We are in the midst of the 148th anniversary of Sherman's march to the sea.

[regexcellent]

I get you and reg and some of the other, er, um... fine posters easily confused. It was reg's whining about infrastructure in general. You whine about other stuff in other threads.

Someone piss in your cornflakes this morning?

Wait when did I whine about infrastructure?

[Imran Siddiqui]

Hey DD what's with the comic sans?

Usually when you see something in Comic Sans, you know to ignore it (the most hated of fonts). DD is just doing a public service for the rest of us .

[DinoDoc]

Usually when you see something in Comic Sans, you know to ignore it (the most hated of fonts). DD is just doing a public service for the rest of us .

It doesn't seem to be working.

[regexcellent]

Usually when you see something in Comic Sans, you know to ignore it (the most hated of fonts). DD is just doing a public service for the rest of us .

I dunno I like DD's posts

[Aeson]

You got a problem with Comic Sans MS? Would Impact be better?

You sir, are a scholar and a gentleman

[MichaeltheGreat]

I wasn't making an argument against infrastructure spending per se so much as I was railing against the view expressed by some in this thread that such spending is good in and of itself regardless of what it is.

Re DoD waste: I like this example: $100,000 on a workshop on interstellar travel including a lecture entitled Did Jesus die for Klingons, too?

Personally, I prefer the term mercenary, but consultants are a form of whore. The only real difference being, unlike whores, we don't get screwed if we get paid.

DoD waste isn't even worth documenting unless it hits 8 figures.

One of my favorites from DHS was a task order for installation of video cameras on towers on a section of the US-Canada border for $14.5 million. The selected contractor wasn't a licensed construction contractor, so they had no legal authority to build and erect the towers, the task order had neither DBRA clauses for wages, nor inspection clauses for construction (from FAR, DFARS, GSAM or other supplementary sources - DHS didn't have its own acquisition regulations supplement at the time), and the cameras weren't specified for outdoor use installation, which didn't matter, because the ones actually installed by the contractor didn't work when the weather was fine - they were 80% DOA, and the rest had telecomms glitches. End result, the towers installed had to be pulled down at USG expense, the cameras all had to be replaced at USG expense, none of the installation ever worked, and the politically connected contractor was paid. The only thing they didn't get was change orders approved or added work. The DHS OIG highlighted this one, and it was swept under the rug with the IG being gently nudged toward the door.

Another one I knew of, but didn't handle, was when Secretary Ridge and a bunch of political appointees of DHS, decided to have an international conference with security counterparts in the Pacific rim. Then they rationalized that "it would shorten the flights" for their Asian counterparts if said conference was held in Hawai'i. So 500+ DHS employees took over a resort in Hawai'i, IIRC, Maui specifically - Ridge and political appointees, their chiefs of staff, and support and communications staff, plus physical security teams. And since it was for a "national security" related event, government per diem rates were waived. (with very questionable authority). Total bull****, but DHS was untouchable then.

[DaShi]

Strawman. Also a false strawman.

I'm against tax credits, yes, and tax incentives, yes. I am not against education, highway infrastructure, or FEMA.

The example of waste I had given above was the fact that I have been issued about $1000 worth of gear by the U.S. Army even though I have no commitment to actually serve.

My post was in response to this: "But the stimulus wasn't so much a stimulus as a permanent 800 billion dollar spending increase on stupid worthless ****."

Although you may actually believe that the stimulus spent $800 billion solely on the gear you received from the Army. In fact, there's nothing in the way you post here for me to conclude that you'd believe otherwise. So I apologize.

[DaShi]

I dunno I like DD's posts

That's because you aren't very bright.

[regexcellent]

My post was in response to this: "But the stimulus wasn't so much a stimulus as a permanent 800 billion dollar spending increase on stupid worthless ****."

Although you may actually believe that the stimulus spent $800 billion solely on the gear you received from the Army. In fact, there's nothing in the way you post here for me to conclude that you'd believe otherwise. So I apologize.

The army thing was an example of DoD waste.

What I was talking about with the stimulus is the fact that a) a lot of the money went unspent, b) a lot of what the stimulus funds continues to be funded year-over-year in a very non-"stimulating" manner, and c) when the money was spent it was spent slowly and not in an effective way for fiscal policy manipulation of economy because of massive oversight to prevent fraud and abuse that didn't even wind up working.

[DaShi]

The army thing was an example of DoD waste.

What I was talking about with the stimulus is the fact that a) a lot of the money went unspent, b) a lot of what the stimulus funds continues to be funded year-over-year in a very non-"stimulating" manner, and c) when the money was spent it was spent slowly and not in an effective way for fiscal policy manipulation of economy because of massive oversight to prevent fraud and abuse that didn't even wind up working.

Exactly stuff like:

1. Individual Tax Credits for homebuyers
2. Tax Credits for Workers
3. Tax Incentives for Businesses
4. Tax credits for alternative energy
5. Tax-exempt bonds to expand industrial development
6. Education
7. Highway infrastructure
8. Water and Waste disposal
9. Fossil fuel R&D
10. Homelessness prevention programs
11. Health
12. FEMA
13. Job Training

Unless you really believe it was all spent on hemp uniforms.