Breaking Up…
-
Character Counts
Character Counts
Archive for June, 2010
June 30, 2010
June 29, 2010
Push for adequate support for armed forces
- Keeping Us Free
Dear Friends:
It is because of the brave men and women in the military that we are free. We thank and honor them.
And, we must ensure that the government provide the defense spending to keep our troops and America safe.
I am grateful to the Heritage Foundation for allowing us to share the following article with you.
May GOD Bless Our Troops & The United States of America.
Mrs. Figgins
Honor Our Veterans by Providing for the Common Defense
The Heritage Foundation honors America’s men and women who died in military service. And there is no better way to do that than to push for adequate support for our armed services. The preamble of the constitution clearly gives the federal government the responsibility to “provide for the common defense.” But that goal cannot be reached without proper defense spending and investments.
Military Shrinking
Today’s military is roughly half the size it was in the early 1990s. The Army has gone from 18 divisions during Desert Storm to 10; the Air Force has gone from 37 tactical air wings to 20; and the Navy has gone from 568 ships in the late 1980s to a fleet of only 276 today.
Missile Defense Defunded
Iran has successfully launched a long-range missile capable of hitting Israel and other countries in the Middle East, even as Tehran has continued to engage in diplomatic duplicity. And countries like North Korea, China, and Russia have reportedly worked to achieve electromagnetic pulse capabilities. It only makes sense that if our enemies have ballistic missile programs, we should have missile defense technologies. Yet, at the request of President Obama and Defense Secretary Gates, Congress has reduced missile defense funding and pulled out of the third site in Poland. The president’s pursuit of a is promising, but, at present, only 20 Navy ships have been sea-based ballistic missile defense program modified for BMD capabilities. Navy officials hope to outfit 67 ships, and they’ll need additional funding to do that. See The Heritage Foundation’s documentary called 33 Minutes on the urgent call to protect America
Equipment Aging
Much of the military’s equipment is old and increasingly unreliable, and its technological edge is at risk.
-
The average age of Air Force aircraft in 1973 was just nine years. The average aircraft today is 24 years old, while aircraft modernization funding has faced shortfalls of up to $20 billion in recent years. The Air Force acquisition budget is 30 percent short of the amount necessary to fund equipment purchases and upgrades.
-
The Pentagon purchased an average of 238 Air Force fighters and five tanker aircraft each year from 1975–1990, compared to only 28 from 1991 to 2000.
-
This dramatic reduction in our fighter force is happening at the same time F-15’s are falling out of the sky because they’ve been patched up so many times.
-
The Joint Strike Fighter plane will constitute 90 percent of all U.S. fighters in 2035. Because it is a single-engine plane, unless there is an alternate engine available, an engine error could lead to a system-wide grounding of every aircraft until the problem is identified and fixed. Yet, Congress has questioned whether to continue to fund an alternate engine for the JSF.
-
The Navy faces a substantial shortfall in fighter aircraft inventories and budgetary obstacles to its 30-year shipbuilding plan.
-
Poor readiness reports even led the Navy to pause the entire worldwide U.S. surface fleet in 2008.
After the Cold War ended, the Clinton Administration believed an era of peace was at hand. Consequently, the President and Congress cut both the size of the military and the funding for modernization far below what was necessary to sustain American capabilities. While President George W. Bush increased spending on the military, it was not enough to remedy the shortfalls of the 1990s, particularly with ongoing operations overseas since 2001. As a result, the military’s capital inventory has become largely outdated.
The impact of collective decisions made over the past 15 years and the operations tempo of U.S. forces abroad means that today America is in danger of losing vital core security capabilities without increased investment. This includes the potential loss of core defense capabilities such as air dominance, maritime control, space control, and projecting power to distant regions.
In order to honor our military heroes and provide for the common defense of America, we must devote the resources we need to the military.
www.askmrsfiggins.com
Advice & opinion on everyday issues by Mrs Figgins with common sense & good old-fashioned-values!
June 28, 2010
Short answer!
- Different!
Dear Mrs. Figgins:
Why can’t a girl think more like a man? They know nothing about what make a car run. They can’t even change the oil for goodness sake!
Jeremy, Brussels
Dear Jeremy:
It’s true, most girls think in terms of “oil sticks…oil doesn’t stick”. And, that’s the extent of their mechanical interests.
However, wouldn’t it be grand if boys could think like girls “it either gets you there…or it doesn’t”. And, that’s the short answer to most of life’s questions.
Mrs. Figgins
www.askmrsfiggins.com
Advice & opinion on everyday issues by Mrs Figgins with common sense & good old-fashioned-values!
June 22, 2010
The President and the telephone
- What’s the Answer?
- What’s the Answer?
Mrs Figgins Trivia Question!
Question:
What U.S. President refused to use the telephone while in office?
A: Herbert Hoover
B: Richard Nixon
C: Calvin Coolidge
D: Warren G. Harding
Answer:
Calvin Coolidge refused to use the telephone while he was President.
A man of few words, he once said, “If you don’t say anything, you won’t be called on to repeat it.”
www.askmrsfiggins.com
Advice & opinion on everyday issues by Mrs Figgins with common sense & good old-fashioned-values!
June 18, 2010
The Wedding March
What's the Answer?
What's the Answer?
Mrs. Figgins Trivia Question!
Question:
Who wrote the wedding march “Here Comes The Bride”?
A: Richard Rogers
B: Neil Sedaka
C: Mozart
D: Richard Wagner
Answer:
The ‘Here Comes The Bride’ wedding march is by Richard Wagner, from the opera Lohengrin.
There are other wedding marches by Bach, Mendelssohn and Handel.
www.askmrsfiggins.com
Advice & opinion on everyday issues by Mrs Figgins with common sense & good old-fashioned-values!
June 16, 2010
Men have it down…
- A good idea!
Dear Mrs. Figgins:
My sister-in-law makes a fool of my brother. When he drinks he gets a little loud but she makes it much worse by scolding him in front of people.
I’m getting to the point where I’m going to say something to her. What should I do?
Jonelle, TN
Dear Jonelle:
Women don’t make fools of men. Most men achieve that little trick just fine on their own.
If you need to do something, start by minding your own business.
Mrs. Figgins
www.askmrsfiggins.com
Advice & opinion on everyday issues by Mrs Figgins with common sense & good old-fashioned-values!
June 15, 2010
Put the brakes on Mama
- 1/2 the problem
Dear Mrs Figgins:
My mother-in-law is ruining my marriage and I am at the end of my tether.
I got pregnant before my husband and I married and she thinks I tricked him. She has done everything to humiliate me saying that I was irresponsible and thoughtless. She has said that I interfered with his college. By the way I was also going to college. The most hurtful of all is when she calls my son a “mistake” right in front of him.
My husband just says there’s nothing he can do about her and completely dismisses my feelings.
I don’t think this is healthy for my son or my marriage
Lisa, Detroit Lakes
Dear Lisa:
Your husband has allowed his mother to humiliate you and your son. They are equally culpable.
The future of your marriage depends on what kind of man he is, and on your own self-respect.
Hubbby needs to put the brakes on Mama and become a real father and husband, or you’ll be writing the same unfortunate letter a few years from now.
Mrs. Figgins
www.askmrsfiggins.com
Advice & opinion on everyday issues by Mrs Figgins with common sense & good old-fashioned-values!
June 14, 2010
Who’s the baggage here?
- He doesn’t dissapoint.
- He doesn’t dissapoint.
Dear Mrs. Figgins:
I am forty years old and married my high school sweetheart and have three great kids. For the first couple of years we had a great time together. Then came the kids and took up so much of her time so I made mistakes in my marriage and had a couple of long term affairs. They were exciting to me but they had kids to and I didn’t want baggage.
I didn’t think my wife would leave me because of the lifestyle I give her but she has had it with me and is talking about getting a divorce. I love my kids and the idea of losing my family has hit me hard. I’ve worked very hard to build up my portfolio I’m not interested in losing it to any woman.
What can I do about my situation?
Mike, Milwaukee
Dear Mike:
You are more concerned about splitting the finances than losing your family. You made this bed now sleep miserably in it.
It is said that the heart of a cheater is empty and hollow, and you certainly don’t disappoint.
Now that you have understandably ruined your marriage and dismantled your family, allow me to give you a little advice: How we begin is not as important as how we end.
My advice to her: Get a good lawyer.
Mrs. Figgins
www.askmrsfiggins.com
Advice & opinion on everyday issues by Mrs Figgins with common sense & good old-fashioned-values!
June 11, 2010
The Poison Cigar…
What's the Answer?
What's the Answer?
Mrs. Figgins Trivia Question!
Question:
What political leader did the CIA attempt to assassinate with a poison cigar in the 1960s?
A: Ho Chi Minh
B: Mao Zedong
C: Nikita Khrushchev
D: Fidel Castro
Answer:
The CIA attempted to assassinate Fidel Castro during the 1960’s with a poison cigar, contaminated with botulinum toxin.
So heavily contaminated with the poison where the cigars that merely putting one in the mouth would cause death within a few hours.
The CIA considered other methods of assassination, including explosive sea shells, a poisoned scuba diving suit, and a gang style drive-by shooting.
www.askmrsfiggins.com
Advice & opinion on everyday issues by Mrs Figgins with common sense & good old-fashioned-values!
June 10, 2010
A metaphor for life…
- Oh well…
