American Consequences - January 2019

FROM OUR INBOX

those tax dollars were actually kept in the individuals’ hands. (Understanding of course we need some level of military might.) Just a thought experiment. – Judy Y. P.J. O’Rourke comment: Judy, that is a thought experiment worth experimenting with! In fact, I’m going to swipe your idea for a future issue of American Consequences . I’d like to know the answer myself. It’s a complicated thought experiment of course – a shift in military spending would mean a shift in foreign policy, as well as a shift in domestic policy. But that just makes the question you’re asking even more interesting. Thank you! If the politicians would leave their sticky little hands off of Social Security “investments” (not entitlements!) as they were originally supposed to do, a lot of those of us who are now retired would be in much better condition. To have workers and their employers contribute to a fund that was supposed to grow untouched by governmental bureaucracies was a good idea, until politicians just could not stand the idea of seeing such an overwhelming pot of money just sitting there for the pilfering. Congress has NEVER paid back ANY OF THE MONIES it essentially STOLE from American workers – if it had, this conversation would not be happening! What charitable organizations or individuals MIGHT do is not a concrete theory, much less something anyone would count on as being a reliable gauge of how seniors, the disabled, and the destitute would survive...

Re: Our Holiday ‘White Elephant’ Issue Santa did not bring me the John Deere tractor I was looking forward to. I wasn’t actually planning to do anything with it, except occasionally drive it around the neighborhood here in central FL, and once in a while pull down some old, dead oak trees. But he did bring an obscene amount of chocolate, thereby totally busting my diet! – Donald W. P.J. O’Rourke comment: My full sympathy, Donald! What Santa brought me was a membership in the “Meat of the Month Club” – not exactly what the doctor ordered, but the steaks are delicious. Meanwhile, I’ll let you in on my own tractor secret – buy a used Kubota for about half the price and spray paint it “John Deere green.” Re: A ‘Thought Experiment’ on Entitlements Getting rid of entitlement programs sounds all well and good, sure enough. I hereby request of Mr. O’Rourke another thought experiment. What would happen if we truly got our military spending under control – including all the vet benefits, discretionary funding, 100+ bases worldwide, the pollution and rebuilding, etc. I realize war is a huge profit center for investors but just for fun I’d like to understand how much the entitlements that for-profit military industries actually cost U.S. citizens and what could happen if

We need heroes! Not a blanket implosion

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January 2019

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