"Troop! You need to tighten that belt!"

       The SUPER COMMITTEE (I imagine them all wearing capes, I digress)  failed to come up with a deal that would rescue the US from certain economic disaster by helping to balance the budget.  They were tasked to negotiate at least 1.2 trillion dollars in spending cuts that would help to balance our ever expanding deficit.  If we were in Vegas and the bet was AGAINST the bipartisan group to miraculously come together and agree... I'd drop a couple of bills on the table.  In this deeply entrenched partisan political environment it's hard to imagine that any members of congress could have pulled off this bipartisan agreement.

"robot dog" prototype that carries gear

       Now that the caped crusaders have failed to compromise, 1.2 trillion dollars will automatically be cut from programs in 2013.   Half of that pocket change will come from Military spending, 600 billion dollars (mwahahah!), unless the President proposes a plan himself which must be approved by Congress.   The Pentagon spent an estimated 687 billion last year according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.  Even though this may seem like a drastic cut it may be warranted. 

      I spent almost a decade in the Army and saw how our military spends cash first hand.   We've got more big boy toys than any other country in the world. We are like kids in a toy store with daddy's credit card and we can't get enough.  I rode on multimillion dollar speed boats in the Philippines (which you can wake-board behind) , tricked out ATVs in the mountains of the Republic of Georgia, and stood awestruck as HUGE warships passed by in Pearl Harbor.  It's hard to imagine how much taxpayer money we waste on what are basically toys and failed programs.  I heard a story on NPR about the 42 million dollars the military is spending on a PTSD effort that most experts believe does not work and I'm not surprised at all.  There are plenty of wasteful programs in the military that should be cut, such as "ghost ship" program scrapped by the Navy.  Programs like these are plentiful and a drain on our economy.  As a nation we have to recognize that cutting military spending does not equate to cutting our security and that pressuring the Pentagon to make our military smaller and more efficient is essential if we are to succeed in our goal of financial security.

Commentary on Tolerating Intolerance

First of Andrea, I'd like to say that I love San Francisco and I catch myself day dreaming of chowder in a sourdough bread bowl all the time.  Now that that is out of the way, we can get to your blog post.

I absolutely agree with your position that homosexuals should have the same right to be in a legally bound relationship.  It is hard to imagine that this is still an issue.  In a "free" society people should have the right to pick a partner and live their life how they choose.  If no one is being harmed, what's the big deal?  It feels like homosexuality is becoming more accepted by the majority of people in this country.  On the flip, people are becoming more polarized against homosexuality (I believe) with the advent of the internet.  The net allows people with similar ideas and morals to organize and influence other people towards their beliefs, for better or worse.

The only criticism I could muster is that, no where in the Constitution does it specifically state that there must be a "separation of church and state", rather it has been argued that it is implied in Constitution.