[durasell]

So full of doom and gloom. You know, the glass is also half full. For those who develop highly specialized skills that are in demand, the cost of getting someone to clean their bathroom and car them "sir" on a regular basis will go waaaay down.

[simon says what]

So full of doom and gloom.

So full of Ostrich Optimism. Your head in the ground and ass in the air will not change economic realities.

[iconoclast]

the cost of getting someone to clean their bathroom and car them "sir" on a regular basis will go waaaay down.

Someone(s) cleans your bathroom and and calls you sir on a regular basis?

That will tend to skew your position on the subject at hand.

[Dat Mon]

YOU SAID..."For those who develop highly specialized skills that are in demand, the cost of getting someone to clean their bathroom and car them "sir" on a regular basis will go waaaay down."

It seems more and more that those 'skills' involve either the trading in financial products, large real estate...or the trading and support of government (at ALL levels) provided services.

There are a whole slew of 'careers' which fit that bill...growing daily. Besides politicians, bureaucrats and lawyers, for example...there are the lobbyists and trade and business representatives who provide much needed 'sustenance' to them.

[Paul Ross]

Is this a case of the glass being "half full?" I'm sure our soldiers will be reassured by your optimistic slant:

U.S. Military Hits Ammunition Shortages
By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, WASHINGTON, July 27, 2005

The United States cannot keep up with military demand for ammunition which has more than doubled since the war on terrorism and the invasion of Iraq were launched, according to a Congress watchdog report released July 27.

The report said that the amount of small ammunition needed had increased from about 730 million rounds a year to nearly 1.8 billion.

For medium caliber ammunition, the rise had gone from 11.7 million rounds to almost 22 million, said the General Accounting Office.

Defense Department purchases of ammunition had reduced after the end of the Cold War and a number of government owned production factories were closed, said the report by the Congress watchdog.

The department has spent more than 90 million dollars on improvements at the remaining three main facilities for small and medium caliber bullets in a bid to boost production.

But supplies of small sized ammunition is lagging behind demand and the United States is now relying on foreign producers, including from Israel, to help meet its needs.

”Unforeseen events such as the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and subsequent military deployments, make predicting future requirements difficult,” said the GAO.

”However it is imperative that the warfighter be provided with sufficient ammunition to carry out missions to counter ongoing and emerging threats without amassing wasteful unused stockpiles.”