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Guest Post: A Former Marine's Outlook On Inflation, Life Expectancy, And Future Returns
Submitted by Hedgeless Horseman
A Former Marine's Outlook On Inflation, Life Expectancy, And Future Returns
The details of the federal employees' pension system are not something that interests me, nor do I understand exactly how the US Treasury is borrowing money from it, and with little or no mention of it in the press. Thanks to Zero Hedge, at least I do understand why the US government is forced to borrow money from its own employees, as both the monetary and political reasons have been covered on this site extensively.
Recently, I have been thinking about a former marine I know that recently "retired" from the federal government after a couple of decades as an US postal inspector. During his entire career in government service, he carried a weapon, and spent most of his time conducting narcotics investigations. He has photos of himself beside giant mountains of cash and drugs that he had seized on raids.
Several months ago, before he retired, he shared a little bit about his financial situation; specifically that he has several hundred thousand dollars in a federal retirement account invested in U.S. treasuries. He said it was essentially all that he and his wife had saved, and that he knew it was not going to be enough for him to truly retire, especially because they still have kids to put through college. However, he said that if he went to Afghanistan for one year as a security contractor, then he could make enough money so that he would not have to work doing landscaping for the rest of his life, which is what he saw as his second option.
Being a bit of an instigator, I asked this ex-marine/postal worker what his assumptions were regarding inflation, his life expectancy, and future returns. He stared at me silently for an uncomfortably long time. Please understand me when I say that this is not the type of man anyone would ever really want to piss off. Think more R. Lee "Gunny" Ermey and less Cliff Claven. I then realized that I should be more careful what I say, or risk being the messenger that is shot delivering bad news.
His response, when it finally came, surprised me. He said, "I don't trust the government." He then went on to explain that although he and his buddies were just a bunch of government hacks that had put in their time, they did risk their lives on a regular basis. For that, the primary reward they were all promised, and did expect, was a federal pension. We talked a little about the idea of his pension being denominated in US dollars, and the history of the US dollar's purchasing power, but it was an uncomfortable conversation for both of us, so we moved on to other topics.
A couple of months later I learned from the man's family that he had in fact deployed to Afghanistan. I do not know what he is doing there, but I expect it is dangerous. What I wonder is this. Does this man know that the government is paying him (albeit indirectly through Xe or the like) combat pay by borrowing from his own retirement...the very same retirement fund with a NPV sufficiently small to cause this man to leave his own kids to fight other men's' kids half way around the world? Does he realize that because it enables the Federal Reserve's QE and ZIRP policies, the government is responsible for the inflation and low treasury yields that will likely make it so that even with a year's worth of combat pay this man will very likely still end up mowing bankers' lawns for the rest of his life? If he does not know this, now, I most certainly do not want to be the one to tell him.
He said, "I don't trust the government."
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...and that the time taken to respond to my comment will be directly correlated with tax burden.
Sorry, dw, looks like you rank 3 junks from the bottom. :D
Nice correlation Einstein. I bet that will hold up. :)
Okay, I'm done kicking the dog now.
1 for 1 so far.
So if taxpayers give a bureaucrat 100,000 in salary and benefits and get twenty thousand back in taxes we should celebrate, right?
Troll - stick to the type of antagonism you're good at.
I didn't say anything about people being private sector v. bureaucrats at all. All I'm saying is that the folks that do the most whining on this thread are probably not the ones who pay $100K+ in taxes.
The true heroes are the people who still choose to produce even as the vampire squid devours them. Small business owners, farmers, occupations which some classify as menial but which are essential. They are the people keeping the country from tearing itself apart.
The untrue heroes are the people who worked their whole life in an alphabet soup agency living off of others. They can boast all they want about serving and protecting. They can have all the coverage from all the major networks and everyone can believe it. I don't care.
I know who the true heroes are.
You're just full of broad brush misjudgments today.
Next time I admire someone, I'll send 'em your way for screening.
If you admire someone, don't bother. I probably won't like them anyway. I think you're mostly a troll.
dwdollar ... do you worship Sisyphus, too?
Hey, Alinsky, blow me.
At the very least, 50% of the Feds are still patriots. Otherwise you'd be fertilizer.
Dumbass.
You would like Alinsky to blow you? That's good, stays in family, nothing wrong with it.
Could you stfu and let the A team take over after their coffee break.
I hate to trash children.
They're finshing their donuts now, I'm afraid to interupt. If you have any msg for them feel free to post it. Sorry big guy.
Let them read your posts.
I'm sure they'll dock your pay without any input from me.
I did, and they decided that we're are good match, I hope you're not making more than me. Also They stated that I have to increase my output to equal yours, so please could you lower your production rate a bit? Thank you.
Actually, I will. Way past my bedtime.
If they were such patriots why have they sat around with there hands out while our way of life was trashed ! How about some "Economic Patriotism" ! How about some "Political Patriotism" ! Monedas 2011 Our decline to a Socialist Hell has been hastened by selfish government employee Patriots ! The "me first" crowd !
F*(&ing government time wasters prolly reading blogs on employer's dime! As if.
I think Hedgeless can provide us with much better articles than this story about a paid thug. And I can imagine he (the ex-inspector) has been enjoying his job from the idea that he may become violent if you ask him some normal question. After all he is used to people being scared from him and doing questioning himself.
So, what? We are supposed to anguish over this guy who is a mature adult, who joined the marines when he knew he was going abroad to kill innocent people, for a country he did not trust. Doing illegal stuff.
I am busy trying to take care of myself. The government doesn't give a damn. Why would I bleed over this bumb?? In Afganistan? Shit, give me a break.
Double-dipping bum at that! Probably triple-dipping now.
Yeah, he'll probably get JUICY gigs after early retirement as a Federal Contractor using his anti-drug skills to raid your stash.....even as he converts his Government Bonds to PMs ! This guy is a poster child for the Government Employees who are one Hell of a lot MORE "Equal" than the rest of us Dylan Turders ! Monedas 2011 On the front line....burying my hoard in the trenches !
I wonder how much a security contractor makes. And is it taxable?
Of course, Afghanistan is opium-central. And as an ex-drug enforcement agent, he would probably be very familiar with the US gov's methods of catching drug smugglers (and possibly might have some ideas on how to get around them). Perhaps he might not be entirely depending on the US gov for his retirement?
And perhaps he might be willing to put a small piece of lead into the brain of a Taliban drug runner, so they can no longer fund their terrorism with drug money.
Perhaps.
Dipshit.
You must be working afternoon shift, it sucks!
heh.
Care to address the point?
I did
Only in your mind.
Are you really the best they can field tonight?
They decided that for little pests I'm good enough and I need some more training on minor cases for now.
Sir, Mr. RF, Sir:
Ignore the chimp (spanker). He's a grandstander with no substance to offer. Never posts an original or stimulating thought, just picks on others' backsides (then sniffs his finger, I suspect).
-in my sopwith camel
Well here, send him some of this here promotional material, I'm sure he'll come around.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XmjNxKOQvg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXwBRfxRSz8&NR=1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kids_for_cash_scandal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gwzNvSGtg4
http://gunowners.org/op04132011.htm
Eh, fuck him. He's just another fucking double-dipper who wants to scam regular (non-governmentally employed) Americans out of their own hard-won gains. Narcotics postal inspector. Nothing more useless in this world.
I love Jet Pilots! Yen Cross.
well, I see now why the financiers are pushing so hard to get rid of SS and medicare. A new derivative being conjured up by your friendly Wall streeter, Death Derivatives. That's right Goldman wants to bet on how long you will live.
http://moneymorning.com/2011/05/24/death-derivatives-wall-streets-latest...
Isn't that a definition of life insurance, as well?
rfk: Mortgages:Life Insurance :: MBS:this crap. Aggregating policies (w/expected payoffs) then "securitizing" them to sell. Was going on in GB, betting on US deaths, the fund was getting killed. I'll look up reference over time.
- Ned
Thanks for the post, HH. Truly amazing how many government employees and dependents, as well as government-dependent folks are set up for a nasty surprise. Not going to be pretty..
Every penny he has received in his life is blood money, and is stolen. That he didn't steal it directly is irrelevant - he knew it was stolen and in some cases helped steal it. We have zero sympathy for people like him. The predators-that-be, and predator-class could NEVER have enslaved the USA without thugs like him doing the dirty work, knowing full well that they were massively, egregiously violating fundamental human rights and literally destroying the lives of thousands of individuals.
With that out of the way, there is another take on this topic. Having done the dirty-work for the predators-that-be and predator-class for decades, what will these thugs do when they personally get the shaft? Is there one of our best places to recruit "freedom fighters"? Even saying that makes me sick, for they were the agents of evil that destroyed the USA and the world. However, we will need every brave, action-oriented individual we can find once the wheels come off the bus and the USA begins the phase of all out armed revolution. The biggest problem, of course, will be filtering out double agents. Anyone with this kind of history must be kept away from any important principals, principles, strategy and tactics, except the mission they are on. Of course, they're used to "need to know", so maybe many will accept this.
Just a thought.
Stay clear of his type. Egocentric trigger-happy retards make poor allies.
Agree with Buzz - don't want 'em on "our" side. Let's hope they all turn on Massah
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bew_9GeuGA4§ 311. Militia: composition and classes (a) The militia of the United States consists of all able-bodied males at least 17 years of age and, except as provided in section 313 of title 32, under 45 years of age who are, or who have made a declaration of intention to become, citizens of the United States and of female citizens of the United States who are members of the National Guard. (b) The classes of the militia are—
(1) the organized militia, which consists of the National Guard and the Naval Militia; and (2) the unorganized militia, which consists of the members of the militia who are not members of the National Guard or the Naval Militia.
My nephew, a US mercenary in Kuwait/Iraq, takes his pay in gold bullion bars, has for years, and so do all his buddies. He cashes them in a bank when he needs cash in the US. Not every bank will do this, but San Antonio is big enough that he has no problem.
What's your point?
some Mercs demand real money, that's the point
the droids in the military industrial bankster complex work for the man; our country (people) have little or nothing to say about it or benefit from it
if you want to hear a drowned, kool-aid drinker just talk to a GOV contractor
I talked to one on a ski lift in T-Ride this winter, and he explained too me how much he loved dong god's work
mapping ports in 3rd world backwaters paid for by US taxpayers so the Mercs can roll in if needed; of course in his mind it was all about giving a hand up to the peasants
WTF does that mean, in English?
All that on a ski lift?
Heh. Y'all are shameless.
Always untraceable.
Fucking liars.
Not disagreeing with you post RF, but the fact the mercs have PM and our troops have fiat is a good point, that if true I find scary.
I think others understood it.
Smart guy....he's takin' care of business ! They'll come after our gold when the government employees are rioting with their brothers in welfare in the streets ! His gold will probably be safe because he's in on the game ! Monedas 2011
If your friend is blasted by an IED and suffers brain damage he will come back a basket case. The VA system will diagnose him as having a previously undiagnosed mental condition and drop him on the street without recompense like so many thousands of others. It's a tough life for patriots and good citizens.
Whats slowly dawning on him and other govt. employees (both federal and local govt. (google prichard, Alabama pensions)), is that all those promises that where made and the feeling of having the govt. behind them was all an illusion. And in a bind it's alot easier for the govt. to throw it's own people under the bus than the public at large.
The cushy, self serving government employees have been preparing us for a "Tyranny of the retired public servants !" ! They get special treatment....the rest of us get Social Suck and maybe food stamps ! They are going to squeal when CALPERS and all these other retirement funds go in the toilet ! They'll have to fend for themselves like the rest of us ! Monedas 2011
I'm sorry to sound cruel and heartless on this topic but...STOP calling it a fucking "Security Contractor"...the job is MERCENARY. People who kill for money.
you can't put lipstick on that pig.
A man carrying his M240B is Achilles. When he returns home and stands in a long line at the DMV he's just another walking hole in the ground. Half of PTSD comes from having to live again in a civilian society. Probably, the old 311 is over here dragging ass across the MSRs, with the rest of the mercenary clownsprings, to escape weak-ass conversation about the history of the purchasing power of the U. S. dollar. Congratulations, you chased him to Afghanistan.
The pen is mightier than the sword. As stated on ZH in past, God Bless our Military. Everything will come full circle shortly, stop worrying so much. This guy is a good man, his values speak in volumes.
Sadly, 'the government will take care of you' caught up with him. Soon, many will experience similar stories to share. This is when the breakdown occurs; the restoration of fundamentals, integrity, and pride will ensue.
This entire change will result from human nature by not forcefully accepting planned economies to flourish under loose laws, steep fines, and behavioral conditioning.
Mark my words!! Your United States military will never turn on a civilian. Your overwhelmed by the propaganda machine dividing parties to aid in the control of enterprising deception.
Yes, some of them will not turn on a civilian.
But, many of them will happily abuse, harm and kill civilians. Once most people have "crossed the line" of ethics once or twice, they rarely change their minds, especially against the overwhelming force of predatory authoritarianism.
Don't be naive.
Guys like him go around repeating what they learned in boot camp as if it were the freaking Gospel according to Luke. National Guard types live for the day they can open fire on usa civilians.
Do you have a quote? What exactly, from boot camp, are they repeating?
omg, you missed the guy last week. epic missive. lulz
btw, i am like 90% troll so don't get wadded up. i know a bunch of people active, reserve, and retired. even family members.
Then why would you hamstring them by feeding the useful idiots?
They are going in harm's way for you, me and the idiots.
effn dupes!
Must be that itchy trigger finger.
The actual firing of the cartridge should take you by surprise.
Slow and steady.
Don't jerk the trigger.
+Integrity.
I have a family member serving too. Just about the least likely person to sign up, but there before the grace of St. OMO go he.
I see life developments much further than you can. Perhaps you should step away from your keyboard and interact with society. You may want to begin by standing in front of a mirror and practicing. Begin by asking yourself the very questions you would pose to a stranger, teacher, cop, fireman, neighbor or friend. See how you score first, then you'll understand the reply similarities of proles fielding your questions.
There is no such thing as "society". What does exist is the universe, the earth, individual human beings, etc. I have had interactions with PLENTY of human beings to know that a very large percentage are utterly without ethics. Oh, they certainly do spout ethics - when they can mislead others to fall into their scams and clutches.
I have asked frank questions my whole life. And I do not shy away from discussing fundamental issues and troubling issues either. So I have a pretty good idea how clueless, corrupt, disingenuous, rationalistic and rotten humans are.
I have passed up innummerable opportunities in my life because they were not entirely ethical in some way. Oh, I could very easily have said the part I would be playing wasn't unethical, but I did not do that. I did not rationalize. I understood what other parts of the organization was doing, and understood they were unethical or evil. And so I had no part in them, did not assist them, and passed on rather large opportunties many times as a result.
I'll tell you the question I have asked of myself my entire life and am happy to ask everyone else. Am I willing to be dishonest or harm others. My answer is no, and I mean it, and I practice it. Most of them will answer "no" also, but they lie, and they know they lie.
I'm sorry, but 99% of humanity accept dishonesty and authoritarianism. Sure, they say they only accept SOME aspects of official dishonesty and SOME aspects of authoritarianism... then justify their positions with total BS like "people would go crazy and kill each other in droves if we didn't have jack booted thugs enslaving us". Of course, they don't say "jack booted thugs", but that's what it comes down to, and what they advocate.
I have not taken one single order from authority in my life, and I will not ever take one single order from authority - ever. Is that clear enough? I am not their puppet, I refuse to be their puppet, and I will never look back and say "I wish I didn't have to do that". And I am perfectly happy to call them "predator" to their face when the opportunity arises. But yeah, I do try to avoid predators. I wonder why.
When I look in the mirror, I see one honest, ethical, productive being. It doesn't make me look any better, but it does mean I have integrity. And that is what most people lack, including some significant percentage of government employees who carry guns (from guards to cops to military). They will do just what the nazi thugs did, they'll say "but all I did was put them in railroad cars".
And the ones who won't? I salute them.
Values?
The guy is going to Afghanistan to kill people for money.
You guys crack me up. This guy doesn't have any values. If he had any values, he wouldn't ever work for a scumbag organization like the Federal Government.
Mr. dick-wicks (aka lib nut-job)
When is it going to penetrate your soft, thick skull that military force is preventative. Ya guys ever read about your capital, Washington, D.C.? Had the highest gun-related crime rate in the nation (#1) UNTIL they repealed the law banning firearms. That is no coincidence.
There's a reason we call it DEFENSE.
We can legitimately debate about the appropriateness of different theater engagements (that's wars for you underclassmen), but don't make broad-brush statements about military individuals "killing people for money."
Maybe you should head over there with your campstove and peyote pipe & lead the nasties in a chorus of Sugar Magnolia...
BTW - unless you don't pay taxes, YOU TOO work for the Federal Government.
I'm not a liberal.
I'm also not a coward like most people are hiding behind a pseudonym.
The military today is just a thug force for an out of control government which is clearly acting criminally. That's all it is. The military was once a force the protected this nation, now it's just the enforcers of whoever controls this nation. The military of today isn't the military of 1950.
It's just a machine to waste money. If it was just defense, we have plenty of it in thermonuclear weapons. Nobody screws with a nation with thermonuclear weapons, even we don't. The threat to the nation isn't a few religious Islamic people, it's our government bankrupting us, and it will bankrupt us. Where is the money spent to bankrupt us? Government employees, people on the dole, a military used for (finding weapons of mass destruction? Was that the excuse, I forget!) or whatever bullshit excuse there is. If Repubilcan does it, "conservatives" defend it - just like the pathetic "liberals" defend Obama's little war. Most of you are mindless idiots.
Anyhow, the end is insolvency. Hope you enjoy it, Patriot "republican".
The only difference between "the left" and "the right" are the lies they tell to get elected. The Patriot Act is still law, warrantless wiretapping continues, war is still going on, a new one just started, Guantanamo is still open, bailouts continue - why do "conservatives" bitch about Obama? He's just like Bush.
More important - why do "liberals" support Obama? He's just like Bush.
You're just a bunch of monkeys throwing your shit at one another, but you're the same monkeys. We don't need a military really, we just need to state in no uncertain terms that if this nation is attacked, we'll drop a nuclear weapon on the nation that did it. Very simple - but to do this, we have to stop fucking with every other nation on the planet. No more Operation PBSUCCESS, no more Operation Ajax, no more whatever else this nation has done over hthe last 40 years that isn't yet declassified...
"Mark my words!! Your United States military will never turn on a civilian."
Oh really? Well it won't be for lack of trying that's for sure.
Here's a little history lesson for you from a little "conspiracy theory/propaganda outfit" you good ole American like to call ABC News:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=92662&page=1
Here's a little excerpt.
" In the early 1960s, America's top military leaders reportedly drafted plans to kill innocent people and commit acts of terrorism in U.S. cities to create public support for a war against Cuba.
Code named Operation Northwoods, the plans reportedly included the possible assassination of Cuban émigrés, sinking boats of Cuban refugees on the high seas, hijacking planes, blowing up a U.S. ship, and even orchestrating violent terrorism in U.S. cities.
The plans were developed as ways to trick the American public and the international community into supporting a war to oust Cuba's then new leader, communist Fidel Castro."
Banksters, unions or Government employees...pick your poison
First, the word "Marine" must be capitalized. And second.....there are no "ex-marines", as you said. Only former-Marines.
Show some respect.
Kinda shocking what assholes you"re are sharing space with, huh?
I come from a long line of assholes. Any errors of capitalization, punctuation, spelling, or grammer are just that, errors. We are not sharing any space. Enjoy tilting at windmills.
I'll quit defending the US military when I am two days cold and dead in the grave.
Pray tell, how have I attacked the US military?
Dunno, how have you? If you haven't you aren't the asshole I was referring to.
hopefully you'll be cold and dead soon. :-)
Can you imagine? Oh, you can
I really don't understand you people wanting "respect" for a person just because they joined a club? SO WHAT?
The fact that he's a marine does not change anything. Murder is murder. Doing it while wearing a uniform does not absolve you of that fact, instead it only compounds the guilt of the crime of murder with the shame of servitude that is represented by the uniform.
Patriotism is a false concept created by statesmen to get peasants to go off and fight wars that would benefit the statesmen and kill the peasants.
It's a suckers game...and only suckers buy it.
Sell crazy somewhere else...I'm all stocked up.
You are full of it, Mr. Alien. These men do a job few want to do. Remember that many Marines are involved in defensive patrols of our two bordering oceans (Atlantic and Pacific). I would redeploy the Marines and other U.S. military forces, to prepare for a potential Third World War in the Pacific, but it is wrong to disrespect them.
Most people that join the military today are poor kids with no education who can't find a job and have spent FAR too much time playing video games.
it ain't got shit to do with this fallacy of "patriotism". it's a paycheck and a chance to shot people and (maybe) not do time for it.
brain dead thugs with guns in uniforms. what the fuck is there to respect about that?
you people strutting around suggesting others should be genuflecting to these fools that chose to go off to a foreign country to kill kids just like themselves just because they couldn't find a job at home should stop watching John Wayne movies. life ain't like that.
Amazing how people with no experience still have the nerve to have an opinion about something.
All you are doing is showing your ass to the educated.
and you are the "educated"? why? because you were stupid enough to throw on a uniform and kill on command? yeah...that makes you the sharpest fuckin knife in the drawer don't it cowboy?
spare me the patriotic song and dance.
Why, yes, alien.
I actually have walked the parts of the Earth that do not subscribe to your idiot liberal ideology.
I have seem=n a man's throat cut because the bad guy wanted his shoes.
The world is not the Disney Land you grew up in.
you don';t know where I'm from, where I've been, what I've done or what I've seen.
let me start you off with this one: I am NOT american. and I'm proud of that.
Then you are either a liar, or a EuroDisney victim.
Still a retard.
and here is what them men that send you off to war think of you:
"Military men are just dumb stupid animals to be used as pawns in foreign policy."
Henry Kissinger, as quoted in "The Final Days" by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein in chapter 14. Page 194
Why would you think I am unaware Kissinger was a douche?
That would still not absolve me of loyalty to the homeland.
If you do not understand that, I can't help you. Administrations change. The military goes on.
Toby be good.
Test of life is individual.
Make your choices and live with them.
I'm happy with mine.
If you aren't an American, why do you presume to "know" so "much" about our country? Let's see, you're either a whiny Canadian (or is that, wigney?), or an angry, passive-aggressive Brit, or a faggoty Belgian, or a smelly INSERT NATIONALITY HERE. Try to fix the problems in your own country, before yelling about we Americans.... we have our own problems....
One more thing, funny how everything, all the time, is the American people's fault, but whenever INSERT COUNTRY NAME HERE gets into a humanitarian disaster, who's called up?
I also agree w/Mr. Rodent's comments.
"As sustained combat in Iraq makes it harder than ever to fill the ranks of the all-volunteer force, newly released Pentagon demographic data show that the military is leaning heavily for recruits on economically depressed, rural areas where youths' need for jobs may outweigh the risks of going to war."
"Many of today's recruits are financially strapped, with nearly half coming from lower-middle-class to poor households, according to new Pentagon data based on Zip codes and census estimates of mean household income. Nearly two-thirds of Army recruits in 2004 came from counties in which median household income is below the U.S. median."
SOURCE:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/03/AR200511...
Stick that in your "educated" pipe and smoke it cowboy.
http://www.stripes.com/news/army-exceeds-retention-goals-1.13423
Bite me.
that article you linked was from 2003. the war was less than a year old. the article I posted was from 2005 and by then enlistment had fallen off the cliff which is why they began to target low income areas for recruitment.
where'd you learn to do your research? the fuckin army?...it shows!
http://usmilitary.about.com/od/2010recruiting/a/october.htm
Fighting multiple enemies. I'll make sure to hit center mass in the future.
Half of my high school class went to the military. That happens in every rural area. If you think people are joining the military, because they are ACTUALLY patriotic, it's you that is naive. I grew up with these kids, and knew what kind of thugs they were. Vandals went into the miltiary, drug users did, petty criminals that were never caught - and only a few that joined had the ability to pay for college. Most of them couldn't go to college because of poor grades.
That's who joins the military mostly today, and denying that is just freaking a lie. It's a job, and that's it. They only wrap themselves up with the flag AFTER they join the military.
The history of the military is producing mature adults from the mass of defective children our culture produces.
More honor to the military.
Remember this. If the ChiComs took over, the first people they'd shoot would be the anarchists.
This guy is a scumbag working for what he considers scumbags. Sure, he might be willing and able to kill me, but that is what he is, and he deserves his fate.
dont worry about your friend, he will have pension from army AND pension from postal service, plus healthcare and death benefits. i met many like him in our import export business when we buy from the government. this is their life dream, to simultaneiously collect two pensions - all adjusted for inflations. and they work very slowly at their jobs, not in any hurry to be productive. he will have many good years of fishing or boating or whatever, I am sure.
I wonder if most of the recent wars were anything other than a racket, at least as perceived by most of us: any of us would be so quick to disparage anyone who served?
Put another way, we would probably cheer with joy that a former/retired serviceman/woman get to enjoy life with some leisure (hell even some advantages) should we perceived when they laid their lives on the line, it wasn't for the fun and profit of the owners of the world.
the feral gubbermint is a big pig with lots of titties from which to suckle. They serve for the money, not because they give a damn about any of us. Mercs get paid in full and do not deserve and thanks or respect.
I know Buzz.
Problem for me is I was conditioned by immigrant parents to have an automatic appreciation for American Soldiers: US Troops liberated each of their hometowns.
Its hard to shake.
BTW~the Philip K Dick connection is not lost on me..
it is not disparaging to point out that two pensions or doing little work in a huge beauraccy is wrong.
Served? No they did not "serve," they accepted a unilateral contract in exchange for salary and benefits. this is not serving, it is working. Actually, if you look carefully at the whole set up of the us military it is a pure socialist institution. my comment is that they are getting two pensions because of preferntial hiring for veterans and then they end up getting two pensions not doing so much real work, which is not right. only a tiny percentage of these "servers"actually do any fighting and none of them that do so have done so with a declaration of war by the usa congress the way the country's constitution is supposed to require it to be. is that not so?
I have watched these servers, as you call them, destroy the automobile engines of their trucks by pouring sand into the diesel so they can get a new truck instead of letting the budget allocation for that year lapse, then order more spare parts, costing the americans almost 100,000 dollars a truck, and then they get two pensions for this "service.?" its good for our parts business I guess but we get paid in dollars. Slowly. so maybe i am not sure its such a good deal for us after all.
Look on the bright side - it saves the Iraqis having to put sand in the tank or sabotage the fuel filter.
You are correct, in part, Lao.
The military have lived under socialism.
That is why the majority of them hate it so much, and do not want it for their families.
Delete 503 error dupe part uno.
Error 503 pre-dupe delete..
Error 503 Premature click
So pleased that the huffPo, rawShite, information clearing Hos, and dailyKool-aid folks all show up at once.
Let me turn on the lights, so you can scurry back to your cesspool.
I realise reading is now second rate in the US. No Child Left Behind Act certainly shows the fine progressive educational achievements. We also know they're broke, that's a different topic to highlight some other time.
Let me point out the quote:
No further comment needed.
Genghis Khan?
Genghis Swan, soon to come, is more like it.
OT I know.
WE NEED A NEW THREAD!!!! 4
Marine/Postal Inspector = Gov't ROBOT
He's an idiot...with extreme father issues.
Parlor psychology is the lamest bullshit since astrology.
Y'll need a new playbook.
really, so you 'think' childhood experiences don't cause people to make 'bad' decisions for the rest of their life...and political leaders who are obviously corrupt...where do they get their power from? from their great ideas? their brilliance?
do tell...
They get their power from the submission of the majority.
The military is a small percentage of the majority.
You can check that if you like.
we need you in afghanistan...hopefully some sheep herders will confuse you for an ewe, i think the koran allows them to have sex with ewes...so you'll have a good time! Get'em cowboy.
Yeah man, give him your handbook and few quick refs.
Govt employees sucking on the taxpayer's teet. F them.
The police state…two steps closer this week.
This afternoon the Senate passed the extensions to the Patriot Act voting 72-23 for measures instituted by the War Party to engage a worldwide enemy in perpetual war and sacrifice the freedoms of Americans.
It was the second assault on America’s representative government this week; the first being the disgusting display of hero worship by the US Congress for the man who most represents why the Patriot Act was sold as necessary, why the engagement of major wars have enveloped America, why the Arab Spring has spread throughout the Middle East to prompt the enemies of Israel to seek their own freedoms away from the puppet governments of the United States - Binyamin Netanyahu.
And, still, these representatives stand on their feet and cheer at…our darkest moment.
According to Huffington Post, the Senate extended the government's Patriot Act powers to search business records and conduct roving wiretaps - in pursuit of terrorists. The House was expected to quickly approve the legislation for President Barack Obama's signature. Republican freshman Rand Paul’s amendment, “which would restrict law enforcement from accessing firearm receipts, failed to pass the Senate...
"A third provision gives the government power to watch non-American "lone wolf" suspects with no certain ties to terrorist groups.”
DO YOUR HOME WORK! Yen Cross. Ya gonna go flat u/j, or hit the Fibi 81.23?
One last bit of comedy..
Breaker 19 this heres candy cane. you got a copy on me code pink come on
<Squelch noises>
Roger candy cane we can read you
<Squelch noises>
We got a 10-24 on Zero hedge, repeat 10-24
<Squelch noises>
10-4 that candy cane
<Squelch noises>
10-44 candy cane, please stand by
<Squelch noises>
10-4 code pink
<Squelch noises>
Breaker 19 this heres code pink. you got a copy on me candy cane come on
<Squelch noises>
10-4 code pink
<Squelch noises>
10-42 at zerohedge, I repeat, 10-42 at zerohedge, do you copy?
<Squelch noises>
Copy code pink, 10-65 copy
<Squelch noises>
Candy cane in 10-8
<Squelch noises>
Either your a 12 year old or one of pt Barnum's clowns escaped.......Keep your bib tied, your dribbling.
If there is a major crisis that sends the entire country into chaos, it would highly unlikely that the U.S. military will be able to enforce a lock-down of the entire nation.
Even if the military manages to acquire all 1.5 million reserves and utilize 1 million of it's total 1.5 million personnel in the Navy, Army, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard, it would struggle to control 308-310 million citizens in a land mass of 9,161,966 sq km.
You can confirm these numbers by looking at the U.S. Census or CIA World fact book.
Even this scenario is incredibly optimistic, because it assumes that 100% of the national guard and Army reserves will show up when the dollar has crash and they're worried about their families. The 1.5 million number doesn't even factor in the fact that many of these people are overseas fighting (in Iraq and Afghanistan) and serving on one of the 700 military bases in 130 foreign countries. So if the dollar collapses and the nation erupts into chaos, will the military be able to ship them home quick enough? I doubt.
But let's say the military pulls off a miracle. Now many will say look at the militarized police. First of all, American law enforcement numbers are not as strong as some of you think. According to the BLS (bureau of Labor Statistics), there were only 883,600 law enforcement personnel in 2008. And that was before the financial collapse and subsequent layoffs in local departments across the nation. The number included detectives, managers, police and sheriff's patrol officers.
So when you add the 2,500,000 soldiers and the 883,000 law enforcement, you have a force of 3.3 million agents. This is less than one percent of America's highly-armed population. Most of these agents will be working logistics and support for handling prisoners, transportation, intelligence and supply. But this isn't even the biggest problem.
The police are used to dealing with people who are afraid of them and have something to lose. In a collapse scenario, the rioters will lack both characteristics. And the military will be poorly suited to police a populace that is desperation for resources. If the soldiers became violent against the population, they could divide the armed forces and spark a civil war. Moreover, Iraq and Afghanistan has shown us that the U.S. military is not invisible and that guerrilla warfare tactics can be deployed successfully against a high-tech army.
It would be very difficult for the U.S. military to successfully implement martial law throughout the entire country at any given time. This would mean that they would have to secure hundred of thousands of neighborhoods, while securing all major airports, power stations, communication towers, water facilities, nuclear power plants, military bases, food distribution center, grocery stores, government official buildings and highways while keeping everyone in their homes after 6pm.
Bringing in foreign troops would problematic, because if the U.S. is in a panic, wouldn't the other countries that are so heavily tied to America also have their own problems. Plus, we know how well foreign occupations went in Afghanistan, Vietnam and Iraq.
In conclusion, a military lock-down of the entire country at any given time would be impossible with the assistance of foreign troops. Adding foreign troops would increase the manpower, but severely damage the credibility of the force. Such a situation would encourage more violence against the martial law force. The U.S. government may attempt to lock the country down, but it would end in failure and possibility set the stage for a civil war. Many people assume that the population's current malaise will mean little resistance to martial law, but they fail to understand human nature. If there is a crisis situation, your biggest danger maybe the people around you.
If there is a major crisis that sends the entire country into chaos, it would highly unlikely that the U.S. military will be able to enforce a lock-down of the entire nation.
Many millions are in a lock-down. They're broke and/or unemployed with a goodly sum of money spent on consumers goods sans service to debt. Unsustainable. The banksters and steno-graph media are capable of and doing a fine job of keeping people in their prisons, pardon, homes.
The US military has shot Americans before. See after WW1. WW1 troops did not get promised benefits. They were shot down. I am not talking Kent State because leftist instigators set off firecrackers or gun shots before the NG troops fired.
In Poland, Gen. Zaruzelski knew the Polish Army would never fire on Polish citizens as the wall was falling. He knew the game was over.
Here in the US? As long as they get iPods, Red Bull and a paycheck - they will shoot you down like a dog.
Thank the F**cks on ZH who voted for the islamic for the current state of affairs.
.
You can tell the state of the Empire by the starving dog at the gates (or something like that).
Tyler, save your tears for the rest of us schmucks ! This guy is retiring early, has a substantial savings account, will receive the "total suck package of fed benefits" the rest of his life, military hospitals, free PX privileges, eye and dental care, free condoms, travel when available, etc. etc. etc. ! He is fortuneate to have the ability to diversify into metals ! There are guys and gals on these threads who are bustin' their asses to raise their families and would love to be able to sink $700 K into PMs ! They have to buy silver at $40 a pop out of whats left of their paycheck ! My heart does not pump purple piss for these government employees....even for the few who actually, maybe did something useful for us ! Most of them have damaged our ability to prosper ! Amen ! Monedas 2011 My brothers in thrift....hoard, hoard, hoard ! http://trololololololololololo.com/
Cry much, or are you mad that the guy followed a path that allowed him to get what he has. I read this entire shit spewing response to an article about a man who was successful and continued on. I am waiting on the next BS response about your garbage man being paid to much because he is a government employee, or it's not fair that he gets free shit that people throw away.
Bottom line is the guy worked for a living and continues to do so, and the only one that damaged your ability to prosper is yourself, its a big world out there, use it , lose it or STFU.
I served in Viet Nam and I'm doin' fine ! If people have benefited from Government largess more power to them.....from Welfare to Warfare.....out of control Government is the problem ! If the "good goverment employees" are going to be passive and self serving as the system crashes.....they are part of the problem ! Socialism smears the good with the shit of the worthless ! Monedas 2011
and his "work" includes killing humans for profit, and collecting monies & benefits from the elites who own the nationstate he "serves". . .
"prosper" like cancer, destroying all around it.
For all of you spreading tripe who never served, FUCK YOU, you don't know, STFU. For all you bitching it was "cushie", you're fucking simply weak for not following your incredible ability to know all things but not act on them, I guess. I like dialogue, so here's some " You don't fuckin' know, go sit at he kiddie tables, you weak-ass drips.". Wanna know if the troops will fire on you? Google "Soldier, Sailor, or Marine+accused+jailed". See how many of the older news items are actually not true crimes, but casualty of war situations, which though unfortunate, should not have gone to trial, or were not convicted. Then say a prayer to this administration you love to bash, you won't be fired upon,as they seem to think it's ok to attempt to convict war fighters for fighting wars. Above that there's honor. Junk away bitchez!
Amen, if you haven't served your country you have no right to complain about those brave enough to risk it all so that we can have the opportunities that we do.
/sarc
I'm sayin' don't bitch about the lead in a ballet, if you've never danced a ballet.
Well by that logic...you can also say:
don't criticize an actor in a movie unless you've acted in a movie.
don't criticize a book unless you've written a book.
don't criticize a child rapist unless you've raped a child.
in other words...your analogy is beyond absurd.
Don't criticize someone smoking two packs a day if you have never smoked two packs a day?
you weren't serving "your country". that's the bag of shit they filled your head with to get you to play John Wayne and obey orders to do unthinkable things to innocent people who never did a fucking thing to you.
you were serving the interest of a few multi-national corporations...you were just too brainwashed to realize it....and you obviously still are.
You nailed it.
I never shot anyone in the face who didn't have a weapon in his hand.
That is the truth of the battlefield. You or him.
Not overarching political philosophies.
If you want to avoid that situation, elect different leaders who do not put soldiers in that situation.
Period. Full stop.
what part of "voluntary" do you not get? the draft ended decades ago, it's way past time to end the "patriotic" mythos of "serving" some ridiculous fiction of "national pride". . .
"My mental faculties remained in suspended animation while I obeyed the orders of the higher-ups. This is typical with everyone in the military."
“War is just a racket. A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of people. Only a small inside group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few at the expense of the masses."
The above are quotes by Major General Smedley Butler USMC. At the time of his death the most decorated Marine in U.S. history.
NuckingFuts
Now after all this... could someone tell me... Even if he's the hero that all these commentars claim. Why should I feel sorry for this hack? He has more than most his age. Has he produced one useful thing in his life besides tracking down "bad" guys for Big Brother?
It's easy to pretend you're the hero when there's a solid paycheck in it for ya. It's a lot harder to do good for free.
One should feel sorry for him because the lie is being exposed as it is with all of us. What we thought was ours we will not be getting.
which every human in every nation amrka occupies, poisons, and steals from can agree with.