Testifying before the House Appropriations Committee last week, Director of the Office of Management and Budget Russell Vought said the US had spent $30 billion on the Iran War.
It's just astounding to me how we can insist that children show their work when solving math problems, but we can't compel the Department of War to show their work in justifying a $30 million price tag for Iran after requesting an additional $88 million in funding. Evidently, we have some adults in the Trump administration who need to go back to grade school.
What an excellent and well researched article. I was a career senior budget analyst in the Pentagon so I have been very curious about what not only this war, but the entirety of the DOD’s expenditures have been. There has never been a darker screen over the visibility of expenditures. I’m retired now but during my career, Congress was intimately involved in all of the financial and operational aspects of DOD. Our country’s resources are being bled dry. I appreciate all of the analytical work behind your article.
A war of choice, and that choice made by the worst people for the meanest reasons. Thank goodness for Belgium and Les Diables Rouges providing some measure of humor with their victory. It’s hard to think of the damage this admin has wrought without anguish and despair, and I’m quite fond of stories about giants being felled by unexpected resistance.
I was about to write "we" but let me say I am tired of being lied to. I am tired of this government spending money to kill children, and to withdraw funds for saving children's lives. I am tired of watching what would be clearly a farce in a film act as president of the country. But I am especially tired of the people around Twump using this opportunity to push their white nationalist Christian male bullshit down our throats. The rape of America is ongoing and please please help. If those Iranians chanting "Revenge" don't get them first, Karma is my boyfriend.
The members of NH State legislature who are required to take an oath to the Constitution of the United States of America have chosen to be enemies of Amendment One of the United States Constitution.
Article. VI.
All Debts contracted and Engagements entered into, before the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be as valid against the United States under this Constitution, as under the Confederation.
This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.
The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.
Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Our two most important rights are free exercise of religion dealing with education and free exercise of religion dealing with health care. Our State legislature should be defending the right of females to have abortions instead of attacking the religious freedom of females.
Do I think Amendment Nine and Amendment 14 protect right of privacy, right to make decisions concerning our own bodies, abortion? Yes. The US Supreme Court of Corruption does not.
Abortion rights, Doctors assisted suicide when have terminal cancer depend on free exercise of religion dealing with health care.
The War of the ACLU and Democratic Party against free exercise of religion dealing with education - vouchers led to females losing the ability to have abortions.
Public education does not benefit the entire community when people lose their homes.
Public education does not benefit the entire community when children lose their homes because cities care more about spending money on high school sports teams than educating students. High school sports teams should depend on donations and not taxes.
It is often safer for LGBTQ students to be homeschooled because of violence against them in public schools.
It is often safer for black students and Hispanic students to be homeschooled because of violence against them in public schools.
I am tired of people who make it harder for Jews, Muslims, and others to practice their religious beliefs by forcing them to pay high property taxes and then denying them free exercise of religion by denying them vouchers. Home schooling may help Jews and Muslims not have to deal with the extreme religious hatred they often have to deal with in public schools.
I am tired of people who cause homosexuals to die by denying vouchers they may use to go to safe schools. Read about violence against LGBTQ students in public schools which increases suicides of LGBTQ students.
I am tired of people who cause black female students to receive lousy educations.
I am tired of paying more to educate the children of a family that has 6 members with 4 children in school that may be worth millions of dollars but pays less in taxes for schools, police, fire, highway, parks, etc. than me because they live in a less expensive home. There could be 8 children in a home going to school that pays less in local taxes than me. I am okay with helping to fund public schools. I am not okay with being stolen from. I figure I am paying more than double what I should be paying for public schools and city services because local government has refused to base taxation on usage of services and harm caused.
Local government taxes should mainly be based on usage of services and harm caused with a small component based on value of primary resiedence.
It is not possible for our city or other cities to fund schools when funding of them is based on value of primary residences. Taxes should be reduced on primary residences and user fees should be adopted to help fund schools, police, fire, etc. The more kids your family has in school the more money you pay to educate them. If have 6 kids in school, pay more than if you have 4. More people in your home more you pay for police, fire, highway, parks.
I expect the US Supreme Court after Democrats pick judges who care about the Constitution to decide cities may not base providing of local government services on property taxes of primary residences. I expect the US Supreme Court to also say that when a city government takes a home for non-payment of taxes it has to pay the home owner the appraised value of the home and not what the city gets at auction. I think a lot of cities are stealing homes from people now. They sell homes at auction cheap so politically connected people may buy them and flip them for huge profits.
A female friend of mine told me she is worried about losing her home because taxes keep going up. The Tax Cap is Democracy in action while overriding tax cap when not needed is Anti-Democratic.
If you are an enemy of free exercise of religion dealing with education, you are also an enemy of free exercise of religion dealing with health care.
If the government requires people to pay taxes for public schools and does not allow people to use vouchers to send their children to religious schools, religion in the form of secularism is established and free exercise of religion is attacked. More people have to spend on public schools when they are denied vouchers harder it is to send children to religious schools.
Local governments may limit the size of vouchers. State Supreme Court may decide vouchers have to be at least x amount. The way New Hampshire State government is doing vouchers is not constitutional. Vouchers must follow students, their parents. State government may NOT directly give money to religious schools.
The Soapbox: Help fund schools by increasing business tax base, adding donation button – and more ideas
If Manchester and other cities spent many more millions of dollars on hybrid buses within cities and between cities, they could increase the business tax base of New Hampshire by many billions of dollars a year over time helping to fund public schools and city services. The more money spent on buses the easier it is to build tall building like Boston has with parking garages faraway from them connected by buses and 24 hours a day, 7 days a week shuttles.
I would like at least 70 percent of the state rooms and meals tax to go to local governments. Local governments do most of the work to bring in revenue and yet for many years NH State government gave us a lot less than 40 percent.
I would like at least 70 percent of the state business profits to go to local governments.
I would like at least 15 percent of the sales of State owned stores that sell alcohol to be used for local police, state police, treatment of alcohol addiction, treatment of drug addiction.
I would like at least 5 percent of the money state government gets from the state rooms and meals tax and state business profits tax to be used to help fund NH Fish and Game Department to help increase tourism which is one of our most important industries.
I would like at least 20 percent of the gross revenue from gambling establishments to go to the local governments they are in. The gambling establishments should be helping to fund fire, police, education, highway and not just non-profits. The tall buildings that I would like built in Manchester and other parts of our state could have casinos, retail space, low income apartments, middle income apartments, luxury apartments, super luxury apartment.
I would like there to be a bus between UNH Manchester and UNH Durham for classes, football games, etc.
I would like passenger rail and cargo speed rail that travels at tourist speed and has stops in NH between Boston and Canada. We may also want rail that goes from NH to New York and then to Canada.
Democrats want competition for supermarkets but do not want competition in schools because they want their children to be poorly educated. I do not think Democrats care if their children are able to read. Functional illiteracy has been a major problem in our Republic for more than 70 years because of the Democratic Party. It is possible to teach first graders how to read and write with phonics. We spend more on a per student basis for k-12 education than most countries and usually provide lousy educations because the providing of education in grade 3 and sooner is often very lousy.
If you want to know how extremely corrupt judges on US Supreme Court of Corruption are, read decisions over the past hundred years while having up a copy of the Constitution on the internet. I recommend people read The Federalist Papers and study history between 1750 and the writing of the Constitution to understand why almost everything in the Constitution is in to reduce tyranny, bribery, corruption. If you have gone to a public school in the USA, I would be surprised if you know 4 Amendments that are part of the Bill of Rights and how they came about.
He sucks at that as well. What he does best is destroy. He is a petulant child throwing his brand new toys against the nursery wall not because he did not get what he wanted but because his brother got what he wanted. He is a sick f-up man and he POTUS. Again, I ask: How did we get here, Pogo?
Oil is flowing, let's outlaw EVs and hybrids. Arms are being built, let's tear down the windmills! Twump didn't sleep last night, let's break all solar panels.
Joseph, it’s department of defense only Congress can change it but great points…also, mentally …they’re all middle schoolers. Personally that’s an insult to middle schoolers.
Judd, fantastic reporting on such a troubling issue. Lying to Congress is warmly embraced by this Whitehouse. We have had a dysfunctional Congress for some time.
We surely have a dysfunctional President & cabinet. Our military is being destroyed by a dysfunctional child boy wannabe man. There is no Republican Party of Abraham, Teddy nor Ike. The Democrat Party are too busy embraced in infighting rather than seeking common ground. Libertarians well their just Libertarians.. you know…like you bring donuts into work to share with your fellow workers. Libertarians there right there to take the first donut. The first to take the second round of donuts and yes they take the last donut too.
Yet, never bring donuts into share.
Very much like the vast majority of the wealthy…they only take. Sharing nor caring are absent from their beliefs yet they pray to their blue eyed white skin Jesus. The world’s true savior.
Judd, keep reporting I’m still an optimist we’ll get through this mess!
It's just astounding to me how we can insist that children show their work when solving math problems, but we can't compel the Department of War to show their work in justifying a $30 million price tag for Iran after requesting an additional $88 million in funding. Evidently, we have some adults in the Trump administration who need to go back to grade school.
What an excellent and well researched article. I was a career senior budget analyst in the Pentagon so I have been very curious about what not only this war, but the entirety of the DOD’s expenditures have been. There has never been a darker screen over the visibility of expenditures. I’m retired now but during my career, Congress was intimately involved in all of the financial and operational aspects of DOD. Our country’s resources are being bled dry. I appreciate all of the analytical work behind your article.
Congress is intimately involved in running scared and bowing and scraping to the cretins at the top of the DOD and the White House
Thank you for telling the truth, lost in King Baby’s war hype.
Most members of Congress have refused to do their jobs dealing with the military and most people do not care.
Most people in our Republic do not care about, soldiers, veterans, their families.
USA has nationalized industries during peace time and War.
Eisenhower overthrew the government of Iran which was a friend of USA because of oil.
Sincerely,
Ken Stremsky
A war of choice, and that choice made by the worst people for the meanest reasons. Thank goodness for Belgium and Les Diables Rouges providing some measure of humor with their victory. It’s hard to think of the damage this admin has wrought without anguish and despair, and I’m quite fond of stories about giants being felled by unexpected resistance.
I was about to write "we" but let me say I am tired of being lied to. I am tired of this government spending money to kill children, and to withdraw funds for saving children's lives. I am tired of watching what would be clearly a farce in a film act as president of the country. But I am especially tired of the people around Twump using this opportunity to push their white nationalist Christian male bullshit down our throats. The rape of America is ongoing and please please help. If those Iranians chanting "Revenge" don't get them first, Karma is my boyfriend.
OPED
The members of NH State legislature who are required to take an oath to the Constitution of the United States of America have chosen to be enemies of Amendment One of the United States Constitution.
Article. VI.
All Debts contracted and Engagements entered into, before the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be as valid against the United States under this Constitution, as under the Confederation.
This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.
The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.
Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Our two most important rights are free exercise of religion dealing with education and free exercise of religion dealing with health care. Our State legislature should be defending the right of females to have abortions instead of attacking the religious freedom of females.
Do I think Amendment Nine and Amendment 14 protect right of privacy, right to make decisions concerning our own bodies, abortion? Yes. The US Supreme Court of Corruption does not.
Abortion rights, Doctors assisted suicide when have terminal cancer depend on free exercise of religion dealing with health care.
The War of the ACLU and Democratic Party against free exercise of religion dealing with education - vouchers led to females losing the ability to have abortions.
Public education does not benefit the entire community when people lose their homes.
Public education does not benefit the entire community when children lose their homes because cities care more about spending money on high school sports teams than educating students. High school sports teams should depend on donations and not taxes.
It is often safer for LGBTQ students to be homeschooled because of violence against them in public schools.
It is often safer for black students and Hispanic students to be homeschooled because of violence against them in public schools.
I am tired of people who make it harder for Jews, Muslims, and others to practice their religious beliefs by forcing them to pay high property taxes and then denying them free exercise of religion by denying them vouchers. Home schooling may help Jews and Muslims not have to deal with the extreme religious hatred they often have to deal with in public schools.
I am tired of people who cause homosexuals to die by denying vouchers they may use to go to safe schools. Read about violence against LGBTQ students in public schools which increases suicides of LGBTQ students.
I am tired of people who cause black female students to receive lousy educations.
I am tired of paying more to educate the children of a family that has 6 members with 4 children in school that may be worth millions of dollars but pays less in taxes for schools, police, fire, highway, parks, etc. than me because they live in a less expensive home. There could be 8 children in a home going to school that pays less in local taxes than me. I am okay with helping to fund public schools. I am not okay with being stolen from. I figure I am paying more than double what I should be paying for public schools and city services because local government has refused to base taxation on usage of services and harm caused.
Local government taxes should mainly be based on usage of services and harm caused with a small component based on value of primary resiedence.
It is not possible for our city or other cities to fund schools when funding of them is based on value of primary residences. Taxes should be reduced on primary residences and user fees should be adopted to help fund schools, police, fire, etc. The more kids your family has in school the more money you pay to educate them. If have 6 kids in school, pay more than if you have 4. More people in your home more you pay for police, fire, highway, parks.
I expect the US Supreme Court after Democrats pick judges who care about the Constitution to decide cities may not base providing of local government services on property taxes of primary residences. I expect the US Supreme Court to also say that when a city government takes a home for non-payment of taxes it has to pay the home owner the appraised value of the home and not what the city gets at auction. I think a lot of cities are stealing homes from people now. They sell homes at auction cheap so politically connected people may buy them and flip them for huge profits.
A female friend of mine told me she is worried about losing her home because taxes keep going up. The Tax Cap is Democracy in action while overriding tax cap when not needed is Anti-Democratic.
If you are an enemy of free exercise of religion dealing with education, you are also an enemy of free exercise of religion dealing with health care.
If the government requires people to pay taxes for public schools and does not allow people to use vouchers to send their children to religious schools, religion in the form of secularism is established and free exercise of religion is attacked. More people have to spend on public schools when they are denied vouchers harder it is to send children to religious schools.
Local governments may limit the size of vouchers. State Supreme Court may decide vouchers have to be at least x amount. The way New Hampshire State government is doing vouchers is not constitutional. Vouchers must follow students, their parents. State government may NOT directly give money to religious schools.
The Soapbox: Help fund schools by increasing business tax base, adding donation button – and more ideas
https://manchester.inklink.news/the-soapbox-help-fund-schools-by-increasing-business-tax-base-adding-donation-button-and-more-ideas/
The Soapbox: Cutting bus service could cost Manchester more than it saves
https://manchester.inklink.news/the-soapbox-cutting-bus-service-could-cost-manchester-more-than-it-saves/
If Manchester and other cities spent many more millions of dollars on hybrid buses within cities and between cities, they could increase the business tax base of New Hampshire by many billions of dollars a year over time helping to fund public schools and city services. The more money spent on buses the easier it is to build tall building like Boston has with parking garages faraway from them connected by buses and 24 hours a day, 7 days a week shuttles.
I would like at least 70 percent of the state rooms and meals tax to go to local governments. Local governments do most of the work to bring in revenue and yet for many years NH State government gave us a lot less than 40 percent.
I would like at least 70 percent of the state business profits to go to local governments.
I would like at least 15 percent of the sales of State owned stores that sell alcohol to be used for local police, state police, treatment of alcohol addiction, treatment of drug addiction.
I would like at least 5 percent of the money state government gets from the state rooms and meals tax and state business profits tax to be used to help fund NH Fish and Game Department to help increase tourism which is one of our most important industries.
I would like at least 20 percent of the gross revenue from gambling establishments to go to the local governments they are in. The gambling establishments should be helping to fund fire, police, education, highway and not just non-profits. The tall buildings that I would like built in Manchester and other parts of our state could have casinos, retail space, low income apartments, middle income apartments, luxury apartments, super luxury apartment.
I would like there to be a bus between UNH Manchester and UNH Durham for classes, football games, etc.
I would like passenger rail and cargo speed rail that travels at tourist speed and has stops in NH between Boston and Canada. We may also want rail that goes from NH to New York and then to Canada.
Democrats want competition for supermarkets but do not want competition in schools because they want their children to be poorly educated. I do not think Democrats care if their children are able to read. Functional illiteracy has been a major problem in our Republic for more than 70 years because of the Democratic Party. It is possible to teach first graders how to read and write with phonics. We spend more on a per student basis for k-12 education than most countries and usually provide lousy educations because the providing of education in grade 3 and sooner is often very lousy.
If you want to know how extremely corrupt judges on US Supreme Court of Corruption are, read decisions over the past hundred years while having up a copy of the Constitution on the internet. I recommend people read The Federalist Papers and study history between 1750 and the writing of the Constitution to understand why almost everything in the Constitution is in to reduce tyranny, bribery, corruption. If you have gone to a public school in the USA, I would be surprised if you know 4 Amendments that are part of the Bill of Rights and how they came about.
Sincerely,
Kenneth Scot Stremsky
187 Poplar Street
Manchester, NH 03104
603-647-5898
Bankruptcy is what Trump does best.
He sucks at that as well. What he does best is destroy. He is a petulant child throwing his brand new toys against the nursery wall not because he did not get what he wanted but because his brother got what he wanted. He is a sick f-up man and he POTUS. Again, I ask: How did we get here, Pogo?
War! Absolutely $103B, ah huh, say it again, absolutely something at the pump too …Say it again… truce is over, let’s spend some more!
Oil is flowing, let's outlaw EVs and hybrids. Arms are being built, let's tear down the windmills! Twump didn't sleep last night, let's break all solar panels.
Joseph, it’s department of defense only Congress can change it but great points…also, mentally …they’re all middle schoolers. Personally that’s an insult to middle schoolers.
Judd, fantastic reporting on such a troubling issue. Lying to Congress is warmly embraced by this Whitehouse. We have had a dysfunctional Congress for some time.
We surely have a dysfunctional President & cabinet. Our military is being destroyed by a dysfunctional child boy wannabe man. There is no Republican Party of Abraham, Teddy nor Ike. The Democrat Party are too busy embraced in infighting rather than seeking common ground. Libertarians well their just Libertarians.. you know…like you bring donuts into work to share with your fellow workers. Libertarians there right there to take the first donut. The first to take the second round of donuts and yes they take the last donut too.
Yet, never bring donuts into share.
Very much like the vast majority of the wealthy…they only take. Sharing nor caring are absent from their beliefs yet they pray to their blue eyed white skin Jesus. The world’s true savior.
Judd, keep reporting I’m still an optimist we’ll get through this mess!
Thank you.