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I coulda really used that 45 billion.
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taxdollars at work
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[quote=ājaphroaig, post:3, topic:54945, full:trueā]
Arent shims generally made from semi rotten cardboard, drink coasters, or bits of grit you find next to wobbly chairs?
[/quote]Only if youāre a āmaker.ā
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Part of the problem is the way in which manufacturers determine part costs. This is done not by the cost of developing and manufacturing the individual part but also by allocating a portion of the cost of development of the whole system in which the part is used to the to cost of the part. This is also done in many consumer products such as home appliances.
We mustnāt think of it as 45B missing, rather, thatās 21B (out of 66) thatās been spoken for! Why, under a Republican commander in chief, that number could easily have been 17B, or 8B, or even zero!
Remember, things may not ever get better, but they could always be worse. Vote Democrat!
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My shims are only made from the finest beer cans. Imported beer cans.
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Sorry, Pentagon. Weāre cutting your budget by $45B next year, and if you find the money you lost track of in Afghanistan, maybe you can spend that.
BTW, we still need to talk about the hundreds of billions you spent in the Afghan and Iraqi wars because you werenāt ready for them, after telling us for decades you were ready to fight a two-front war against the Commies.
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Or, heck, 45 pallets of cash.
Or just under a third of the English NHS budget for a year.
If only there was a word for a thousand millions that would enable us to deal with larger numbers more easilyā¦ 
Itās funny, when I was a kid a billion was considered a million million in the UK, similar to most other European countries. These days the American definition above has taken over (which is what the Germans at least call a āmilliardā - not sure about other languages).
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Put to slightly better use in healthcare, though, surely? I know what Iād rather my thousand millions went on. Just not sure Iām happy with the billions spent just to ensure that the internal marketisation of the NHS continues to progress.
I agree with your points except to say that the kind of warfare involved in fighting the USSR would have been completely different to that in Iraq and Afghanistan, and it is perfectly possible to create a huge, well-trained and equipped fighting force with one particular kind of war in mind, only to end up embroiled in a completely different kind. In fact, itās probably why America keeps losing them.
A Milliard is a duck.
Jeezā¦
Iām fairly sure that a large part of the $45B is in non-consecutive banknotes in an anonymous shipping container in Seattle thatās unfortunately been made radioactive with a depleted uranium sniper shell.
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A typical widget may cost $1 at retail. However, go to a manufacturer and request a widget designed according to your specifications and you will be paying $20 per widget.
Another consideration is that typical government contracts do not pay until the end of the year meaning manufacturers and providers must be able to continue to operate without pay for up to a year. That kind of service comes at a premium.
With that said, Iām for shutting down all foreign military activity until our national debt is paid and no American is left hungry and homeless.
Poeās Law. I have seen people say way sillier things in all seriousness. If Iām not sure, I try to err on the side of being politely informative.
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I apologize for lashing, i was in a feisty, bad mood. And I appreciate your measured responses. I will make it up one day.
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Thanks! Iāve been trying to be less of a curmudgeon on the internet lately; I donāt like the way it makes me feel.
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