The Next President is...

[jazzdude]

He is at least right about one thing : as little government as possible.  Push power down to the states and local governments.  One seriously must be living in a bubble if they believe the answer to their problems is “more government.”  The government couldn’t run a convenience store without running it into the ground.  Seriously what is wrong with people? 

Government should be limited, and act within the scope the people have given the government (at any level, federal, state, county, city).

In theory, our government is representative of us, so helping out other citizens is like helping out your neighbor, though they might not be right next door. What role do/should the different levels of government play in execution/policy?

People pay taxes, and want to see a return on what they've given up, which is fair. But a lot of functions may not directly impact them as individuals in the here and now, but may help others in need now, or lay out a system that creates a fair environment for everyone to pursue their life/liberty/happiness in the long run.

It's good that we debate the role of government, and increase/decrease scope as what our society wants. I'm wary of mob rule though, so popularity polls (and calls for popular direct vote on national issues) concern me, as it allows large urban areas to dominate the discussion and disregard rural voices that may have different concerns/realities.

I'd argue the government can run a convenience store, class 6/AAFES seems to do okay. Maybe not the greatest, but not run into the ground.

Maybe we are asking too much of our government based on how much we're willing to pay. Implementing programs because they sound good, but not funding them, leads to frustrations as a disconnect forms between what we want and what we get. Taxes are what pays for government and it's programs, but we have been cutting taxes but not programs.

Since we're talking about smaller government, should DoD get more funding, as we're part of that government? If funding stays the same, or gets reduced, what gets cut? It's how we in DoD ended up with "do more with less" in the past, and there are many people that believe our investments (in taxes) in defense are still too big. And don't forget, there's a support tail needed to support the direct warfighter, so cuts in support could affect the warfighter in the long run, whether it's support, quality of life, retention, etc. Also, remember paying a contractor for support functions still comes out of that same budget.

[Negatory]

21 minutes ago, Guardian said:

No veracity based off what negatory? There are a lot of people who think it’s true. So you saying it’s not a thing or true needs to be backed up for us inquisitive voters.

Of note I didn’t realize this but some states allow you to change your vote. If any of you early voters are regretting your decision you might potentially be able to change it depending on the state.

Why do you all of a sudden believe something that the FBI has “had for over a year” (and they didn’t press any charges) is new information, when the CIA and leadership of the intelligence community says it’s overwhelmingly likely it’s disinformation? Why would Giuliani sit on the laptops for months if they showed clear wrongdoing? Oh it’s because he can release them 2 weeks in advance and get guys like you to say “yeah! They probably are criminals” and vote before the smoke clears.
 

Reminder that your source (the computer repair man) is literally claimed to be someone who has a condition that doesn’t allow them to remember or recognize faces. Convenient. You so badly want to believe whatever supports your side, and it’s kinda sad.

 

Edited October 28, 2020 by Negatory

[Lord Ratner]

7 minutes ago, Negatory said:

 and leadership of the intelligence community says it’s overwhelmingly likely it’s disinformation?

 

Source? Last I heard the DNI explicitly stated that nothing indicated the laptop was foreign disinformation. That's just one voice, but it's the most informed one.

 

I think at this point we can disregard anything that comes from paid contributors (Dem and Rep) who once upon a time were in the bureaucracy. James Clapper alone has done more to discredit that demographic than any talking head in recent memory.

 

Edit: For transparency, I believe the laptop is real. I do not believe Hunter Biden dropped it off at that repair shop.

Edited October 28, 2020 by Lord Ratner

[Guardian]

Doesn’t mean it’s not true. You’re just postulating hypotheticals not making facts. As Pence told K,you are entitled to your own opinion but not your own facts

[Negatory]

I will post this again for you guys. Double click it. Are you just ignoring this unintentionally or are you intentionally only responding to the parts that are convenient?

By the way, Guardian, the way it works when someone claims wrongdoing is that THE ACCUSERS actually have the burden of proof. Not the other way around. If it’s set in stone, release the metadata.

[Negatory]

6 minutes ago, Guardian said:

Doesn’t mean it’s not true. You’re just postulating hypotheticals not making facts. As Pence told K,you are entitled to your own opinion but not your own facts

Also a lot of people agree that 9/11 was an inside job and the Holocaust wasn’t real. And just because you say they are “doesn’t mean it’s not true.“

Id also like to add Qanon, pizza gate, forced microchipping, the us gov creating Covid, and vaccines intentionally killing babies and causing autism to the list of things that right leaning conspiracy theorists believe right now.

Edited October 28, 2020 by Negatory

[Guardian]

Huh? Your analogies make no sense. Just like your link above, they are broken.

[Guardian]

No one is saying the Holocaust didn’t happen or that 9/11 was an inside job on here. And even if they were that is a very small minority. There is a large amount of people that have zero reason to not believe this laptop isn’t true. And when the left media doesn’t cover it, it just flames that fire. I haven’t heard any convincing evidence that this stuff isn’t real. If it wasn’t real don’t you think the FBI and DNI would say so? Investigations into crimes take time. Maybe that’s why we aren’t getting access from official sources?

[Guardian]

Haven’t heard one shred of evidence that it’s a hoax. But I’ve heard lots of evidence it is real. Open to both sides here.

[brabus]

40 minutes ago, Negatory said:

By the way, Guardian, the way it works when someone claims wrongdoing is that THE ACCUSERS actually have the burden of proof.

Valid...unless it’s claims against the current sitting president, then everything that the MSM puts out is true, regardless if any credible evidence is presented. That is to say I agree with your statement, but social media and the MSM are doing an incredibly piss poor job at adhering to it. What makes it worse is it’s incredibly one sided politically, which scares me (and would still do so if it was all rampantly anti-democrat). The bullshit pushed by the MSM is no better than what’s pushed by the fringes...it’s out of control, and people across the entire political spectrum eat up their side while minimizing the opposite. The close-mindedness/pick-a-side running rampant in America is frightening. 

Edited October 28, 2020 by brabus

[Sim]

Who said that voter fraud is fake?  

Texas AG respond. 

https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/ag-paxton-statement-project-veritas-uncovering-organized-election-fraud-bexar-county-texas

Edited October 28, 2020 by Sim

[Prozac]

1 hour ago, Guardian said:

Doesn’t mean it’s not true. You’re just postulating hypotheticals not making facts. As Pence told K,you are entitled to your own opinion but not your own facts

Isn’t it up to the person making bold claims to prove them?  I really don’t understand this argument. It’s like me saying Mike Pence is a child molester. I have zero proof to back that up, but you have zero proof that he’s not. It just doesn’t work that way and it’s patently outlandish. 

Edited October 28, 2020 by Prozac
Grammar

[Guardian]

100% agreed.

[Sim]

1 hour ago, Negatory said:

But he’s not a pure criminal, and he hasn’t done too many shady things.

If you ignore the evidence, I could see how one would arrive to that conclusion. 

https://nypost.com/2020/10/21/hunter-biden-laptop-linked-to-fbi-money-laundering-probe-report/

Quote

One document was designated as an FBI “Receipt for Property” form, which details the bureau’s interactions with the owner of “The Mac Shop” who reported the laptop’s contents to authorities.

The document has a “Case ID” section, which is filled in with a handwritten number: 272D-BA-3065729.

According to multiple officials, and the FBI’s website, “272” is the bureau’s classification for money laundering, while “272D” refers to “Money Laundering, Unknown SUA [Specified Unlawful Activity]—White Collar Crime Program.”

One government source said “272D” mean “transnational or blanket,” while “BA” means the case was opened in the FBI’s Baltimore office, which covers Wilmington, Del., where the subpoena was executed.

 

 

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/10/breaking-exclusive-hunter-biden-pictures-half-naked-exposed-certain-minor-joe-biden-lying/

I wonder how many people went to jail for this?  rules for thee but not for me.   

[17D_guy]

2 hours ago, Guardian said:

Huh? Your analogies make no sense. Just like your link above, they are broken.

They make perfect sense...again, you're just not willing to see it.

[dream big]

6 hours ago, jazzdude said:

 

 

Government should be limited, and act within the scope the people have given the government (at any level, federal, state, county, city).

In theory, our government is representative of us, so helping out other citizens is like helping out your neighbor, though they might not be right next door. What role do/should the different levels of government play in execution/policy?

People pay taxes, and want to see a return on what they've given up, which is fair. But a lot of functions may not directly impact them as individuals in the here and now, but may help others in need now, or lay out a system that creates a fair environment for everyone to pursue their life/liberty/happiness in the long run.

It's good that we debate the role of government, and increase/decrease scope as what our society wants. I'm wary of mob rule though, so popularity polls (and calls for popular direct vote on national issues) concern me, as it allows large urban areas to dominate the discussion and disregard rural voices that may have different concerns/realities.

I'd argue the government can run a convenience store, class 6/AAFES seems to do okay. Maybe not the greatest, but not run into the ground.

Maybe we are asking too much of our government based on how much we're willing to pay. Implementing programs because they sound good, but not funding them, leads to frustrations as a disconnect forms between what we want and what we get. Taxes are what pays for government and it's programs, but we have been cutting taxes but not programs.

Since we're talking about smaller government, should DoD get more funding, as we're part of that government? If funding stays the same, or gets reduced, what gets cut? It's how we in DoD ended up with "do more with less" in the past, and there are many people that believe our investments (in taxes) in defense are still too big. And don't forget, there's a support tail needed to support the direct warfighter, so cuts in support could affect the warfighter in the long run, whether it's support, quality of life, retention, etc. Also, remember paying a contractor for support functions still comes out of that same budget.

 

Good question on the DOD.  Yes it would get a funding cut; but not on the backs of our troops or training (ie sequestration 2013).  Those cuts should come from eliminating proxy wars and conflicts such as Afghanistan where we drained resources for almost 20 years without a coherent strategy. 
 

However, just because we are asking for a smaller government doesn’t mean less funding for the DOD.  Those asking for a small government are simply wishing the scope, power and overreach of the government was limited as the constitution intended.  This is mostly towards domestic policy; foreign policy and the DOD are very much one of the few functions of the federal government.  

[Breckey]

So then, no standing army? Just as the founding fathers intended. How is the standing DoD any more less constitutional then other social welfare programs?

[filthy_liar]

11 hours ago, jazzdude said:

You've got the benefit of space, and that's great. You've got enough land where you don't have to interact with people if you don't want to; "leave me alone and I'll leave you alone."

The challenge with cities is population density. More people living much closer together, which creates friction, and with that comes rules to reduce friction/conflict.

Industrialization concentrates populations, and encourages people to specialize in tasks. This also drives technological advances.

It's easy to call out others for lacking skills you have and thinking of them as lesser people for it. But maybe they aren't interested in your hobbies. Not saying that the skills you mentioned (changing a tire, fishing, hunting, etc) are bad; they're great. Are they essential? Depends on your outlook on society.

The heart of the matter is what the role of society should be. How individualistic should we be, and how much should we cooperate towards collective goals?

Ref. BLM/LGBT/etc, I think people just want to be treated as people. Sure there are some associated with those interest that want outlandish things, but I'd wager most just want to have an even footing in life so they can pursue their life/liberty/happiness. Some of the issues may be injustices/biases in our system/society-let's do some real root cause analysis as a society/state/country and fix it. We tend to ignore and kick societal issues down the road until it boils over into violence, so here we are...

Wow.  Great reply.  I mean that.  It's the internet, so let me try to clarify my post:

- I interact with people in the city every day.  I work there.  My daughter goes to school there.  My hot ass girlfriend lives there.  I just personally choose to live out, and I find it challenging and personally fulfilling to be as self sufficient as I can - if I ever had to.  What I do is mostly practice.  But, if Kroger closes down, the city water is shut off, the cops have been defunded, etc; I can get pretty far down the road.  My girlfriend could not.  People in urban areas could not.  And they are praised for that.  To me, that is a lack of skills, lack of forward thinking, and a lack of appreciation for what this country was founded upon.  Not a personal attack - my girlfriend is in the same boat.

- Fair enough on calling out others for lacking skills.  Again, its the internet.  I don't know anyone on here, not trying to convince anyone of anything, just making statements.  This forum is excellent for providing info on what a pilot and/or aircrew/Air Force in general is like.  It's also a great source of info on how to get into the airlines.  This internet forum does not provide useful info on ethics, morals, religion, or politics.  No internet forum could do that.  If someone is swayed in any of those categories because of the internet....well.  And along those lines, I don't mind personal insults, because I sling them as well.  It's the internet, and it's the WOKE thread.  Insults are authorized as long as we don't piss off the moderators.

- I don't get the BLM/LGBT/#metoo/etc.  I agree there is violence associated with those topics.

Again, great reply.  BTW, are you liberal, and if so, what do you stand for?  That was my original question that was never answered.

Edited October 29, 2020 by filthy_liar
I actually do know someone on here, personally. But I shan't call him out because if I were him the last thing I would want would be to be associated with my antics on an internet forum.

[slackline]

BTW, are you liberal, and if so, what do you stand for?  That was my original question that was never answered.

So, I'm curious what the point of your question is? Are you somehow implying that those with liberal views on this board somehow don't stand for the same thing? Based off what you just said, I take it you're not military. Maybe my reading comprehension sucks... If not, you feel like you can come on here and question what these people, these active duty military members, or vets have as a purpose? You think when they signed the blank check for "up to, and including their lives" that they had ulterior motives?

Why should anyone answer your questions? Because you can field dress a deer? Just curious. And if you had genuine curiosity about how they felt like patriots, not just whether they measured up to some standard you have that no one on here cares about, I sincerely apologise for my tone.

Otherwise, I'd defend every single one of these people, ultra Trump fan or die-hard Biden supporter, against some wannabe prepper who thinks he's got a lock on patriotism.

To the rest of the board, sorry. I've hit my limit. I voluntarily put myself in timeout. I'll just be over here in the pissed off old guy corner screaming at kids to get off my grass...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Alpharatz]

Ok ..I will take over for a minute....If you have watched The Donald lo these four years or longer..and have yet to realize that the boy is goofy as a pet coon...well..give me the keys to your airplane...   " I too shall go airborne"  or is it timeout?     Funniest  thing I ever heard CINCSAC jabber..

[Guardian]

Slackline’s lost control HEY! slacklines lost control HEY!

[filthy_liar]

2 hours ago, slackline said:

I voluntarily put myself in timeout

Sounds good.  Can we make that for a couple of years?

[jazzdude]

Wow.  Great reply.  I mean that.  It's the internet, so let me try to clarify my post:
- I interact with people in the city every day.  I work there.  My daughter goes to school there.  My hot ass girlfriend lives there.  I just personally choose to live out, and I find it challenging and personally fulfilling to be as self sufficient as I can - if I ever had to.  What I do is mostly practice.  But, if Kroger closes down, the city water is shut off, the cops have been defunded, etc; I can get pretty far down the road.  My girlfriend could not.  People in urban areas could not.  And they are praised for that.  To me, that is a lack of skills, lack of forward thinking, and a lack of appreciation for what this country was founded upon.  Not a personal attack - my girlfriend is in the same boat.
- Fair enough on calling out others for lacking skills.  Again, its the internet.  I don't know anyone on here, not trying to convince anyone of anything, just making statements.  This forum is excellent for providing info on what a pilot and/or aircrew/Air Force in general is like.  It's also a great source of info on how to get into the airlines.  This internet forum does not provide useful info on ethics, morals, religion, or politics.  No internet forum could do that.  If someone is swayed in any of those categories because of the internet....well.  And along those lines, I don't mind personal insults, because I sling them as well.  It's the internet, and it's the WOKE thread.  Insults are authorized as long as we don't piss off the moderators.
- I don't get the BLM/LGBT/#metoo/etc.  I agree there is violence associated with those topics.
Again, great reply.  BTW, are you liberal, and if so, what do you stand for?  That was my original question that was never answered.

Younger me typically voted straight R ticket. Now I'm probably closer to center, but still probably would be considered on the right (though I've been increasingly frustrated with the Rs, especially in the last 4-6 years). Still a registered R based on how my state does primaries and the effect that has on the later voting for offices.

I do see your desire to be self reliant as a good thing, it's something I strive for as well. Never been hunting, but I did field dress a rabbit once upon a time. But can cobble together a shelter, build a fire to stay warm, procure water, fish (sorta), make basic repairs, improvise solutions, sew, etc. SERE was "great," but a lot of my survival skills were built/learned in scouts when I was younger.

Labels are weird though. Politics has devolved into a highly polarized debate, with no room to meet in the middle out find common ground. It's appears to be more of a power struggle between the R and D parties, using taking points to get in and stay in office, with politicians changing their beliefs to appease their voting base, and dividing everyone into either for them or against them.

Then you've got the whole realist vs liberal vs constructivist philosophies, which frame your world view. (Hey, I learned something in ACSC)(crap, I drank the kool aid, don't burn the witch). The liberal (not US liberal) in me wants to believe in the best intentions on people and that we can collectively work together to improve things for everyone. Rising tide raises all boats and what not. The realist in me bought guns for home defense, locks the doors at night, maintains emergency supplies, and believes in a strong military to defend our values and interests when disagreements between nations inevitably occur.

But I guess to answer your question-

TL;DR-I've got a mix of opinions that doesn't put me squarely as conservative or liberal, but probably skew towards "conservative"

//RANT ON//
-First off, we need to fund what we believe in. Doesn't matter how good an idea sounds, if we're not willing to pay for it (ie raise a tax or bond, or cut another program), then it's not a good idea. This includes overseas contingency operations/war- if it's vital to national interests, raise a tax or sell bonds to pay for it.

-Guns are fine, need to limit access to criminals. Limited access to people with mental health issues as well, but that's really murky because it's hard to define and can be subject, so currently a 'no' for me right now for limiting access. Own a few firearms, and my wife shoots to almost as well as me.

-Don't own an AR, but see why people would want to, just not in my budget or a priority right now. Magazine limits are dumb

-Shootings are a form of violence, and even if you remove all guns, people intent on violence will cause harm to others. So we need to attack the real causes of shootings-whether it's poverty, selfishness, mental health, a perceived need for revenge for an injustices, etc.

-Came from a "normal/typical" Christian, nuclear family. Married a wonderful lady. Don't really think LGBT is right personally, but I won't treat them as less than a person. Doesn't mean I won't be friends with them, or get along with them. My wife has several gay friends, and we've gotten along fine. What they do in the bedroom doesn't really have any bearing on my life, so they can do what makes them happy. Just don't shove it in my face and tell me I'm a bad person for not embracing/celebrating their choices in life. But I've got the same opinion on dudes oversharing about their latest tinder hookup. Don't care, please don't over share, glad it makes you happy.

-Gay marriage is a weird problem. On one hand, as a Christian I believe in the 1 man 1 woman definition. Civil union is probably the better term across the board, and helps remove religious or traditional connotations of the word to help facilitate debate. Not like paying a law defining marriage in the traditional sense is going to stop a gay couple from being together. So why does it matter? Because our society, as someone else pointed out earlier, is such in a 1950 ideal of a family. Healthcare is generally tied to our jobs, with dependents under the plan being defined in 1950s terms. The legal system doesn't recognize rights of a "special friend" in matters. But it doesn't really infringe on my ability to pursue of life/liberty/happiness, so they should have the same opportunities I do as a married heterosexual dude.

-Healthcare is tough, and I'm still trying to figure out what right looks like in my mind. I'm not convinced that gov single payer is the right answer, and a touch weary of what that means regarding other liberties (can't do X because of risk). But our system as is leaves people without access to preventative medical care, driving up emergency costs and lowering quality of life. Business have gone cheap on healthcare, and for lower level jobs, they may not offer healthcare at all. And having floated my wife's insurance on the open market when she was in between jobs before we were married, open market insurance is stupid expensive. About $450/mo for my wife for a middle of the road plan, with a lot of out of pocket expenses should emergency or specialty care be needed. And healthcare institutions have no incentive to lower costs, and have a high bar to entry that is funded by (and therefore limited by) the government (residencies), so competition isn't a strong driver in reducing costs.

-Social security is another interesting issue. We are an individualistic society. The norm is to break out on your own as an adult and make your own path. Great for the individual, but bears risk compared to other societies that are more family oriented and love in multigenerational homes, as costs go up for things such as child care, elderly/end of life care, housing, etc. If someone plans poorly, or falls on bad circumstances, they could be left old, destitute, and with no one to turn to.

Probably the hardest question we have right now as a country is answering what it means to be an American. I like to think it's a place where we can pursue what fulfills us in life if we're willing to work for it. That system needs defending, and there are tradeoffs internally that need to happen to ensure people are not being left behind due to systemic issues/biases.

No one's going to make it this far so I can throw out some heresy- one good thing about ACSC-DL was the unit discussing realism/liberalism/constructivism. Got me really thinking about why I believe what I do, what I find important, and what I don't. Philosophy, ethics, morals-interesting topics that I wish I had more time to read about and think on. Maybe I'm just getting old.

[filthy_liar]

5 minutes ago, jazzdude said:

Younger me typically voted straight R ticket. Now I'm probably closer to center, but still probably would be considered on the right (though I've been increasingly frustrated with the Rs, especially in the last 4-6 years). Still a registered R based on how my state does primaries and the effect that has on the later voting for offices.

I do see your desire to be self reliant as a good thing, it's something I strive for as well. Never been hunting, but I did field dress a rabbit once upon a time. But can cobble together a shelter, build a fire to stay warm, procure water, fish (sorta), make basic repairs, improvise solutions, sew, etc. SERE was "great," but a lot of my survival skills were built/learned in scouts when I was younger.

Labels are weird though. Politics has devolved into a highly polarized debate, with no room to meet in the middle out find common ground. It's appears to be more of a power struggle between the R and D parties, using taking points to get in and stay in office, with politicians changing their beliefs to appease their voting base, and dividing everyone into either for them or against them.

Then you've got the whole realist vs liberal vs constructivist philosophies, which frame your world view. (Hey, I learned something in ACSC)(crap, I drank the kool aid, don't burn the witch). The liberal (not US liberal) in me wants to believe in the best intentions on people and that we can collectively work together to improve things for everyone. Rising tide raises all boats and what not. The realist in me bought guns for home defense, locks the doors at night, maintains emergency supplies, and believes in a strong military to defend our values and interests when disagreements between nations inevitably occur.

But I guess to answer your question-

TL;DR-I've got a mix of opinions that doesn't put me squarely as conservative or liberal, but probably skew towards "conservative"

//RANT ON//
-First off, we need to fund what we believe in. Doesn't matter how good an idea sounds, if we're not willing to pay for it (ie raise a tax or bond, or cut another program), then it's not a good idea. This includes overseas contingency operations/war- if it's vital to national interests, raise a tax or sell bonds to pay for it.

-Guns are fine, need to limit access to criminals. Limited access to people with mental health issues as well, but that's really murky because it's hard to define and can be subject, so currently a 'no' for me right now for limiting access. Own a few firearms, and my wife shoots to almost as well as me.

-Don't own an AR, but see why people would want to, just not in my budget or a priority right now. Magazine limits are dumb

-Shootings are a form of violence, and even if you remove all guns, people intent on violence will cause harm to others. So we need to attack the real causes of shootings-whether it's poverty, selfishness, mental health, a perceived need for revenge for an injustices, etc.

-Came from a "normal/typical" Christian, nuclear family. Married a wonderful lady. Don't really think LGBT is right personally, but I won't treat them as less than a person. Doesn't mean I won't be friends with them, or get along with them. My wife has several gay friends, and we've gotten along fine. What they do in the bedroom doesn't really have any bearing on my life, so they can do what makes them happy. Just don't shove it in my face and tell me I'm a bad person for not embracing/celebrating their choices in life. But I've got the same opinion on dudes oversharing about their latest tinder hookup. Don't care, please don't over share, glad it makes you happy.

-Gay marriage is a weird problem. On one hand, as a Christian I believe in the 1 man 1 woman definition. Civil union is probably the better term across the board, and helps remove religious or traditional connotations of the word to help facilitate debate. Not like paying a law defining marriage in the traditional sense is going to stop a gay couple from being together. So why does it matter? Because our society, as someone else pointed out earlier, is such in a 1950 ideal of a family. Healthcare is generally tied to our jobs, with dependents under the plan being defined in 1950s terms. The legal system doesn't recognize rights of a "special friend" in matters. But it doesn't really infringe on my ability to pursue of life/liberty/happiness, so they should have the same opportunities I do as a married heterosexual dude.

-Healthcare is tough, and I'm still trying to figure out what right looks like in my mind. I'm not convinced that gov single payer is the right answer, and a touch weary of what that means regarding other liberties (can't do X because of risk). But our system as is leaves people without access to preventative medical care, driving up emergency costs and lowering quality of life. Business have gone cheap on healthcare, and for lower level jobs, they may not offer healthcare at all. And having floated my wife's insurance on the open market when she was in between jobs before we were married, open market insurance is stupid expensive. About $450/mo for my wife for a middle of the road plan, with a lot of out of pocket expenses should emergency or specialty care be needed. And healthcare institutions have no incentive to lower costs, and have a high bar to entry that is funded by (and therefore limited by) the government (residencies), so competition isn't a strong driver in reducing costs.

-Social security is another interesting issue. We are an individualistic society. The norm is to break out on your own as an adult and make your own path. Great for the individual, but bears risk compared to other societies that are more family oriented and love in multigenerational homes, as costs go up for things such as child care, elderly/end of life care, housing, etc. If someone plans poorly, or falls on bad circumstances, they could be left old, destitute, and with no one to turn to.

Probably the hardest question we have right now as a country is answering what it means to be an American. I like to think it's a place where we can pursue what fulfills us in life if we're willing to work for it. That system needs defending, and there are tradeoffs internally that need to happen to ensure people are not being left behind due to systemic issues/biases.

No one's going to make it this far so I can throw out some heresy- one good thing about ACSC-DL was the unit discussing realism/liberalism/constructivism. Got me really thinking about why I believe what I do, what I find important, and what I don't. Philosophy, ethics, morals-interesting topics that I wish I had more time to read about and think on. Maybe I'm just getting old.

Why don't we have more like jazz.  He thinks.  As far as your ACSC comment - try to get into SAMS.  School of Advanced Military Studies.  Kind of competitive, all of that horseshit.  But if you have at least one comment about ACSC, try out for SAMS.  Its a good program. PM me if you want details.

[filthy_liar]

Can folks on here read what jazz just typed?  What is wrong with that?  He's serving his country, providing for his family, and stated pretty dog gone clearly his political views.  What is wrong with that? He's a little bit conservative.  Don't take him out behind the woodshed and shoot him because he's not shouting people down and rioting.  Read what he wrote in that post.  He's not coming across as a bad, evil dude.  He's not coming across as a white privilege person. He's coming across as a human being.

I didn't see one.  Not one excuse why he couldn't succeed in jazz's post. He'll probably realize much success.