Re: [MV] Demil items... LLC

From: Ryan M Gill (rmgill@mindspring.com)
Date: Wed Jun 12 2002 - 13:50:54 PDT


At 4:16 PM -0400 6/12/02, Steve Grammont wrote:
>Hi Ryan,
>
>>This sounds like we need to get some conservatives behind it.
>
>Er.... they are the ones in power now, so they are already behind it :-(
> And let us not forget that this has been going on for decades, including
>the 12 "conservative" years of Reagan/Bush as well as various "liberal"
>years of Clinton and Carter. The reason...

Granted, but if you put the right kind of spin on something and get
enough people yelling about it, congress critters listen. No matter
what other people say. Look at the response to the last demil bill
that included rifles. Look at the last few elections and the most
recent one with firearms. Dems are refusing to even acknowledge any
kind of firearm's bans or proposals. Its turned into a loosing issue
that they don't touch with a 10' pole.

> >It all has several implications behind it.
>>
>>1. it wastes money coming and going (ie band instruments could be
>>sold or given to schools for a nominal price)
>
>It lines the pockets of defense contractors and other industry buddies
>because overpriced government purchases ($1000 toliet seats etc.) do not
>displace domestic sales. This has been standard policy since the end of
>WWII and perhaps earlier. Remember there are laws on the books to stop
>the reimportation of surplus US equipment overseas from reentering the
>US. Public Safety was never, ever the reason for this legislation.
> Protection of domestic industry was and still is.

To some degree. Your and my buying an M35 doesn't hurt anyone except
for perhaps the used truck market. A used M35 doesn't compare to a
new truck of equivalent haulage except for cross country capability
and nostalgic value.

> >2. it pollutes because they are burying stuff (helps to get the knee
>>jerk environmentalists on as well as the thoughtful environmentalists
>>on board [like me] as well)
>
>Uhm, concervatives are not traditionally concerned with the environment
>:-) In fact, the record clearly shows the opposite. Not that the
>"liberals" in government are really all that much better. They talk the
>talk but more often than not do not walk the walk. The same money that
>elects conservatives elects liberals.

Not traditionally, however, if you can show that they help their
constituents and don't raise flags that hurt them in elections, they
can't help to notice.

> >3. it destroys items that are historical (note the US army's call for
>>old things in museums from civilians that have it)
>
>I am unaware of this ever being a concern for either side of the
>political spectrum. Business, on the other hand, is something both are
>very concerned with.

35 year old uniforms aren't skin off anyone's nose unless they are
really the low bid.

> >4. it wastes money
>
>Taxpayer money, yes. But not corporate money. In fact, it creates more
>wealth for those who put our politicians, conservative and liberal, into
>office.
>
>This all comes down to government and big business serving each others'
>best interests, not the taxpayers'. Conservatives, for all their talk of
>fiscal responsibility, expempt wasteful spending and government expansion
>when it suits them. Liberals exempt safety and enviromental issues when
>they run contrary to their financial backer's interests. Different talk,
>same motivations behind their real actions.
>
>BTW... I remember in the early 80s seeing a 60 Minutes show on DoD
>warehouses. They showed one MASSIVE warehouse with millions of pairs of
>boots and medical gowns (along with God only knows how much other stuff).
> Much of the stuff had been there for 40+ years with the taxpayers not

This isn't what I'm protesting. Its the fact that it's not sold to
someone rather than just destroying it.

If a bunch of 60's era web gear gets burned rather than sold, it's
wasting money. I don't see how it hurts a modern bid for modern kit
if a bunch of 60's era collectors eventually wind up with it. If they
wanted modern kit, they'd buy it.

Some of that stuff gets left around for years because of the chance
it may get used. I can understand that. That's why I have rack parts
here at work that I might use but don't have uses for right now.
Eventually I may need them so I try to keep them on hand.

-- 
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