Who's ready for iAmerica?

As the BBC has reported, the software company Apple has more cash on hand than the United States federal government, according to the company's financial records.

Apple's quarterly financial report shows that the company responsible for the iPad, iPod and the iPhone now has $76.4 billion in reserve cash, while the Treasury Department is sitting on just $73.7 billion.


The feds could probably learn a thing or two from Apple's success.

Feds couldn't make a profit running a lemonade stand.

Maybe Apple should hire a bunch of people they don't need to work that surplus down to a managable level.

It would be interesting to give a couple of 8 year old girls and a group of Federal workers 20bucks to start a Lemonade Stand and see what they come up with. I know who the smart money would bank on.

But I thought that the .gov did everything better than private industry.

The cure to everything is "throw more money at it" ........ it's quick, easy, and it ain't their money. Problem? What problem? Just give me more money.

Been wonderin' about something, and I am sure this is the place to ask.

Folks, especially on the right side, say that government should be run like a business. Which seems to mean to live within your means.

What does a business do when costs raise or demand goes up? I think they raise prices (eg gas at the pump). heck, they raise those prices when folks even think costs might go up.

Government provides services: Roads, military, police, fire, parks, resource management, social services, etc. Not to defend those, but somebody must want them. Taxes are the "cost" of providing those services. So, if demand goes up, such as wars, natural disaster repair, simple road maintenance, border security, and so on they need to raise revenue.

The question, it seems to me, is not revenue but how it is used. If something is a function of gubmint, then we as members of a civilized society need to pay for it. If we don't want a program, then the folks we elect and put in various public offices need to eliminate the programs.

All we need to blow that 76 billion is a couple worthless wars.

Maybe Apple could claim Microsoft has WMD and then get busy flushing all their cash down the toilet looking for them.

1. Governments are NOT supposed to make a profit.

2. The bank bailouts that so many on the right protested so loudly - did make a profit. http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/07/07/us-banks-tarp-idUSTRE66655P20100707. That was a damn efficient lemonaid stand.

The govt is also looking to make a major profit on the GM bailout.

The fallacy of your arguement is that you subscribe to the use of "we" too liberally. There is no "we" in Merican. You'll notice, however, there is an "I" right smack in the middle. So a good Merican conservative says, "I don't need that program, and I don't want to be taxed to support it, so it should be abolished." Merica was clearly founded on I. [/sarcasm]

The other problem is that "we" want all the programs. The wheat farmer - who hates big government - wants that crop subsidy. The dairy farmer wants milk price supports. The old folks many of whom hate big gubmint - will revolt if we even consider cutting Medicare or Social Security. The far right also hates big gubmint but man do they love that military spending.

Every program and tax loophole we have is the result of intense lobbying by some group and none of them want to give up anything. Ask the wealthy to go back to the very low tax rate before the Bush double whammy of two wars and a tax cut and they howl like banshees. Maybe we wouldn’t be so eager to go to war if we actually had to pay for it. We all love our country - just not enough to make any sacrifices for it.

"We all love our country - just not enough to make any sacrifices for it."

Amen.

And they love the gubmint telling people who they can't marry, what a woman can't do with her body, and what you can't consume for recreational purposes.

Perhaps people should take "freedom isn't free" a little more literally.

Uncle Sam can't outsource Iraq and Afghanistan to China.

Nah...Uncle Sam insources war to Haliburton, Blackwater, and the oil companies.

Fish on...

Todd

I think it would be most appropriate if soldiers wore all the company logos for the companies that are making bank off the wars...they'd look like Nascar drivers with automatic weapons.

Fish on...

Todd

Just like every redneck in America.

Wonder if this is still true......