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ORIGINAL: Aylee

FR


So, “National Day of Renewal and Reconciliation," was just fine, but “National Day of Patriotic Devotion," is a bridge too far?


Did patriotism become a bad word again?

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ORIGINAL: Musicmystery
Bilking taxpayers to build billions of stuff the military doesn't want or need is not part of that legitimate role.

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The April 3 news article “State Department’s IG issues rare alert” reported on the management alert issued recently by my office. In the alert, we identified State Department contracts with a total value of more than $6 billion in which contract files were incomplete or could not be located. The Post stated, “The State Department’s inspector general has warned the department that $6 billion in contracting money over the past six years cannot be properly accounted for . . . . ”

Some have concluded based on this that $6 billion is missing. The alert, however, did not draw that conclusion. Instead, it found that the failure to adequately maintain contract files — documents necessary to ensure the full accounting of U.S. tax dollars — “creates significant financial risk and demonstrates a lack of internal control over the Department’s contract actions.”

Steve Linick, Washington

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ORIGINAL: WhoreMods

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ORIGINAL: heavyblinker
In Europe, coalitions are the norm. In Denmark for example there is a coalition of right wing parties and a coalition of left wing parties, and whichever side gets the most votes wins-- and whichever party on that side gets the most votes has the most influence on policy, with concessions given to the others based on their degree of representation within the parliament. It lends a sense of legitimacy to ALL parties, and there are several-- free market libertarians, fascists, traditional conservatives, moderates, social democrats, socialists, communists, etc.

The biggest drawback with coalitions is that they can quickly legitimize extremist elements, but since that has happened in the US anyways, and in the most horrible fashion, it doesn't seem to be such a big worry anymore.

Sadly, the cod-classical set up you have over there works quite effectively to make a hung parliament that would require a coalition forming to produce a ruling majority impossible. Having two separate houses of representatives and a President who isn't a member of either rather than a parliament is just as big a block on that sort of arrangement as the electoral college, sadly.