USA planning to shrink armed forces

[obdigore]

Are we beholden to the Constitution or to the writings of the writers of the Constitution? Misquotes abound.

I love Big Ole Titties - James Madison.

Well, there you have it folks, the most 'MURICAN' job is plastic surgeon.

[Kellhound]

So, back on topic. What should the US Navy use as the replacement for the LCS that was cut? It was the one bright spot in the whole budget.

[Payday]

So, back on topic. What should the US Navy use as the replacement for the LCS that was cut? It was the one bright spot in the whole budget.

Hamilton's US Coast Guard, reporting for duty sir!

[Alandalus]

Believe FDR had a plan for another set of Bill of Rights which included affordable or free healthcare but he unfortunately died before he could propose it.

Truman had similar plans, but he was faced with the "do nothing Congress" in his first term, and then a coalition of Republicans and Southern Democrats that voted down all of his proposals in his second term; which included a national health insurance program.

[Ausr]

Article 1 section 8. There's no clause in the enumeration about healthcare. And just because a the supreme court says it's constitutional doesn't mean it is.

"You seem ... to consider the judges as the ultimate arbiters of all constitutional questions; a very dangerous doctrine indeed, and one which would place us under the despotism of an oligarchy. Our judges are as honest as other men, and not more so. They have, with others, the same passions for party, for power, and the privilege of their corps.... Their power [is] the more dangerous as they are in office for life, and not responsible, as the other functionaries are, to the elective control. The Constitution has erected no such single tribunal, knowing that to whatever hands confided, with the corruptions of time and party, its members would become despots. It has more wisely made all the departments co-equal and co-sovereign within themselves." -Thomas Jefferson.

I'd reply to this but seeing as you know nothing about what the Supreme Court said or does at all, apparently, I won't try.

And worthless founding father quote. Good job.

[Deleted]

Woohoo less terrorists in the world can only be a good thing.

[Kellhound]

Hamilton's US Coast Guard, reporting for duty sir!

Well, an up-gunned CG Cutter is one of the leading choices, but I think it is still under-armed compared to the OH Perry (pre SM1 removal).

[Jackmoves]

Hate to break to but ya, the bosses actually would prefer crappy but cheap work from young kids who'll work long hours then ppl with experience who will want decent pay and hours. Saves money when those harder working kids do the work of 3 ppl and are payed pennies for it.

I swear we dont live on the same planet. Or you are talking about jobs that require little skill and knowledge. If there is one thing they value in my line of work its experience.

It can be a catch 22, you need experience to get a job but to get experience you need a job. Lol

Internships and summer work during my studies helped me get a foot in the door, there was also a high demand + my university got pretty good rep. 80% of the students do have job in our field within 6 months of graduating. I had my job secured well in advance.

[Olo]

Well, an up-gunned CG Cutter is one of the leading choices, but I think it is still under-armed compared to the OH Perry (pre SM1 removal).

The CG is looking for new cutters so you could see some collaboration there. Get a 76mm, 2 30s, mount 4/8 NSMs, RIM-116, and maybe some griffins or hellfires.

[Masark]

Article 1 section 8. There's no clause in the enumeration about healthcare. And just because a the supreme court says it's constitutional doesn't mean it is.

Tell me, do you believe that the Act for the relief of sick and disabled seamen was unconstitutional?

[Kellhound]

The CG is looking for new cutters so you could see some collaboration there. Get a 76mm, 2 30s, mount 4/8 NSMs, RIM-116, and maybe some griffins or hellfires.

The USCG already has their new cutters under construction, and the builder has proposed a mod of it as a combat frigate. As a real warship it would not mount useless missiles like the griffin or hellfire, but Harpoon, light ASW torpedoes, and a MK41 cells for SM6 and ESSM SAMs.

The LCS has been the stupidest waste of shipbuilding I know of, useful for fighting Boston Whalers and not much else.

[Masark]

Comparing a tax lobbied against people who voluntarily served in the Navy for treatment they received with no additional cost is hardly comprable to mandating every person buy a private service and then tax them without providing a benefit if they don't oblige.

Seamen != Navy.

Try again.

[Jackmoves]

Right, excuse me. So the government required a certain profession to have "insurance" in order to retain that job. It's not like we require a plethora of other professions to get certifications or professional recognition to perform their jobs. Oh wait. The argument still remains that prior to Obamacare, no citizen was ever obligated to participate in private industry.

You participate in private industry everytime the DoD buys a new toy, as long as you pay taxes that the federal government spends that is. Just to take one example.

[belfpala]

You participate in private industry everytime the DoD buys a new toy, as long as you pay taxes that the federal government spends that is. Just to take one example.

But that's something I want my tax money spent on, not the other things! My tax money going to the private road construction industry? Fine! But a "Tax" intended to keep people healthy? No waaaaay nope bad.

Edit: oh, /sarcasm.

[Jackmoves]

Right, I'm getting something out of my taxes in that case - defense. Arguing that because we pay taxes for communal services (roads, defense, emergency assistance) and those communal services often purchase servcies and goods from private business, ergo requiring me to directly purchase something is the same is wonky at best. Government doesn't really create anything and they haven't for decades. They contract out needs to industry and the industry delivers on what that need is, be it a tank, a rocket, a website or an automobile.

The only real difference is +/- a couple of financial transactions. You could argue that obamacare is a tax though, then its literally the exact same thing, just a difference in the service/product that is purchased.

You dont want to pay for insurance from X company.
Your neighbour dont want to buy new fighters from Y company.

Law dictates that both of you must. No difference apart from how its purchased. You are both forced to subsides private industry.

[belfpala]

Obviously academics wasn't your strong suit. I get something out of my tax whether or nor I actually drive on those roads. The delivery of goods I purchase utilize those roads to reach my destination. Requiring me to purchase insurance from a private company doesn't provide me with anything. And unlike roads and defense, I don't need to pay an additional fee if I use the police to inspect a break in or drive on a road to work. If I fail to buy insurance, I'm required to pay a "tax" for which I receive nothing. I'm not put into a government run health plan, I don't get lower costs on medical services. I get nothing. Rather that tax goes back into a pool to be issued to others as a subsidy for insurance they couldn't afford outright.

I would break this down line by line, but:

I'm pretty sure you just made an argument in favor of fully socialized medicine.

[Masark]

Most people who advocate for social medicine don't want that aspect of it.

And we don't have that aspect of it. Your collection of paranoid delusions about having your twinkies confiscated and being forced to hit the treadmill at gunpoint simply don't exist outside of your head.

[belfpala]

Most people who advocate for social medicine don't want that aspect of it. they just want a service handed to them at no cost with no obligation to alter their lifestyle. We can't afford to pay the medical bills for a generation of lard asses and people who seek to be classified as disabled to get out of working.

I'll differ on this. Most people, including myself, want quality healthcare. Many people, including myself, don't go for routine checkups because they aren't covered by our shit insurance. Some subset of that last sentence will find that nagging pain in their knee could have been solved by physical therapy, and by the time it becomes detrimental to their activities, it now requires invasive surgery. To the detriment of you, either as a tax payer or insurance payer.

If only they hadn't felt seeing a doctor about it was something they couldn't afford.

/sigh.

[Kellhound]

I completely understand where you're coming from. I am going through a bad case of gout presently. I have pretty good 90/10 insurance with a $400 deductible. I also have 100% insurance through the VA. I could wait for months to get seen at the VA or pay $400 to get a shot of cortisone. I've elected to do neither. Single payer will resolve the second issue, but it will only increase the problem with the first option.

If you live close to a VA hospital just go to the ER, only takes a few hours of sitting that way.

[Skroe]

So on Tuesday, Obama announced the US Military is building Iron Man. He was only lightly joking.





http://sploid.gizmodo.com/obama-says...-he-1532582334

While the Army's Iron Man suit—officially called Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit (TALOS)—will not have flying capability, little missiles, or repulsors, the feature list is still extremely impressive.

RDECOM wants TALOS to have ballistic and shock protection—using an armor that will get from flexible soft surface to hard metal solid, capable of repelling ammo when applying an electric current. Oh, and fire-retardant capability. The Army also wants the suit to "store and release energy to prevent injuries and increase performance."

And as if that wasn't impressive enough, the suit will have integrated communications, body and external sensors, and a head-up display that will give battle information graphics in real time along with night vision. It will be more Google Glass than Jarvis in this generation, but you get the idea.

Another feature for the suit is an optional attachable exoskeleton that will provide with hydraulic mechanisms to improve both strength and speed. Like the others, this technology exists already.

http://defensetech.org/2014/02/11/ad...oming-in-june/

The head of U.S. Special Operations Command said the first prototypes of a new, Iron Man-like protective suit could be ready for testing this summer.
Navy Adm. William McRaven said three unpowered prototypes of the so-called Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit — known in military parlance as TALOS and dubbed the Iron Man suit after the one worn by the Marvel Comics superhero — are being assembled and expected to be delivered in June. The plan is to evaluate the technology with the goal of fielding a system by August 2018, he said.

“That suit, if done correctly, will yield a revolutionary improvement in survivability and capability for special operators,” McRaven said during the 25th annual Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict conference on Tuesday in Washington, D.C. The three-day event continues Wednesday and was organized by the National Defense Industrial Association, an Arlington, Va.-based trade group.

The technology may eventually include a powered exoskeleton, advanced full-body armor and situational-awareness displays, according to the command’s official request for information.

The idea for the project came about several years ago after a member of special operations forces was shot and killed while entering the door of a suspected insurgent, McRaven said. A young officer asked him a question he couldn’t answer: After all these years in combat, why isn’t there a way to better protect operators going through the door?

“With all the advance in modern technology, I know we can do better,” McRaven said.
Some 56 corporations, 16 government agencies, 13 universities and 10 national laboratories are working on the program, McRaven said. “We are already seeing astounding results of this collaboration,” he said.

The command also plans to hold a “Monster Garage” event to encourage mechanics and master craftsmen alike to develop components for the suit, McRaven said. It may also seek authority from the Pentagon to distribute prize money to generate even more interest in the effort, he said.
The applied technology project has the potential to provide the U.S. with a “huge comparative advantage over our enemies and give our warriors the protection they need,” McRaven said.

Of course the problem is going to be what it always has been (and is neatly sidestepped by Iron Man's 'arc reactor')... how are you going to power the suit.