(08-03-2022, 03:34 PM)Lucky2Last Wrote: [ -> ] (08-03-2022, 12:18 PM)flsprtsgod Wrote: [ -> ]Erik Prince selling chartered seats out of a collapsing war zone for 6 grand is not something I'm upset about. "He's exploiting them" is nonsense, he's using his resources to provide a service, and a very risky service at that. When the video starts with that kind of trivial stuff it makes it hard to think the other 30 minutes is worth anything, especially with the host's annoying mannerisms and presentation.
I love the libertarian principles you have. Could you charter planes out of Afghanistan during this crisis?
You're picking the wrong hill to to die on. Considering the cost of aircraft, cost of crew, insurance costs, $6.5k per seat seems really cheap to get a charter flight out of a war torn country.
You don't know anything about the cost. It's not like anyone with a plane could get people out. This is about government contracts and how they are exploitable. Dude probably isn't able to charge 6500 a ticket if more people had access, but free market sometimes, I guess. Not that I care about Erik Prince and Lockheed. Of the ones mentioned, they at least didn't get caught blatantly stealing from the taxpayers, but we know they are contributing to wasteful spending.
I guess being a veteran and the ex-wife of a career veteran makes me kind of numb to government fraud, waste and abuse. It's not that I don't care, it's that I've been around it or known about it for so long and I now know nothing will change because age and experience shape your perspective.
I was an idealist in my younger years and got fired up about a lot of things. I can't tell you how much I likely annoyed the crap out of the aides at the offices of those I voted into office with letters upon letters about the travesty of whatever was going on at the time. Seriously, I was high speed low drag. I was going to be the change I wanted to see in the world. Or at least vote people into office who could accomplish that lofty goal.
One of the first times I really realized there are some things that will never change was when I visited Dachau while living in Germany. Actually my time in Germany in general opened my eyes to a great many things but I digress. I don't know if it was that the concentration camp and all of its physical horrors was still there after all that time had passed. I don't know if it was because we went after 9/11 and I realized evil isn't ever really conquered, it just goes to ground when confronted until something revives it. The 20 years since then has made it more real.
We fought a country that is almost literally as old as the land it stands on. Thinking of Afghanistan here. How many wars have they fought and no one has defeated them. There are people there now who live exactly as their ancestors lived 200 years ago. 100 years ago. 50 years ago. Nothing changes in those places no matter who they're at war with or what century they live in.
So, yeah, I should be angry about things like government fraud, waste and abuse at all levels but I have other things to be angry about that are more within my ability to change. Or not. I'm likely delusional about that part.