Defunding the government harms national security

[Dutch Uncle]

Republican efforts to defund the federal government is harming national security. These efforts will continue until the US has another 9/11 moment. Possibly a nuclear one or a dirty bomb.

When even the RW Washington Examiner expresses concern about national security and Republicans shutting down the government, most Americans should be concerned too.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/...omeland-security-programs-government-shutdown
Two Homeland Security programs tied to government shutdown in danger of disappearing

Two Homeland Security programs are in danger of disappearing at the beginning of February if Congress fails to pass funding, adding to a long list of entities and departments tied to a government shutdown.

One of the programs is responsible for detecting nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons, and the other helps counter drones flying illegally in United States airspace. Department of Homeland Security officials told NBC News that the programs are not controversial, unlike many whose funds are up for debate, but they are still tied to budget negotiations that can come down to the final hour or even play into government shutdowns.

Congress passed a continuing resolution on Nov. 15 that extended funding for the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Energy, Veterans Affairs, and Agriculture departments through Jan. 19 and extended funding for the rest of the government until Feb. 2.

If the House cannot pass its appropriations bill by Feb. 2 or the DHS programs' authority runs out, DHS officials said national security in the U.S. would be "diminished significantly."

Under a law passed in 2018, DHS’s Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office is set to expire at the end of 2023. The office was formed to help the department detect weapons and send scanning equipment to state and local law enforcement. Without funding, DHS could not create new scanning mechanisms, send security teams to large events, and train law enforcement — leaving a hole in the federal government, as these powers only exist within that office.

DHS Assistant Secretary Mary Ellen Callahan, who runs the office, told NBC that Congress would have to write nearly a dozen laws to restore those powers to the agencies that held them before 2018, such as Customs and Border Protection and the Transportation Security Administration.

“The ability to detect chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats would be diminished significantly,” Callahan said.

 

[T. A. Gardner]

How would ending say the Department of Education or Health and Human Services as two useless federal programs harm national security?

 

[evince]

How would ending say the Department of Education or Health and Human Services as two useless federal programs harm national security?

How are they useless you squishy pile of shit?

 

[Dutch Uncle]

How would ending say the Department of Education or Health and Human Services as two useless federal programs harm national security?

Why do you think Americans are better off being poorly educated and in ill health in the 21st century?

How can the US compete with rising stars like China and Brazil with a population of sick dumbasses?

 

[T. A. Gardner]

How are they useless you squishy pile of shit?

First, because they aren't federal functions. Aside from that, both have greatly reduced the quality of education, health, and housing in the US.

K-12 Education: Challenges to Assessing Program Performance and Recent Efforts to Address Them
https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-19-266r

The GAO found that for the $200 billion (2024) the Dept of Ed gets, they haven't been able to make any reduction in problem issues in US public education and in many cases these problems have gotten worse. They found that the DoE does a shitty job of funding programs and has virtually no oversight or accountability once the money is handed out. This isn't new, and has been going on for decades with the DoE.

What 'A Nation At Risk' Got Wrong, And Right, About U.S. Schools
https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/201...at-risk-got-wrong-and-right-about-u-s-schools

Meanwhile, the DoE gives itself, in terms of a letter grade, something like a B- for its programs...

FY 2024 Management Challenges
Facing the U. S. Department of Education
https://oig.ed.gov/sites/default/fi...ng-U-S-Department-Education-508-Compliant.pdf

So, there's a typical disconnect between the bureaucrats in Dirty City and the reality at the results end in the field. That only makes things worse, since those dolling out the dollars in Washington don't have a clue what a shitty job they're doing.

Meanwhile of over at HUD, the bureaucrats are focused on failure too...

Five Decades of Failure Are Enough
https://www.cato.org/commentary/five-decades-failure-are-enough

Trends in Housing Problems and Federal Housing Assistance
https://www.urban.org/sites/default...g-problems-and-federal-housing-assistance.pdf

The Urban Institute lists page after page of HUD failures.

HUD: Growth Of Homelessness During 2020 Was 'Devastating,' Even Before The Pandemic
https://www.npr.org/2021/03/18/9782...2020-was-devastating-even-before-the-pandemic

Both have decades of track record now of continuous and abject failure.

 

[T. A. Gardner]

Why do you think Americans are better off being poorly educated and in ill health in the 21st century?

No, but the Department of Education and Health and Human Services will do their part to make sure they are poorly educated and in ill health...

How can the US compete with rising stars like China and Brazil with a population of sick dumbasses?

Maybe we should stop importing so many illegals. That'd be a start...

 

[QP!]

Why do you think Americans are better off being poorly educated and in ill health in the 21st century?

How can the US compete with rising stars like China and Brazil with a population of sick dumbasses?

You are speaking to a person, in Terry, who says there should be no healthcare insurance for the middle class and below, and if they need care, they should have the discipline to have enough savings to get it or not get any care at all.

 

[Into the Night]

Republican efforts to defund the federal government is harming national security. These efforts will continue until the US has another 9/11 moment. Possibly a nuclear one or a dirty bomb.

When even the RW Washington Examiner expresses concern about national security and Republicans shutting down the government, most Americans should be concerned too.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/...omeland-security-programs-government-shutdown
Two Homeland Security programs tied to government shutdown in danger of disappearing

So...having open borders and having Biden inviting invasion doesn't concern national security, eh?
Open crime in the cities does not concern national security, eh?

Are you even aware of what's going on around you?

 

[Into the Night]

How would ending say the Department of Education or Health and Human Services as two useless federal programs harm national security?

It would likely improve it, since that would free up the money these useless and unconstitutional agencies are consuming.

 

[Into the Night]

How are they useless you squishy pile of shit?

Simple. The Dept of Education doesn't educate anyone. It serves no useful purpose. The Dept of Health and Human services does not make anyone 'healthy'. It serves no useful purpose. Further, BOTH of these departments were and are used to spread propaganda.

 

[T. A. Gardner]

You are speaking to a person, in Terry, who says there should be no healthcare insurance for the middle class and below, and if they need care, they should have the discipline to have enough savings to get it or not get any care at all.

Now, you are just making shit up. My position is that we should work towards a system where health insurance is not necessary for routine medical care, and has been for years. That isn't "no healthcare insurance." So, again, you are just making shit up.

 

[T. A. Gardner]

It would likely improve it, since that would free up the money these useless and unconstitutional agencies are consuming.

It couldn't make things worse...

 

[Althea]

Republican efforts to defund the federal government is harming national security. These efforts will continue until the US has another 9/11 moment. Possibly a nuclear one or a dirty bomb.

When even the RW Washington Examiner expresses concern about national security and Republicans shutting down the government, most Americans should be concerned too.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/...omeland-security-programs-government-shutdown
Two Homeland Security programs tied to government shutdown in danger of disappearing

trump put the finishing touches on the concept of sending the dumbest, least competent people to Washington.

Our govt. is officially a reality t.v. show.

Tuberville is qualified to draw Xs and Os on a chalk board. Nothing else. He was elected because he's popular, and stupid. Not necessarily in that order. So now our military is lacking for leadership.

The other reality show morons who sit in Congress believe that destroying the govt is a good thing for the nation. It's great for getting uneducated fools to the voting booth, but nothing else.

 

[Althea]

Now, you are just making shit up. My position is that we should work towards a system where health insurance is not necessary for routine medical care, and has been for years. That isn't "no healthcare insurance." So, again, you are just making shit up.

Nice idea, but the biggest problem is the cost of medication.

How do you address that?

 

[volsrock]

Republican efforts to defund the federal government is harming national security. These efforts will continue until the US has another 9/11 moment. Possibly a nuclear one or a dirty bomb.

When even the RW Washington Examiner expresses concern about national security and Republicans shutting down the government, most Americans should be concerned too.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/...omeland-security-programs-government-shutdown
Two Homeland Security programs tied to government shutdown in danger of disappearing

Letting thousands upon thousands cross the border is harming national security

 

[Althea]

Why do you think Americans are better off being poorly educated and in ill health in the 21st century?

How can the US compete with rising stars like China and Brazil with a population of sick dumbasses?

It seems as if China blew its wad.

Covid showed the world the disadvantage of reaping billions on the backs of 10 year olds in the Chinese labor market. It seems many nations are manufacturing elsewhere.

But our govt. loves stupid people.

As long as they vote based on fantasies.

 

[Althea]

Letting thousands upon thousands cross the border is harming national security

It's a shame Republicans continuously block immigration reform bills.

They need the wedge issue to incite fools like you.

 

[T. A. Gardner]

Nice idea, but the biggest problem is the cost of medication.

How do you address that?

That in good part is an international problem, but is also in part an FDA problem. The international problem is many nations subsidize and regulate pharmaceuticals such that manufacturers and developers can't recoup their development costs for new drugs. So, new drugs are slower to come on the market in those countries meaning there's a much smaller base of countries where that cost is recouped-- the US being one of them--and drug costs for a decade or more are far higher for recently developed or small / niche market drugs.

The second issue in the US is regulatory. The FDA has such rigorous and demanding standards that it takes forever at great cost to get a drug to market. This is in part driven by our society being overly litigious. Again, rigorous testing and the high cost of potential lawsuits due to some unforeseen side effect drives the cost of development and getting a product to market sky high. Older, now off patent drugs are not so costly, but it can take decades to get to that point.

One thing that could be done is make all medical expenses 100% tax deductible. While not a panacea, it would be a start.

 

[QP!]

Now, you are just making shit up. My position is that we should work towards a system where health insurance is not necessary for routine medical care, and has been for years. That isn't "no healthcare insurance." So, again, you are just making shit up.

Now you are lying and i will sig and AV bet you are lying and that what you are saying now WAS NOT what you said when you last said all insurance should be banned and i asked what would the poors then have and you replied if they could not save money, then too bad for them. Or words to that affect.

But i know you will not take the bet as you know you are lying. Glad to see i shamed you into denying what you prior said.

 

[T. A. Gardner]

Now you are lying and i will sig and AV bet you are lying and that what you are saying now WAS NOT what you said when you last said all insurance should be banned and i asked what would the poors then have and you replied if they could not save money, then too bad for them. Or words to that affect.

But i know you will not take the bet as you know you are lying. Glad to see i shamed you into denying what you prior said.

Go for it. I have been very consistent on this since about 2000. Insurance should be gotten rid of for routine medical care. Insurance should only be used for major and catastrophic medical care. In fact, I have advocated that there should be a national catastrophic medical insurance plan everyone gets and that would eliminate roughly 80% of the rest of health insurance plans. The catastrophic plan would cover 100% of the costs of care but the deductible would be something like $20,000 + for a year before it kicked in and covered everything.

You want more coverage? Go for it. I even suggested a plan that allowed employers and employees to incentivize good health. None of that is new, and none of that has changed. I have never suggested we should do away with all health insurance.