First, one wonders what was wrong with the P3 Orion and why it simply could not be upgraded with a new sensor suite or more efficient power plants or airframes replaced as needed? The aircraft was certainly well tested and able to do the job. But, then it wouldn't be a pretty new jet plane.

Secondly and understand no criticism here, I completely agree with the theme of your post(s) in that this is just another waste of money to the MIC. $25K jobs are a pretty low threshold and doesn't represent a living wage.

since it divides evenly into a billion. Perhaps 50,000 would work, but only gives you half the number. Or maybe we could do $10,000 for food stamps?

And it's just a number.

and Scandinavian countries. And include China and Russia too. That would be telling about how much out of whack this county's priories are.

OK, how about this?


Or this:



World Military Spending
http://www.globalissues.org/article/75/world-military-spending#InContextUSMilitarySpendingVersusRestoftheWorld

USS Zumwalt = 112,000 teachers.

Your Zumwalt example is way off - that should be 224,000 jobs (5.6 billion/25,000 = 224,000)

And realistically, a $25,000 job worth having (i.e. with benefits) costs an employer a significant amount more than $25k

But in the other direction, not directing federal taxes into money pits like unneeded weapons can produce more jobs than you might calculate by dividing a program cost by the wages an employer may pay. After all, an employer will make more money than they pay a worker (otherwise they'd hire fewer people).

..."Better than Median Income", which is pretty much what you're doing except in increments of $50,000 (better than personal median income. Household median is a little over that, but not by enough to quibble over what is, essentially, a rule of thumb).

As in: "Cindy McCain's earrings have a BMI of 5. Five years of mere-mortal income for a pair of baubles."

We have thirty thousand troops there. That equals thirty billion dollars, or one million two hundred thousand $25,000 jobs.

... $25,000/yr job is not a living wage. Why not jack that figure up to at least $50,000/yr?

For the $35 billion, you could only get 700,000 ($50,000 jobs).

So, how many do we have unemployed at this time? Let's say 5 million.

(5 million jobs x $50,000) = $250 billion

Where's that $250 billion bubble going to come from?

Keep in mind that the jobs would need to be secure jobs that would last, or we would end up in the same mess in the future with millions unemployed.

The average job costs the employer 2-3 times the salary - the employer's tax for Social Security, insurance premiums for mandatory workers' comp, HR, healthcare if that's provided, space, furniture, computers, lighting, heat, etc.

Plant, computers, etc. are not employee costs.

One billion dollars produces at least one billionaire who thinks he is a victim of a holocaust like onslaught by the progressive element of America. Poor him, who could have imagined that a billion dollars could bring such angst to such an admirable example of humanity. Maybe he can sign up for Obamacare and get counseling before his delusion of victimization overwhelms his clearly rational life.

A keeper - deserving of its own thread. Has a thread been started with a discussion of that link?

...in reference to JP Morgan threads but not as a thread subject itself.

- Be my guest!

I like this one too http://xkcd.com/980/

Thanks for posting.