candyman

Accepting something doesn't mean you have to like it or believe in it. Also, it may be 2011 but you can't tell people how to think...if I don't like to eat beets then I don't like it...if I feel uncomfortable around certain people then that is the way it is. No I am not curious about the unknown...I don't care to think about it. After I die they will drag me off the battlefield using that strap under my tactical vest, seems simple enough. Chances are that no matter how the universe started it will not change the here and now so time and money is best spent on the present and the problems we already have...all the money spent on the particle-smasher-thingy could have been better spent on disease prevention. I'm not mad I am just sweating my ass off in a Dominican army barracks smelling chicken crap...oh and even though I already knew I looked it up on google and the first two links explained it fairly well so I don't know why I typed all that for a troll...holy shit I am bored and I still have 3 months down here...FUCK!

Not from what we have been briefed on and what our pay records show. Either way some landlords and shit are already closing shop on people just in case. Even if this bill does pass they are going to hamstring us pretty bad. We already can't afford basic services for our vehicles to keep them running...we have to choose which ones to fix and which to cannibalize. Alot of what we have is already falling apart and since they already cut spending on that, cut soldiers and are booting out others just to make room, and have already picked apart VA benefits our pay is next. We have seen all the options that they have laid out and it is pretty bleak. Out of everything that I pay I wind up with about $350 and month for gas and shit since I have to buy my own food like everyone else. They are trying to make the Army a combat only thing...and this bill is signing more over to the contractors because they somehow think that civilians getting paid 4x what we do to do the same job is saving them money. Maybe they did stop it for a little bit...not a good idea to piss off people with guns...but the people need to call for their military back because it is cheaper. You know all of those large figures you always saw connected to the current wars? 60% and more of that is spent on contractors, not the security guys just mechanics and shit, and their travel expenses...same reason I am not getting paid a dime extra for this overseas relief mission where I have to buy everything I need like food and parts and water...contractors are in an all expenses paid hotel with AC and they show up once a week but get paid for a full week.

I know most of you probably know about the shutdown already. The part that hasn't been getting much attention is the part where the military isn't getting paid. Nobody, that means absolutely nobody, in any military branch is getting paid for half this month and all of the next which started yesterday and has already screwed up the lives of a few people. Apartments have been lost because the owners heard the news and most of the people I know are down to just a few hundred dollars to take care of all their bills and feed their families. I am rather unlucky because I am on a relief mission to the Dominican Republic where we will be stuck for a few extra months if they can't figure out our pay. Besides sporadic meals I have to pay for my own water because this local stuff is not good to drink. It is pretty sad when the poor country you can to help is actually helping you now. The list of other shit storms this is creating is too long to list and I don't want to sound like I am complaining. We are still working and the bitching is less that I would have expected. We are not asking for money or handouts, although care packages kick ass, but we are asking for support in any way possible. Pressure congress, help out a family with a parent or significant other that is deployed, throw eggs at the senators...or pray if that is your thing. I know that with the people on this board that at least some of you will show some support even if it is spiritual which works just fine. I'm sitting here sweating my ass off amongst a bunch of chickens and goats that can actually drink the local water so even a smiley face thing or some sort of congress joke would help. Thanks in advance...

DO NOT lower your standards...I tried that and I will be licking my wounds for a while now as far as mental damage goes. Like other people said go for friends and know them well before trying anything out relationship wise. Otherwise you could end up like me but I won't even go there...

I think pretty much everyone has already stated that in some way, shape, or form Unions can be a good thing IF they stick to their intended purpose. However, if you really do look at how many of them have been running things recently they are not sticking to their intended purpose. They have twisted the rules to become some sort of powerhouse that can twist the arms of companies ALL of the time instead of just when they need to...and they have come to the point where they a political bombs that politicians stock up and throw at each other or at us...either that or they just blow up by themselves. If the Unions must stick around they need to stop and lay out some ground rules...because right now when I hear Union I picture the hired merchants working for the English becoming pirates because they didn't get exactly what they want and they saw the glitter of gold and riches...yes I just compared Unions to Pirates but sadly that is only a few beards, sailing ships, and 2 ARRRR's away from being mostly true.

Rosetta Stone will actually help but you have to remember that it deals mostly with the conversational or business version of the language...not dialect if that is what you want. My friend knows 5 languages because he was in training to become a pastor...but religion aside he used Rosetta Stone in combination with other, cheaper programs that focused on a more specific aspect of that language as in classical, northern dialect, or whatever he needed. I am getting Rosetta Stone soon after my mission because the Army thinks that while I am a good mechanic I would make a better intelligence person or a psyops interrogator...so I get Rosetta Stone for free, it is expensive, but the big part of it is that people know it works so they use it alot. If you can afford it the get it.

If you saw the reports on how many bridges world wide are far beyond the limits you would avoid some of them too...in certain states the repairs to just the corrosion would cost Trillions and that doesn't include cracks or pavement issues. Take the scenic route through the hills! Oh yeah and my biggest fear is...wow there are too many...well heights, getting transfered to an infantry unit, and getting old and having to got to the doctor more often because I am breaking down.

I can deal with kids and I help out other soldiers with theirs when they need it but...I am not parent material and I don't mind that. If I could adopt a kid when he hits 21 then maybe but I am going to do myself a favor and my would-be kid a favor and stay out of the baby scene... But...I guess the situation could change and so could my mind...so until then I will practice making babies just in case.

YAY my government passport and visa arrived! Leaving for the mission in the Dominican Republic on Thursday...so...BYE!

But almost every writer...actually all of them...like that are thinking of utopia when they write. Every political or economic theory would work in a utopia but this is real life with real humans...so you just gotta pick out the good bits and piece something together. I see it as them giving the raw material, like iron ore, and we have to refine it.

Rand is odd reading...some good points but also some areas where her mind seems a bit warped...but then again that goes for almost every political writer.

Unions are giving good jobs to bad people now...opposite of what they were intended for. Without Unions around people will once again be able to fend for themselves and fight for a job. I would rather wait longer to get hired than to be handed a job by other people. The people that still want the Unions completely able to fend for themselves without using any more time and money than they already are...they have just never done it so they are afraid...afraid to make their way through life based on what they do and say...which you can actually do it turns out. If they won't take you for those reasons the job isn't worth it. If they are just afraid that they will fail but they actually have skills they just need some reassurance...if they are afraid because they have no actual skills and suck at being a teacher then they should remain afraid. Too many teachers are letting their kids fall behind...and too many are shoving their political beliefs into classes where they don't fucking belong which is just like teaching religion. I know a teacher fighting to keep her union around...that bitch taught English and both times I had here it was feminism to the point of blind hated and FAR left wing shit...barely any english stuff was taught. I had many more teachers like that and my friends have too...the education system has fallen behind and EVERYONE working for them must pay or prove that they tried to help but most of them will end up having to answer for their crimes against proper learning.

They need to put cigarettes back into the stupid meals already...it is so degrading to be given a purple bag of Skittles when you are in full battle gear. Our forces can look so menacing to the enemy until they see us fiddle with candy at meals and perform ridiculous "stretches" that even Perez Hilton wouldn't do for fear of looking gay. And if you want a trip...to the bathroom...try the new Buffalo Chicken Mre...glowing orange white shreds of something guaranteed to clean your colon without those pricey kits from health stores.

Me and I am done...I just can't take this bullshit anymore. I withstood cheating, lying, having my property destroyed...but this shit takes the cake and call me sexist but I don't really trust women anymore.

Yeah...it is required but we work out on our own too otherwise our scores on the PT tests would be nothing but average. And most of us try to stay health conscious however our schedule really doesn't help and neither do MRE's...

Hey now...there is always a large group of us smokers next to the PT field right before PT where we exercise our asses off...doesn't that count?

There IS a difference between gay behavior and the behavior of a snipped male cat. My cat is snipped too and he HATES any guys that come into the house besides me and my dad...however he will "protect" and females that come into the house and, well, cats tend to like feet as far as I know

They get their firearm from China as of now...however they produce alot of their weapons on their own now. Their naval fleet is fine and the jets they have from us are in top shape and so are their other jets from other countries. If you think they need military backing your intelligence is wrong...you can supply all the guns you want to an outnumbered army but none of them will help unless they have skill. Sending anything but ammo and guns to Israel, which they don't need at all, would be overkill and would enable them to destroy the whole of the Arab world with ease.

The United States helped to CREATE Israel so I would say our relationship is a good one. Because of what happened in WW2 we saw a need for it...I don't give much credit to the other allied nations because they don't act quickly or often in the right way. Look at the battles fought by Israel to see just how well they can live without us or any help at all. Fighting vastly larger forces on multiple fronts and not only winning but nearly taking 2 of the opposing countries over is a major feat of power. And as far as trading they get things from everywhere...like weapons...some they build and others they buy. Sorry if that is complicated or lacking in some parts I can provide much more information, mostly military and a little political, but I have to get to formation in 10 minutes...

That is why I stay the hell out of Unions. I get a job where they base your pay, bonuses, and advancements on your job performance. I get jobs where they hire truly skilled workers NOT because a Union bullied them into hiring me but because they looked at my resume, called my references, and studied me during my first few temp days. If all companies did that then they would have great work forces without the hassle and the Union bullshit...proof that Unions need to be killed off. I hate Unions more than I hate corporations because if you REALLY look at what drives these situation it is the Union BEHIND the Corporation. The Unions starts the fire, the Corporation freaks out...and then EVERYONE suffers. I am even talking about the teachers Unions and the same for cops and firefighters...they are not needed in todays world because of how we can check credentials not AND the only time they have any sort of visible impact is when they have a NEGATIVE impact on US...because it isn't those workers suffering it is the people the serve and provide for...

Yeah the problem is that Unions have little to no restrictions at all. Yes they do help in some cases but alot of the time it is at the cost of others...sometimes the company has good reason not to give people that raise right away. If the economy is tough the unions should realize that if they keep putting the screws down on the companies then you are going to have some problems. I will use Harley Davidson in Milwaukee as an example. First, I could not get hired even with my credentials because I was not part of the union. Second, the governor at the time decided that the taxes Harley was paying were not enough so the TRIPLED THEM! Yeah...get those evil corporations. Then the union stepped in...to say that its welders needed their bonuses and a pay increase along with a bigger pension. Wow...one thing at a time please and maybe a little flexibility on the demands? Nope, they were "brave" and stood fast so in the end...Harley shut down 3 plants and all those people lost their jobs. The same stories are playing out with Mercury Marine, Miller Brewing Co., and Oshkosh Corp all of which draw a huge amount of revenue including federal money into Wisconsin. THAT is why I am blaming the unions...THAT is why we cannot move forward. Fine, if they would rather have huge job losses and a loss of state funding rather than suffer a year without pay increases and bonuses I guess that is what they want...but I am going to fight them all the way to the end. Don't even get me started on the the teachers union want because it would be terrible to have to list what they have already gotten over the past few years...greed has no limits I guess...it definitely trumps a quality education. People leave when there are no jobs...I would rather keep a low paying job that could get better with the economy than no job at all.

No it is not their fault...but they are not helping either. The unions have the power to help tip the scales and in recent years they have only been tipping the scales in a way that makes them money...the wrong way. Unions also have greedy higher ups if you didn't notice...they are structured along the lines of a corporation and just like the corps. they tend to make the money while their "people" stay in the same spot. They have become a sticking point and show no signs of changing...they actually seem to be getting worse. If they don't get what they want they up and move the jobs...after they are done crying that is. Unions started to protect skilled workers so they could get jobs and get paid instead of having unskilled labor destroy their middle class lives. The unions are not necessary because of certifications today and because they have failed the people...

These malaria pills HELP?!?!

Oh I already factored that in there...the army trains me and then has civilian workers do my job...which is apparently cheaper than actually giving me tools and parts to do my job so I don't forget any of my skills. However, I do love their powder blue helmets that wouldn't even stop and high velocity BB...if you can't be effective you might as well be stylish and these ACU's don't cut it!

Yeah I completely agree with that. However, as long as the UN stands that will never happen. Hell, if the UN was never started we would probably never have entered Vietnam, Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan, and the other little ones I am forgetting. In each conflict the UN had interest in the country, then they sent their own police force, then they declared it a crisis and called for arms and money, then they realized that we have the arms and the money all placed to where we can react quickly, then things went wrong and the UN pulled out leaving us there and pointing the finger at us. We need to break free of the UN or else we will continue to draw negative fire for things we did not do own our own. The only problem is that they know that 1,000 of their UN troop can't even do HALF the work that only 100 or less of our own can do.