not to mention the loass of life for all concerned except the pentagon who is orchistrating all this death. Military complex+ terrorist organization

Morphine from poppies costs a lot.

Why don't we ever learn from history. Nobody has ever won a war in Afganastan.

The question you really need to ask is who and how much profit has been created from this and the other wars in the past 150 years ?

Oh it's trillions alright. You betcha.

Good read, thank you for sharing, and looked like that article was published on my birthday no less.

Let's give Osama Bin Laden his due. He was the most brilliant terrorist ever to attack the US. He baited the US to become involved in a protracted unwinable war in Afghanistan, like the Russians before them, and the English before them, and they fell for it, squandering their treasure and reputation, just as OBL wanted. The definition of madness is to repeat the same thing over and over and expect a different result. As long as the US continues to fool itself that the war there is about terrorism -- which is hasn't been since OBLs boys fled soon after the US arrived -- and acknowledge that it is a war of nationalism against a divided country, then the madness will continue. You would think Vietnam would have taught them this lesson. The US Establishment, which thinks it knows everything, seems to know nothing, including how to learn from the mistakes of history. I just feel terribly sorry for the innocents killed, and the US personnel killed or maimed, sacrificed on this altar of American obstinance.

The idea of universal income is gaining traction for a number of reasons. In the next 20 years 30% or more of current jobs will be lost to automation through the use of robotics and AI. [bigthink.com]

I find it interesting the argument against it as a socialist issue interesting considering that everything we as citizens benefit from outside of our own effort; public utilities, public education, emergency services to name two comes from taxes paid by all. So should we get to pick and choose what we pay for? If you are healthy should you be able to decline to pay for ambulence services? Is there benefit to helping others within a society based on the idea of unity? More and more people in our nation seem to want to only live within their own little bubble. The media supports this by reporting with bias towards their market or demographic. Medicare for example helps elderly people while medicaid helps people with limited financial resources both are a form of socialism. But many people who benefit from medicare would consider themselves very anti socialist and anti medicaid even as the benefit from the similar programs. As for the benefit of some of these "socialist" policies? Simple put the more you help others the greater benefit to the whole of our society. It is disgusting to me that a nation as wealthy as America has people living in the streets many who are veterans and/or mentally ill, victims of abuse etc. Yet we hero worship people who's only real achievement is their wealth.

So, another vet speaks out. Please, pay close attention: Patriotism is worth everything. It fills the graves and empties the coffers. Let's do all we can to make sure we have more enduring and endearing wars for god and country.

Let's see who was it that said the war was going to be a cheap war? Oh yeah the preview tRump. Hell, we are still paying for the Viet Nm war and I have benefits to prove this.

I agree. Our government is pissing away the wealth of this nation. "Defense" spending is only the tip of the iceberg. We're teetering on the precipice of socialism now and things may get much worse.