A couple of items of interest from Afghanistan.
1) President Karzai's latest power grab: "...a presidential decree to take total control of the country's electoral watchdog commission. Yes, that is the same commission that exposed widespread fraud in the 2009 vote...The Electoral Complaints Commission adjudicates violations and will play an important role in the September vote for a new Parliament. By law, it has five members: three non-Afghans appointed by the United Nations and two Afghans, one named by the Supreme Court and one by a human rights commission. Mr. Karzai will now be able to appoint all five members."
Nah, no possibility for fraud and corruption there. Move along.
2) The blank check for the Pentagon: "In an attempt to increase the size of the Afghan police force to 160,000, the United States military intends to invest more than $600 million to build approximately 200 police stations for the Afghan National Police by 2013... at the cost of nearly $3 million a police station, the structures will far surpass any standard set by local neighborhood precincts. In fact, the Afghan police stations will have a barbed wire perimeter with guards posted at each of the four corners. Additionally, reinforced concrete will make up the walls and roofs."
In light of today's health care summit, consider this. At an average cost of $8,000 per person, that $600 million could provide health care for 75,000 Americans for one year.
Priorities, anyone?
1) President Karzai's latest power grab: "...a presidential decree to take total control of the country's electoral watchdog commission. Yes, that is the same commission that exposed widespread fraud in the 2009 vote...The Electoral Complaints Commission adjudicates violations and will play an important role in the September vote for a new Parliament. By law, it has five members: three non-Afghans appointed by the United Nations and two Afghans, one named by the Supreme Court and one by a human rights commission. Mr. Karzai will now be able to appoint all five members."
Nah, no possibility for fraud and corruption there. Move along.
2) The blank check for the Pentagon: "In an attempt to increase the size of the Afghan police force to 160,000, the United States military intends to invest more than $600 million to build approximately 200 police stations for the Afghan National Police by 2013... at the cost of nearly $3 million a police station, the structures will far surpass any standard set by local neighborhood precincts. In fact, the Afghan police stations will have a barbed wire perimeter with guards posted at each of the four corners. Additionally, reinforced concrete will make up the walls and roofs."
In light of today's health care summit, consider this. At an average cost of $8,000 per person, that $600 million could provide health care for 75,000 Americans for one year.
Priorities, anyone?
Oh, almost forgot...old beer cans with a marble, on a string, around the preimeter. Loma, anything I missed?????
Beef and eggs seems fine to me. Grow a few tomatoes and asparagus. Make sure you have enough ammunition. Just in case.
You know, it's a little funny - but not. I have been telling my husband that I want to sell the ranch and move back to the city (for health reasons), but honestly, with the way things are going I think we may need to stay here.
We don't have much, but we have a small bit of cattle and lots of chicken -- who can't live on beef and eggs???
I joke about it but this is not freakin' funny anymore.
Kopechne was kookoo...but, at least they didn't have locusts.
Everyone...WGN airs reruns of me and my boys at the NYPD 12th precinct on Sunday nights. Last week they ran the one with Mr. Koppechne who thought he was a werewolf. Nick started to believe he WAS one.
Fall out of your chair funny.
Johsonville Brats, grilled.......mmmmmmmmmmm!!!
Nick was a hoot...Wojo was cool and Fish...well, what can you say except he's still alive... :O)
Carguy,
You can trust me utterly on this one, my cupboard is NEVER without Doritos. I've been on a grand search for some time now to find pickled polish sausages but I just can't find 'em...big bummer!
Glen,
I can't speak to the real estate markets but, it has been Obama's contention from the beginning that his economic plan consisted of 'phases'. Spend, health reform, cut spending.
The first step was to counter the 'depression' which was looming on the horizon. The intent of the 2nd step was to 'bend the curve' of ever escalating budget expenditures for health services. And the final step was to bring in line ALL areas of wasteful spending.
It was an excellent plan then and in my opinion it still is an excellent plan.
The 600 million is an expense that undoubedly is driven by the military-industrial complex but that doesn't obviate the 'logic' behind making the United States safe wherever Americans conduct business or 'will conduct business' be that in Afghanistan or New York city.
Keith wrote: How much heroin are we getting in return for $600M?
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I think Keith has finally brough up a good point.
At' a boy, Keith. You stick around here long enough you'll learn a few things.
Have you noticed that every day is a little worse than the day before??????
Reminds me of a old Japanese saying from Sgt Nick Yamana at the 12th Precinct. You might remember he used to work for me.
"At least we ain't got locust." Not much solace though.
glenn wrote: But what was even more frightening was a graph that showed a coming tsunami in troubled commercial real estate that is going to come crashing down on us in the next few years
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I've been following this story which has been kept "under the radar" for obvious reasons. It's likely to be just like the "housing bust" but with commercial real estate. This may take out some small banks entirely leaving the FDIC to comne to the rescue, AGAIN.
I'm not saying stock up on water. But a good supply of vienna sausages and Doritos might be a good idea. (Protein and carbs), oh, toilet paper. Don't forget TP.
600 million is not much in the overall picture of things. But it is kind of like taking your wife out to a nice dinner the night before the light company is coming to turn off your power because you do not have the money to pay the bill.
It can't be a good thing.
I was watching Mr. Bernanke speak to Congress yesterday. He clearly came out and in crystal clear English said our spending was unsustainable and would have a very negative impact on our economy if we do not take steps to curb our addiction. But what was even more frightening was a graph that showed a coming tsunami in troubled commercial real estate that is going to come crashing down on us in the next few years. His answers were very vague and that frightened me even more.
Keith - Again, you are wrong. Health care cost per person in the US as of 2007 was $7,421. It's even higher now. http://www.kaiseredu.org/topics_im.asp?imID=1&parentID=61&id=358
But that's not the point. The point here is that the hundreds and hundreds of billions of dollars have been spent in Iraq and Afghanistan. Few think the Iraq war was anything but folly. Many agree that Afghanistan was appropriate, but bungled by the Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld cabal. Health care in the US could be solved by just taking a fraction of the amount pissed away in the Middle East.
Get it?
A very conservative estimate of the cost of 9/11 is 100 billion dollars. 600 million using the wording of the above statement "sounds like a pretty good investment" to me.
8k per? How is that reducing costs? The average cost for single coverage is under 5k. How much heroin are we getting in return for 600M?
The more things change the more they stay the same. Sorta makes you wonder when it will all totally fall apart. Revolution, anyone ?
Oh boy, this so pisses me off!
$600 million??