Confidence in ins utions is down, with one notable exception...

[AFBlue]

So if there's a military coup, a majority of Americans will be pleased, then?

I read it as the general public has confidence in the military's capability to lead in its field. And I'd say the technological and training superiority gap between us and the next highest threat is significant enough that it's not misplaced confidence.

But I will say the Chinese are making advancements in technology everyday...

[velik_m]

I have great confidence in electricity - it brings light into my life every day.

[braeden0613]

Medicine?

It's all about $$, not about health care.

I was referring to doctors and the medical community, not pfizer and gsk

[boutons_]

doctors are not pro bono, they are paid extremely well for flipping patients as fast as the can.

That said, I'm sure there are 1000s of doctors who'd love to just do medicine, but the ed up for-profit system forces them into high overheads for paper chasing. I read where an sole-practice doctor has to bill $250K/year just for overheads, before he can start billing for himself. The doctors are ground down by the system as much as poor/uninsured people are excluded.

Something like 50% of doctors wouldn't be a doctor again.

[boutons_]

I'm so relieved that DoD's $600B+/year budget contains not a single $B of waste, extravagance, and/or fraud.

[AFBlue]

I'm so relieved that DoD's $600B+/year budget contains not a single $B of waste, extravagance, and/or fraud.

Waste, extravagance, and/or fraud is present in any organization. In fact, you might argue that the waste is created by the levels of beauracracy that they have to go through to get requirements approved and on contract.

Here's the one example where I concede the point....

In my time in the Air Force the only practice of open "extravagance" was the ordering of supplies at the end of the fiscal year. The person in charge of the funds would go around asking if you needed cork boards or ball point pens because they had a couple thousand to spend...and the theory was that if they turned it in, they wouldn't get that same amount the next year. In essence, we were encouraged to spend money on items even if we didn't necessarily need them.

But those items did stay behind when I left, so maybe the Air Force got use of them after all. Either way, I don't think you can speak to the military's wasteful spending without even knowing the process for how things get on contract.

[Yonivore]

Once again, a duplicity in my life.

My business depends on auto companies...who are failing and I condemned the bailout.

Now, my company is being inundated with military contracts/supplierships. Its extremely lucrative and will keep our doors open (if not expand) well beyond 2012. Yet, I dont endorse our nation's foreign policy.

*sigh*

It as if Obama is intent on running up the unemployment numbers.

[boutons_]

"Obama is intent on running up the unemployment numbers."

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