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Pastimes : Let's Talk About Our Feelings!!! -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: nihil who wrote (72339)	1/16/2000 9:50:00 AM
From: Neocon	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 108807

Gee, nihil, although there are controversial acquisitions, people whose opinion I respect more than yours have deplored the state of readiness in our military. I cannot independently verify, and therefore must make judgments about which claims that have been advanced are trustworthy....In addition to the pension fund, Social Security pays disability benefits, which we had just been talking about......

To: nihil who wrote (72339)	1/16/2000 10:18:00 AM
From: Neocon	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 108807

This is an example of a mainstream source on the issue: The Thin Red Bottom Line U.S. Military Undermanned,Underfunded,and Overstretched By Jørgen Wouters ABCNEWS.com April 21 — The air war against a small foe underscores some big problems with the world's sole superpower. Unplanned — and unbudgeted — crises like Kosovo are depleting stocks of key weapons and forcing the Pentagon to divert badly needed resources from elsewhere in the globe to the region. With annual Pentagon budgets running billions below requested levels, weapons systems are being cannibalized for spare parts, modernization efforts are falling behind schedule and overall military readiness is suffering. And the constant deployment of armed forces overseas on peace-keeping, humanitarian and military missions has created severe staffing shortfalls — a predicament not helped by salaries some 13 percent below those of civilians. Anthony Cordesman, a senior fellow with the Center for Strategic and International Studies and an ABCNEWS military analyst, says the U.S. armed forces remain formidable, but are also undermanned, underfunded and overstretched to the point where they can no longer fight two major regional wars at once — a longstanding pillar of U.S. military doctrine. “We could probably deal with Iraq and Kosovo at the same time,” says Cordesman. “We could not deal with North Korea and Kosovo at the same time, and not North Korea and Iraq at the same time.” Military Shell Game Because of post-Cold War cutbacks, the Pentagon is siphoning forces from around the globe to pound Slobodan Milosevic, while keeping a wary eye on Saddam Hussein. As a result, no U.S. aircraft carriers will patrol the Pacific until autumn, forcing Air Force planes to remain on alert to handle any potential trouble. “They are stretched thin and there are places we don't have forces,” Navy Adm. Archie Clemins, commander-in-chief of the Pacific fleet, said today at a military readiness hearing of a Senate Armed Services Committee panel. The number of Americans on active duty have been slashed by 40 percent to 1.4 million since the end of the Cold War, and Navy Adm. J.P. Reason, commander-in-chief of the Atlantic fleet, said battle groups are being deployed without enough sailors on board. And the undermanned battle groups are steaming into action with shortages of spare parts for both ships and aircraft. “All fleet units are still today fit to fight,” Reason said. “But I would be more comfortable with a few more arrows in my quiver.” Hat in Hand Defense Secretary Cohen and joint chiefs chairman General Hugh Shelton were on Capitol Hill today, asking the House Appropriations defense subcommittee for $6 billion by Memorial Day to cover the rising cost of the conflict with Yugoslavia. “Without assistance from the congress and quickly in funding the costs of these vital operations, we will pay a price in degraded readiness and quality of life and find ourselves with an aging inventory of systems and weapons,” said Shelton. But Congressional critics on the right want far more — possibly as much as $18 billion — to address what they see as seven years of military neglect. “The Clinton administration has been downsizing the military for the last seven years, and the Kosovo crisis has exposed how our national security is now in real danger,” charged House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill. Subcommittee chairman Jerry Lewis, R-Calif., touched upon on the military's inability to wage war in two theaters, with a pointed nod at its troubles over Kosovo. “At the moment, we are having some difficulty with even one theater of war that involves a country the size of the state of Ohio,” said Lewis. “The obvious question is why.” For now, the administration had better hope Iraq or North Korea don't decide to make trouble before the shooting over Kosovo stops. If they do, Cohen and Shelton are going to be back asking for a lot more than $6 billion. ABCNEWS' Barbara Starr and Gayle Tzemach, and The Associated Press contributed to this story.

To: nihil who wrote (72339)	1/16/2000 10:26:00 AM
From: Neocon	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 108807

This summary from the SSI web site might help you in the future: Social Security Benefits There are five major categories of benefits paid for through your Social Security taxes: retirement, disability, family benefits, survivors and Medicare. (SSI benefits, which are not financed by Social Security taxes, are discussed in another section.) Retirement Full benefits are payable at age 65 (with reduced benefits available as early as 62) to anyone with enough Social Security credits. The age at which full benefits are paid will rise in future years. People who delay retirement beyond age 65 receive a special increase in their benefits when they do retire. Disability Benefits are payable at any age to people who have enough Social Security credits and who have a severe physical or mental impairment that is expected to prevent them from doing "substantial" work for a year or more or who have a condition that is expected to result in death. Generally, earnings of $500 or more per month are considered substantial. The disability program includes incentives to smooth the transition back into the workforce, including continuation of benefits and health care coverage while a person attempts to work. Family Benefits If you are eligible for retirement or disability benefits, other members of your family might receive benefits, too. These include: your spouse if he or she is at least 62 years old or under 62 but caring for a child under age 16; and your children if they are unmarried and under age 18, under 19 but still in school or 18 or older but disabled. If you are divorced, your ex-spouse could be eligible for benefits on your record. Survivors When you die, certain members of your family may be eligible for benefits if you earned enough Social Security credits while you were working. The family members include: a widow(er) age 60 or older, 50 or older if disabled or any age if caring for a child under age 16; your children if they are unmarried and under age 18, under 19 but still in school or 18 or older but disabled; and your parents if you were their primary means of support. A special one-time payment of $255 may be made to your spouse or minor children when you die. If you are divorced, your ex-spouse could be eligible for a widow(er)'s benefit on your record. Medicare There are two parts to Medicare: hospital insurance (sometimes called "Part A") and medical insurance (sometimes called "Part B"). Generally, people who are over age 65 and getting Social Security automatically qualify for Medicare. So do people who have been getting disability benefits for two years. Others must file an application. Part A is paid for by a portion of the Social Security tax of people still working. It helps pay for inpatient hospital care, skilled nursing care and other services. Part B is paid for by monthly premiums of those who are enrolled and from general revenues. It helps pay for such items as doctor's fees, outpatient hospital visits, and other medical services and supplies. Supplemental Security Income Benefits SSI makes monthly payments to people who have a low income and few assets. To get SSI, you must be 65 or older or be disabled. Children as well as adults qualify for SSI disability payments. As its name implies, Supplemental Security Income "supplements" your income up to various levels--depending on where you live. The federal government pays a basic rate and some states add money to that amount. Check with your local Social Security office for the SSI rates in your state. Generally, people who get SSI also qualify for Medicaid, food stamps and other assistance. SSI benefits are not paid from Social Security trust funds and are not based on past earnings. Instead, SSI benefits are financed by general tax revenues and assure a minimum monthly income for elderly and disabled persons. ssa.gov

To: nihil who wrote (72339)	1/16/2000 10:36:00 AM
From: Neocon	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 108807

Here is the URL for the ABC News piece: abcnews.go.com

To: nihil who wrote (72339)	1/16/2000 12:53:00 PM
From: Sidney Reilly	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 108807

Why on earth would we buy Russian Technology. If they could provide superior fighters (which is highly doubtful) they would always be falling apart because of poor engineering. And if we were in a conflict with the Russians or anyone else on their side of the political spectrum they could refuse to ship spare parts and ground our air force. And the negative impact on our economy by not buying American would really hurt us. It would never fly politically because of strategic, economic and patriotic reasons.