The Pentagon has ordered Stars and Stripes to shut down • Hacker News Board

Re: The Pentagon has ordered Stars and Stripes to shut down

#41

Post by elliekelly » Fri, Sep 04, 2020, 3:50 PM UTC

ahelwer wrote: post #36

Lev1a wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Looked at the article, but didn't see any. Perhaps it was cost? Does the Pentagon budget break out the cost of Stars & Stripes? From the article: > The eagerness to kill Stars and Stripes is hard to fathom. As the senators note in their letter to Esper, the $15.5 million saved by eliminating the newspaper’s subsidy would have a “negligible impact” on the Pentagon’s $700 billion budget. That's 0.0022% of the Pentago…

The average American pays about $10k in federal income taxes each year. Assuming they do this for fifty years, this means the average American might pay $500k in federal income taxes over their lifetime. So this propaganda rag consumed the lifelong social contributions of 31 people, every year. It isn't nothing.

> The average American pays about $10k in federal income taxes each year.

Do you have a source for this? There is absolutely no way this is true. Are you including Social Security contributions as "federal income tax"? Or maybe did you mean the average American household pays $10k each year?

Re: The Pentagon has ordered Stars and Stripes to shut down

#42

Post by wolfram74 » Fri, Sep 04, 2020, 3:51 PM UTC

TheAdamAndChe wrote: post #13

stanfordkid wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The military budget is $700 billion, as stated in the article. They probably spend more than $15mm on toilet paper for a single Airforce base.

Let's say you need to clean out your garage. It's piled full of stuff and it's going to take you a while to clean up. Do you first reach for the biggest thing in the bottom of the pile, or do you grab the small stuff on top that's closest to you first?

You probably don't grab a tooth pick from way in the back and call it a day.

Re: The Pentagon has ordered Stars and Stripes to shut down

#43

Post by ahelwer » Fri, Sep 04, 2020, 3:57 PM UTC

elliekelly wrote: post #41

ahelwer wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The average American pays about $10k in federal income taxes each year. Assuming they do this for fifty years, this means the average American might pay $500k in federal income taxes over their lifetime. So this propaganda rag consumed the lifelong social contributions of 31 people, every year. It isn't nothing.

> The average American pays about $10k in federal income taxes each year. Do you have a source for this? There is absolutely no way this is true. Are you including Social Security contributions as "federal income tax"? Or maybe did you mean the average American household pays $10k each year?

Here you go: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2017/10...

Say it's about $10k for federal, for ease of calculation. If it's less, then that means even more people's lifelong contributions are incinerated by a propaganda rag.

Re: The Pentagon has ordered Stars and Stripes to shut down

#44

Post by Shivetya » Fri, Sep 04, 2020, 3:59 PM UTC

Finnucane wrote: post #27

"Stars and Stripes embodies that most American of values: the right to speak truth to power." Which is the last the thing current administration wants anyone to be able to do.

Show me one in the last generation or two that did?

Who harassed more journalist and whistle blowers during their time in office, Trump or Obama. Neither was great but the prior administration set new standards for threatening those who would make government justify its actions. The difference is one was a media darling and the other is a media flashpoint

Re: The Pentagon has ordered Stars and Stripes to shut down

#45

Post by ghufran_syed » Fri, Sep 04, 2020, 4:04 PM UTC

For those who are against this move, in general are you in favor of government journalism in general? Do you think the US would be better with more government journalism? Should there be a a US postal service newspaper, a bureau of land management newspaper, possibly a US Customs and immigration service newspaper? If not, what's so special about having a government-run military newspaper that you think it should exist, but not the others?

Re: The Pentagon has ordered Stars and Stripes to shut down

#46

Post by valuearb » Fri, Sep 04, 2020, 4:05 PM UTC

Shivetya wrote: post #44

Finnucane wrote: post #27

"Stars and Stripes embodies that most American of values: the right to speak truth to power." Which is the last the thing current administration wants anyone to be able to do.

Show me one in the last generation or two that did? Who harassed more journalist and whistle blowers during their time in office, Trump or Obama. Neither was great but the prior administration set new standards for threatening those who would make government justify its actions. The difference is one was a media darling and the other is a media flashpoint

Whataboutwhat?

Re: The Pentagon has ordered Stars and Stripes to shut down

#47

Post by standardUser » Fri, Sep 04, 2020, 4:06 PM UTC

natcombs wrote: post #2

"No good reason" is subjective. Was there any reason given? Looked at the article, but didn't see any. Perhaps it was cost? Does the Pentagon budget break out the cost of Stars & Stripes?

"Perhaps it was cost?"

I hope we all got a good laugh over the idea that the Pentagon would ever be concerned with costs on the scale!

Re: The Pentagon has ordered Stars and Stripes to shut down

#48

Post by valuearb » Fri, Sep 04, 2020, 4:06 PM UTC

jdhn wrote: post #7

nodefortytwo wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"The eagerness to kill Stars and Stripes is hard to fathom. As the senators note in their letter to Esper, the $15.5 million saved by eliminating the newspaper’s subsidy would have a “negligible impact” on the Pentagon’s $700 billion budget."

I'm OK with cutting $15.5 million from the military budget. Sure, it's a drop in the ocean, but any savings we can wring out of the military is a good thing.

Oversight is the last place to cut.

Re: The Pentagon has ordered Stars and Stripes to shut down

#49

Post by nicwolff » Fri, Sep 04, 2020, 4:07 PM UTC

Shivetya wrote: post #44

Finnucane wrote: post #27

"Stars and Stripes embodies that most American of values: the right to speak truth to power." Which is the last the thing current administration wants anyone to be able to do.

Show me one in the last generation or two that did? Who harassed more journalist and whistle blowers during their time in office, Trump or Obama. Neither was great but the prior administration set new standards for threatening those who would make government justify its actions. The difference is one was a media darling and the other is a media flashpoint

No contest: Trump harasses journalists at every rally – by now, hundreds or thousands of them. And whistle blowers? He fired Lt. Colonel Alexander Vindman and his brother after Vindman testified. His lackeys in the House exposed the IRS whistleblower by name.

Re: The Pentagon has ordered Stars and Stripes to shut down

#50

Post by liability » Fri, Sep 04, 2020, 4:07 PM UTC

ghufran_syed wrote: post #45

For those who are against this move, in general are you in favor of government journalism in general? Do you think the US would be better with more government journalism? Should there be a a US postal service newspaper, a bureau of land management newspaper, possibly a US Customs and immigration service newspaper? If not, what's so special about having a government-run military newspaper that you think it should exis…

PBS and NPR are generally okayish, they certainly look good when compared to their commercial equivalents anyway... though that might be damning with faint praise. I'm not sure of these are valid comparisons to Stars and Stripes though.