In response to the depredations of the leftists if you are referring to the two main functions of goverment. Or at least they are supposed to do so. to quote Mark Twain "The US Congress is America's only true home grown criminal class. "

The Air Force has a real problem deciding what side it's one or even what planet. One thing i learned years ago in RVN is you can't trust the Air Force ou can't trust the weather you can't trust suipply and personnel. You trust the Navy if it's a MArine or SEAL unit and in both Navy and Seals Air/Sea Rescue. Maybe the bubbleheads and pilotes.

The A-10 story gets worse. It was developed because the Air Force refused to acquire e planes to provide close air support. Other than the prop driven Douglas Skyraider they had nothing and claimed Phantoms, the flying brick, instead. They were so inaccurate they had to fly under no closer than rules which nicely armed th butts of the attackers. but not much else. The Army and the Mairnes had Mohawks but only the Marines could arm there aircraft. Some deal struck by the Rear Echelon Momma Feathers said only the Air Force and not the Army could do that helicopters included. The penalty for sheer stupidity and cupidity and turf protection got to be fairly steep. Because of it the Air Force was directed to set up CAS or Close Air Support units What the Ruskies called frontal aviation. So the war finishes and the A10s start to disappear. AF wanted to play Buck Rogers and beat the Navy into space. They didn't much care about the infanty. Never had and never will.

Along came a second set of wars in the desert this time and the A10's knocked out more thanks and other assorted bad stuff and did Iron Hand or anti air suppression . That kept the curs at bay but not for long. Same story again. Desert II came along and same thing.

All tis time they had no replacement except another version of the Phantom which couldn't do the job then and still can't. A10's started knocking our convoys, bridges, critical facilities of all kinds. and went scud hunting. Very versatile. Along comes Obutthead and the A10's start to disappear again. STILL not replacement aircraft so the infantry is left without cover - again to this day. Old as they are they are still the best frontal aviation plane in existence AND can do multiple other missions. I think that draft dodger in the White house finally did them in.

So what happens next? Another war or this one escalates of course that 's a given Infantry gets screwed over and a bunch of Mom's start screaming at Congressmen who then play the fool and go after the Air Force who blame Obumbler. No prob Everyone hates him anyway. He also shut down the replacement pialne as well except it looked pretty worthless. Answer? Buy Chinese? Russians shut down there frontal aviation, USAF crapped it's apnts again and except for the Marines the infantry onoly has helicopters. Armored liek the Russkies Hell no think skinned. So....what do to Buy Russian?

You wonder why the Infantry actively hates and despises civilians in general and politicians in iparticular.

The Maroines who had armed their Mohawks jsut kept taking left overs somaybe they have A10's/ There a self contained compelte military in themselves anyway.

What's next. NOW you can bitch about corporartions. Next war big time panic and million and billions are spent rebuilding and rearming and manning. but that takesa on or two up to twenty years.

Man and protect the borders of the country. Crap the US isn't capable of defending it's borders anymore. So how much of the scrap metal contracts were result of donations to the Clinton Foundation or the Obama Legapees Library.?

another term is ear marking. those on the two individual house commitees and one on the combined congressional Appropriations Committees. When they get doen the budget that made everyone so happy so they wouldn't have to close down goveernment is much largers. So count up these smoke and mirrors tricks.

Some items are placed off budget and charged to the following one two or more years budgets.

The bills are voted on in each house and then re worked in the House and Senate Budget committees. This is where the term pork comes from.

The Congressional Budget Committee then takes another whack at it and adds even more.

A good deal of it is for narrow very very special interests. The langauge is such that only certain corporations or individuals can qualify. lots of slices of the pie for a zer sum gain ha ha.

There are three budgets. Congressional Budget Office, The Treasuries Office of Management and Budget mostly called CBO and OMB. Since Clinton one for the White House. The totals are all different as are the items in the budgets.

Paying for some items and programs are put off until another year. but built with T Bill proceeds or other income.

Consider the outgoing President does the incoming Presidents first budget. Oct 1st to Jan 20th and then Jan 20th to Sep 30th for the new administration

In the 90's T Bills were sold at special rates with higher interest over shorter terms. Offer enough they will be bought up. The idea was you can perhaps balance a budget by moving the expense to another year. There version of refi.

Skimming the pond scum is not all of it. But if yio looked at the end of the year figures for Bubba C. even with out the overlap his big del budget balancing depended on which budget you were quoting. Times Almanac used to use only the OMB who did the official end product book keeping. These days? Who knows?

If you haven't read much Heinlein in the book Starship Troopers (do not confuse the book with the movie) he writes about this "if enough citizens volunteer it is worth doing. If enough ciizens do not volunteer it is not worth doing." Doing can be replaced with defending, citizens with people etc. but the phrase was written for a draft vs. volunteer militry situation.

Secondly It's says Military Universal Conscription Act. Universal means everyone and it in no way attempts to comply. Conscription means forced to work against your will.

Myself 24 years Infantry. Draftees on the average or for the most part were more trouble than they were worth. That law is a holdover from the massive Army cannon fodder days. It's retained now as a way of staffing the governments protective echelon or supporting one of their unsupportable wars. It has no valid purpose anymore especially when the military was just cut fifty percent and considering the time it would taike to recruit and train replacements. Those cuts are prima facie evidence of two things. No intentionis to do any major serious combat and not providing national defense at the expense of citizens lives and pocketbooks. The amount cut warranted asome sort of tax cut but of course did not just as the massive cut in dollar buying power or value occasioned an adjustment in COLA. Whee did the money go? Can you spell flush? Same thing if you vote this single party system back into power. Flushed votes, flushed money, flushed lives into the sewer sysem called government.

We needed more people like you that have a brain and use it and get it to boot. Less draftees who didn't want to be there and were forced into an illegal oath taking and a lot less shake n nbake whip n chills getting undeserved promotions in a few weeks time with no experience. To sum it up the job is too important to let assholes in personnel in the Pentagon screw things up. Which is exactly what happened. first time there rear echelon crap came to light it should have been firing squad or a punishment camp. I only got to see that side of the military when assigned to the 101st Airmobile which is all i'll call them and the 82nd Almost Airborne Jumping Junkies and the real drag asses in the 7th Division. The rest of th e time i worked with and stayed with the 5th, 7th, and 8th group teams and would rather take a reduction in rank than go to those other places and a two rank reduction rather than admit I had ever seen the Pentagon. Almost fifty years later and I still carry a grudge against REMFs of any description.