Originally Posted by fatbuckRTO
To answer this question, even though you clearly haven't put nearly enough hard work or determination into deserving an answer, let's look at the budget of just the DoD for this year (not including the wars).
$680 billion. In order for the approximately 313 million people in the US to pay this $680 billion tab, we would all have to contribute $2,172. Now, let's go get that money from a friend of mine,* who has been a roughneck most of his adult life, and started working when he was 15. He has paid into social security, paid his taxes, and worked in rain, sleet, snow, and blistering heat for sometimes 60 hours or more a week. Now he has epilepsy, which had been getting worse over a period of 10 years during which he was still roughnecking. He is finally to a point where his epilepsy is a safety hazard. The state of New Mexico has revoked his driver's license, but refused to pay him social security disability (which, remember, he has paid into all his working life, at this point a little over 15 years). He is forbidden from working as a roughneck by doctors' orders. He's providing for his family of five through the kindness of his extended family and his church.
You want to ask him for that $2,172?
For the thousands like him, and those who are even worse off, who picks up the slack? And that's just for the DoD's bills, not including the wars.
*Actual case file, I can introduce him to you if you'd like.
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09-20-2011, 04:45 PM
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