Michigan may pass 4 year cap on welfare benefits.
Jul 18th 2011, 1:08 am
#16
BE Site Lead
Joined: Aug 2004
Location: MA, USA
Posts: 92,172
Re: Michigan may pass 4 year cap on welfare benefits.
Actually some comments on this post got me pondering about something ive pondered about before.
How much extra does it cost a country to be actually in a war compared to when that country is not at war.
Its not like the soldiers get laid off when they get back home....." oh sorry guys we are not at war right now so you need to be laid off"
They get paid regardless, they get fed regardless, a helicopter flying around in iraq gets the same gas mileage as one flying around a us base.
i know there is obviously a difference in cost but id be interested to know by how much.
How much extra does it cost a country to be actually in a war compared to when that country is not at war.
Its not like the soldiers get laid off when they get back home....." oh sorry guys we are not at war right now so you need to be laid off"
They get paid regardless, they get fed regardless, a helicopter flying around in iraq gets the same gas mileage as one flying around a us base.
i know there is obviously a difference in cost but id be interested to know by how much.
Jul 18th 2011, 5:42 am
#17
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 2,847
Re: Michigan may pass 4 year cap on welfare benefits.
Speaking as an ex air force officer....
Helicopter 'gas mileage' depends on several variables... Air temperature, air pressure/density, weight of aircraft, and so on. In hot/high climates e.g. Afghanistan, a chopper can't lift as much or go as far - potential double whammy.
Even if mileage was same, they simply get used a lot more. Which results in higher maintenance costs...
Put all that activity at the end of long supply chains that run through/over unsecured territory, not forgetting the increased costs of simply running that supply chain, e.g. increased maintenance for supply trucks and aircraft and the cost rapidly becomes huge.
This is before factoring in increased use of weapons. Bullets are cheap, miisiles and air support are at the other end of the scale... Then throw in food, soldiers burning more calories than back in UK, plus feeding married personnel who would usually feed themselves back home... And no infrastructure shared with civvies for things like water, gas & electricity supplies...
Having the military is expensive. Using it, even more so. Not sure the cost of not having it. Not everything is measured in monetary terms... There's a danger in simplifying the debate to just being about money, but not sure the more politically conservative right in the USA see that, or even want to see it...
Cheers
HRS
Helicopter 'gas mileage' depends on several variables... Air temperature, air pressure/density, weight of aircraft, and so on. In hot/high climates e.g. Afghanistan, a chopper can't lift as much or go as far - potential double whammy.
Even if mileage was same, they simply get used a lot more. Which results in higher maintenance costs...
Put all that activity at the end of long supply chains that run through/over unsecured territory, not forgetting the increased costs of simply running that supply chain, e.g. increased maintenance for supply trucks and aircraft and the cost rapidly becomes huge.
This is before factoring in increased use of weapons. Bullets are cheap, miisiles and air support are at the other end of the scale... Then throw in food, soldiers burning more calories than back in UK, plus feeding married personnel who would usually feed themselves back home... And no infrastructure shared with civvies for things like water, gas & electricity supplies...
Having the military is expensive. Using it, even more so. Not sure the cost of not having it. Not everything is measured in monetary terms... There's a danger in simplifying the debate to just being about money, but not sure the more politically conservative right in the USA see that, or even want to see it...
Cheers
HRS
Jul 18th 2011, 2:38 pm
#18
Daft.. not Stoopid
Joined: May 2011
Location: Memphis TN
Posts: 514
Re: Michigan may pass 4 year cap on welfare benefits.
Having the military is expensive. Using it, even more so. Not sure the cost of not having it. Not everything is measured in monetary terms... There's a danger in simplifying the debate to just being about money, but not sure the more politically conservative right in the USA see that, or even want to see it...
Cheers
HRS
Cheers
HRS
