. They said hey, we can hire civilians to augment our troops and provide life support services, food, water, electricity. If we pay a E1 to fix generators his entire deployment it would cost us money in training, he can't be deployed for longer than a certain amount of time, then we have uniforms and equipment, his free medical and dental, if he gets hurt we have to pay him for life, omg what if he retires after 20yrs then we have to pay him for life. Hire civilians to go over there who don't need to be trained, clothed, given free medical or dental outside of life-limb-eyesight, can't draw a check if he trips and sprains his ankle or gets an infection that will never go away, he can't retire, oh but he can spend more than 15 months out there and we will have more power over the civilian than we do the E-1.

My employer employs over 20,000 civilians in Aghanistan. If we were not here the military would have to have that many plus some rotating out every 6-12 months here providing these services. Can you imagine what congress and the American people would say if we went from having 70,000 troops here to 90,000+. What that cost of war climb. I make a good wage. Most of my employees get paid by the hour and it is about the same as if they were doing the same job in the States. The key is they just work 84 hours a week. We are not rolling in the dough so we are not overpaid. If I was over paid I would have been home years ago.

Point is someone got smart for once in the big government and said lets let the private sector bid for this work and see what we get. It is cheaper in the long run.

Now just run the rest of the country this way and all will be right with the world.

The military does not get paid hourly; they get salary and that is it. No over time; they make 32,000 a year regardless of if they work 8 hours a day or 18 hours a day. At $20 an hour, an 84 hour week comes out to $110,240 per year before taxes, with the first $80,000 being tax free. $32,000 per year E-1, or a $110,000 per year civilian?

Also, the sole reason everyone I have spoken to has taken contracting jobs overseas, including myself, was because of the money. 84 hours a week translates into a shitload of money when you factor in overtime.

Also, who do you think trained the contractors? Hint, most of them were prior service and thus were trained on Uncle Sam's dime. The ones who weren't prior service were often working for companies known for military contracting, which usually provided the needed job training, which was in turn factored into what they charged the government for their services.

Don't kid yourself; government contracting is about the money. It has always been about the money.

But yes, I agree with your general idea that in order for government to use less money, we have to use them less. That is why I avoid the USPS when possible. But if you notice, the USPS is able to do things way cheaper than FEDEX or UPS. Sucks competing with an endless supply of disposable income.

[KBScobravert]

The military does not get paid hourly; they get salary and that is it. No over time; they make 32,000 a year regardless of if they work 8 hours a day or 18 hours a day. At $20 an hour, an 84 hour week comes out to $110,240 per year before taxes, with the first $80,000 being tax free. $32,000 per year E-1, or a $110,000 per year civilian?

Also, the sole reason everyone I have spoken to has taken contracting jobs overseas, including myself, was because of the money. 84 hours a week translates into a shitload of money when you factor in overtime.

Also, who do you think trained the contractors? Hint, most of them were prior service and thus were trained on Uncle Sam's dime. The ones who weren't prior service were often working for companies known for military contracting, which usually provided the needed job training, which was in turn factored into what they charged the government for their services.

Don't kid yourself; government contracting is about the money. It has always been about the money.

But yes, I agree with your general idea that in order for government to use less money, we have to use them less. That is why I avoid the USPS when possible. But if you notice, the USPS is able to do things way cheaper than FEDEX or UPS. Sucks competing with an endless supply of disposable income.

I am well aware of how the military is paid.

I have been working LOGCAP in Afghanistan for 5 years now and I have not been digging ditches or washing pots and pans. I have a very good idea of what the percentage of our Expat employees who are prior military. Yes there are those of us out here that are prior service but MOST of our trades are not.

Not sure where you have contracted. I was referring to LOGCAP of which I have worked for III and IV for quite some time now right here in the armpit of the world.

Not sure how USPS can do it cheaper when to send a letter it costs upwards of $.32 (haven't had to pay for mail in years) and UPS said they could move a letter for $.06. I have a lot more faith in UPS/FEDEX than I do in USPS.

[LANTIRN]

I am well aware of how the military is paid.

I have been working LOGCAP in Afghanistan for 5 years now and I have not been digging ditches or washing pots and pans. I have a very good idea of what the percentage of our Expat employees who are prior military. Yes there are those of us out here that are prior service but MOST of our trades are not.

Not sure where you have contracted. I was referring to LOGCAP of which I have worked for III and IV for quite some time now right here in the armpit of the world.

Not sure how USPS can do it cheaper when to send a letter it costs upwards of $.32 (haven't had to pay for mail in years) and UPS said they could move a letter for $.06. I have a lot more faith in UPS/FEDEX than I do in USPS.

Never sent a letter with UPS or FEDEX, hell can't remember the last time I mailed a letter period. I know sending a package overseas from the states to Asia was about $70 with USPS, and close to $300 with UPS and FEDEX, and that was close to a year ago.

I contracted in Saudi and was hired to work by a Saudi company. Saudi is a different game though as we are talking about money that originates from the Saudi Regime. They actually have no one trained to do the job, or really even capable of being trained.

The US, on the other hand, has plenty of qualified, trained soldiers and airmen. I really don't see the point of having such a huge standing military, which you still have to pay, if you are going to send contractors as soon as the war starts up.

Now if you want to draw down the military to only a few thousand to protect the shores and use contractors if a large scale war erupts, then maybe you are on to something. Large standing armies are expensive to maintain.

All that being said, I'd be in Afghanistan or Iraq tomorrow if my wife didn't threaten me with divorce every time I receive a job offer.

[SMEGMA STENCH]

I try to see everything from both sides so that I can come out with the best possible perspective. So to answer the OP's question, I'd have to say yes, and no. And I'd also like to offer that as you get older, of course things are going to seem harder. This is something that all of us face. So that is probably at least part of what you are experiencing. Although as an anti government type, I'd have to say yeah things offer way more bullshit than they should.

Then again, they're also getting easier, as well. Just one random example that I think qualifies: Used to you had to go stand in line at the tax office to get all your bullshit done. Anything having to do with a car title could conceivably turn out to be an all day deal, if you had to run back to your house, or catch up with that jackoff you bought it from for some more documentation. Nowadays, you can do most of this bullshit online. I just went through a rather painless title transition for an automobile that I know would have taken me at least two hours had I gone down to my local tax office/title place.

Another example might be self checkouts at stores. When I go in for 2 items that I don't even need a cart to carry, I don't want to wait behind granny who is too old and dumb to understand why wal-mart gives her back her check that it took her 20 minutes to write. I can do the whole thing myself in 20 seconds and just bypass all that bullshit. So if you look around, you can see streamlining here and there. Its not all bad.

[32vfromhell]

Actually, it was worse in days like the early 1900's.

Do you know much Railways, banks and Oil Companies fucked over people back then? It makes the stuff today seem like child's play.


There was a reason Railways and Banks were always seen as adversaries in old cartoons...

[Hobie]

But yes, I agree with your general idea that in order for government to use less money, we have to use them less. That is why I avoid the USPS when possible. But if you notice, the USPS is able to do things way cheaper than FEDEX or UPS. Sucks competing with an endless supply of disposable income.

FWIW - USPS is NOT taxpayer funded. They are supposed to finance themselves like a private business, but they are choked by typical bureaucratic gov't regulation. As you can imagine doing business with your hands tied is a bit tough.
.
I want to say Nixon stopped their funding in 71, but gov't funding wasn't cut off entirely until the Reagan administration.

However, they are now operating in the red and surviving with loans from the Treasury, so, figure that one out, lol.


The biggest gov't expenses are defense, medicare/medicaid, and social-security. We have to address those if we really want to make a change as everything else is just a drop in the bucket relatively.

We've got two administrations in a row with record deficits and odd uses/abuses of presidential authority setting SCARY precedents. It's very likely this nation will collapse under the weight of it's own gov't before the masses realize and much sooner than we think. The more I read the more likely it seems the tipping point is right around the corner if we haven't passed it already.

[Hobie]

Actually, it was worse in days like the early 1900's.

Do you know much Railways, banks and Oil Companies fucked over people back then? It makes the stuff today seem like child's play.


There was a reason Railways and Banks were always seen as adversaries in old cartoons...

I ranted about that in some other post. I fear we may be in the twilight of the golden era of the US middle class. I think we are moving back in the direction towards the Robber Baron era as businesses try to slash expenses in efforts to make the numbers every quarter while competing in a global market often built on the backs of sweat shop labor in some 3rd world shit hole.

[LANTIRN]

FWIW - USPS is NOT taxpayer funded. They are supposed to finance themselves like a private business, but they are choked by typical bureaucratic gov't regulation. As you can imagine doing business with your hands tied is a bit tough.
.
I want to say Nixon stopped their funding in 71, but gov't funding wasn't cut off entirely until the Reagan administration.

However, they are now operating in the red and surviving with loans from the Treasury, so, figure that one out, lol.


The biggest gov't expenses are defense, medicare/medicaid, and social-security. We have to address those if we really want to make a change as everything else is just a drop in the bucket relatively.

We've got two administrations in a row with record deficits and odd uses/abuses of presidential authority setting SCARY precedents. It's very likely this nation will collapse under the weight of it's own gov't before the masses realize and much sooner than we think. The more I read the more likely it seems the tipping point is right around the corner if we haven't passed it already.

Loans from the Treasury would pretty much make them taxpayer funded, just like GM, GE and BOA used taxpayer loans to keep them afloat because they couldn't manage a business. Which shows you how messed up the government really is when Nixon defunded them so long ago, yet they are still getting taxpayer money. I wasn't aware of that, so thanks for giving me something else to piss me off this morning

I know it will never happen, but if we just shut down all overseas military bases with the exception of where we are engaged in war, that would allow us to draw down the size of the standing military and drastically cut expenses. Granted BRAC takes a long time to plan out and put into motion, but it could be done within a decade I would think if Congress really wanted to do it, but they don't.

[Broncojohnny]

I ranted about that in some other post. I fear we may be in the twilight of the golden era of the US middle class. I think we are moving back in the direction towards the Robber Baron era as businesses try to slash expenses in efforts to make the numbers every quarter while competing in a global market often built on the backs of sweat shop labor in some 3rd world shit hole.

The problem with that idea is that the Robber Barons operated in an era that had a complete lack of government regulation. Today we have too much government regulation in a lot of areas. Not only that but their business practices would be criminal. Rockefeller would blow up his competitor's oil tanks with dynamite. Jay Gould would issue share after share after share of a stock and keep right on selling it, diluting the value of the shares down to nothing.

Ever stop to think that the middle class in America is an anomaly?

[BERNIE MOSFET]

The problem with that idea is that the Robber Barons operated in an era that had a complete lack of government regulation. Today we have too much government regulation in a lot of areas. Not only that but their business practices would be criminal. Rockefeller would blow up his competitor's oil tanks with dynamite. Jay Gould would issue share after share after share of a stock and keep right on selling it, diluting the value of the shares down to nothing.

Ever stop to think that the middle class in America is an anomaly?

Good point. The middle class came about more and more as technology progressed beyond what a few men could accomplish by themselves in their laboratories. Add in federal regulations, and it takes armies of people to support the further development, sales, and support of technology - in a system that becomes circular and predatory. These people have to be educated, trained or, at the least, jump through enough collegiate hoops to qualify for jobs otherwise beyond their grasp. This investment in human resources makes sense, and large salaries justified because competition rules the day - by hook or by crook. Smart people (in a relative sense) make money. And the more money someone brings in to their employer, the more valuable they become.

Until technology effectively plateaus, there will be a place for a moderately educated, intelligent but tax-burdened middle class. We know we're getting reamed, but it beats what about 99% of the world's population deals with.
Whenever I want to bitch about "the man", I remind myself that I'm not in Darfur.

[talisman]

I had to call my electric provider on Sunday. Holy shit, did they go out of their way to administer me a beating and charge me.. A whooping $8. I dread having to call any major company I do business with any more. Every time I talk to the clowns at my bank it turns into a 30 minute ordeal when it should just take them a click of a button. I called them last week to up the daily spending limit on my debit card because I was going to make a major purchase. "We can't do that sir, sorry." Never mind that I had over 4 times what I was asking them to momentarily raise the limit to in the account. Cocksuckers. People wonder what could drive a man to crash a Cessna into the IRS building in Austin. It's the little shit, over and over and over again...

Special note for any government dickwad if I just triggered some sort of homeland security threat: I'm referring to events that have already happened, not making a threat you peabrained micromanaging time wasting wallet vampires...

[ceyko]

People wonder what could drive a man to crash a Cessna into the IRS building in Austin. It's the little shit, over and over and over again.

Who was it? Chris Rock I think that said "It's not right! But I understand."

...and ignorance is BLISS.

[LANTIRN]

I had to call my electric provider on Sunday. Holy shit, did they go out of their way to administer me a beating and charge me.. A whooping $8. I dread having to call any major company I do business with any more. Every time I talk to the clowns at my bank it turns into a 30 minute ordeal when it should just take them a click of a button. I called them last week to up the daily spending limit on my debit card because I was going to make a major purchase. "We can't do that sir, sorry." Never mind that I had over 4 times what I was asking them to momentarily raise the limit to in the account. Cocksuckers. People wonder what could drive a man to crash a Cessna into the IRS building in Austin. It's the little shit, over and over and over again...

Special note for any government dickwad if I just triggered some sort of homeland security threat: I'm referring to events that have already happened, not making a threat you peabrained micromanaging time wasting wallet vampires...

Back when I was still stupid enough to be using Bank of America for my main banking, I was in the military and of course moved alot. Well, it took me close to 3 years for them to get my damn address correct. Even getting online and changing it they never got it correct. Called, and even went into the the bank and they still didn't get it right. God knows how many people got mailed my bank info at my old addresses; luckily I was never involved in identity theft I am aware of. Finally got the address correct, and they wouldn't let me do some other stuff because they had mixed up my birthdate and SSN with my dad's (I was single so he was on the account to handle things while I was overseas). They are absolutely retarded.

[Hobie]

I had to call my electric provider on Sunday. Holy shit, did they go out of their way to administer me a beating and charge me.. A whooping $8. I dread having to call any major company I do business with any more. Every time I talk to the clowns at my bank it turns into a 30 minute ordeal when it should just take them a click of a button. I called them last week to up the daily spending limit on my debit card because I was going to make a major purchase. "We can't do that sir, sorry." Never mind that I had over 4 times what I was asking them to momentarily raise the limit to in the account. Cocksuckers. People wonder what could drive a man to crash a Cessna into the IRS building in Austin. It's the little shit, over and over and over again...

Special note for any government dickwad if I just triggered some sort of homeland security threat: I'm referring to events that have already happened, not making a threat you peabrained micromanaging time wasting wallet vampires...

The final straw that caused me to close my Chase accounts, I had a charge on a credit account I had never used. It took over half an hour and SIX transfers to other departments to resolve it. To make matters more difficult that credit account just disappeared from my online banking page. I was forced to call them to fix it. In the end I just paid them for the charge. What a pain in the fucking dick for $1.32

It seems like every bank has people who have horror stories, wells fargo has never had poor service in my experience, gonna stick with them

[sc281]

The final straw that caused me to close my Chase accounts, I had a charge on a credit account I had never used. It took over half an hour and SIX transfers to other departments to resolve it. To make matters more difficult that credit account just disappeared from my online banking page. I was forced to call them to fix it. In the end I just paid them for the charge. What a pain in the fucking dick for $1.32

It seems like every bank has people who have horror stories, wells fargo has never had poor service in my experience, gonna stick with them

Would you mind Pm'ing me the situation? It's a one-page form to dispute a charge, and I'd like to know how something so simple turned into all that.

<-- Licensed Banker for Chase