Your State Dept. your money.

[CoyoteChris]

Ref; the following message about your state dept.
Let me get this one straight....the US borrows money from China so we can send skaters to other countries to conduct skating clinics?
If the USFSA wants to spend their money to do this...fine....I have been assured that my donations go to young US skaters....but I am having an
issue with the government, which is 15 trillion in debt, borrowing more to send skaters/coaches to Sweden. There are a couple of ladies already there
that skate pretty well and their mother that can hold clinics. And I am pretty sure they even Speak Swedish. If anyone finds out just how much money the
state dept is forking over for this boondoggle, let me know. Personally, I would rather they spend their money finding and helping the next Mirai Nagasu. Here.
In this country.

Evan Lysacek chosen as U.S. envoy
Updated: April 6, 2012, 7:59 PM ETAssociated Press

WASHINGTON -- Olympic gold medalist Evan Lysacek will travel to Europe as a sports envoy for the United States.
The 2010 Vancouver champion will conduct skating clinics with youth in Stockholm, Sweden and Minsk, Belarus, from April 6-13 on a trip sponsored by the State Department and U.S. Figure Skating.
Lysacek didn't skate competitively in 2010-11, and skipped the U.S. championships this year. But he has said he plans to compete in the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
The State Department's sports envoy program sends current and retired athletes and coaches abroad to work with youth and stress the importance of education and health.

[Mathman]

I don't mind programs like this. They cost peanuts, relatively speaking, and supposedly promote good will and maybe show a few people here and there that not all Americans are as bad as we are made out to be.

The State Department has sent Michelle Kwan as a "Public Policy Envoy" to several countries where she holds skating clinics, gives cheerful speeches about truth, justice and the American way, and provides comfort and encouragement to children who are handicapped, orphaned, and otherwise in great need of a friendly smile.

Will it make the price of oil cheaper or stop Iran from developing an atom bomb? Maybe not. But when I read the reports of Michelle's "missions" to the far corners of the globe I always think of the little ditty,

"Brighten the corner where you are.
"Brighten the corner where you are.
"Someone far from harbor you may guide across the bar,
"So brighten the corner where you are. "

[Olympia]

Agreed, Mathman.

[tulosai]

I don't mind programs like this. They cost peanuts, relatively speaking, and supposedly promote good will and maybe show a few people here and there that not all Americans are as bad as we are made out to be.

The State Department has sent Michelle Kwan as a "Public Policy Envoy" to several countries where she holds skating clinics, gives cheerful speeches about truth, justice and the American way, and provides comfort and encouragement to children who are handicapped, orphaned, and otherwise in great need of a friendly smile.

Will it make the price of oil cheaper or stop Iran from developing an atom bomb? Maybe not. But when I read the reports of Michelle's "missions" to the far corners of the globe I always think of the little ditty,

"Brighten the corner where you are.
"Brighten the corner where you are.
"Someone far from harbor you may guide across the bar,
"So brighten the corner where you are. "

I also agree with this.

[skateluvr]

In better times these junkets would be fine but we need to reduce them from senators to congressmen to superstar athletes. MK can continue-on her dime, We are putting millions at risk with every kind of life and death cut. Sorry O and MM, I think CC is right on this at this terrifying time.

[brightphoton]

This sports envoy business is small potatoes. The potatoes are so small, if you boiled them, mashed them and put them in a stew, you would then say, hey where did my potato go? And they you'd notice a potato flake lining the edge of the bowl.

If you really wanted to save the big bucks, you'd would cut Medicare & Medicaid and Social Security. Old people would suffer, but I say let the oldies fend for themselves. j/k oldies!

[Jaana]

I don't mind programs like this. They cost peanuts, relatively speaking, and supposedly promote good will and maybe show a few people here and there that not all Americans are as bad as we are made out to be.

The State Department has sent Michelle Kwan as a "Public Policy Envoy" to several countries where she holds skating clinics, gives cheerful speeches about truth, justice and the American way, and provides comfort and encouragement to children who are handicapped, orphaned, and otherwise in great need of a friendly smile.

Will it make the price of oil cheaper or stop Iran from developing an atom bomb? Maybe not. But when I read the reports of Michelle's "missions" to the far corners of the globe I always think of the little ditty,

"Brighten the corner where you are.
"Brighten the corner where you are.
"Someone far from harbor you may guide across the bar,
"So brighten the corner where you are. "

Mathman, wonderfully put!!!

[MoonlightSkater]

This sports envoy business is small potatoes. The potatoes are so small, if you boiled them, mashed them and put them in a stew, you would then say, hey where did my potato go? And they you'd notice a potato flake lining the edge of the bowl.

If you really wanted to save the big bucks, you'd would cut Medicare & Medicaid and Social Security. Old people would suffer, but I say let the oldies fend for themselves. j/k oldies!

Yes, but if you collect 100 small potato flakes, you'd find they amount to something.

[Mathman]

^ True. But last year the United States government took delivery of 187 F22 Raptor stealth jets, commissioned from Lockheed. The cost of each one was well over US$300,000,000, including development. I like airplanes, but maybe they could have bought only, say, 184. With the money saved they could have sent Lysacek to the moon.

[brightphoton]

Yes, but if you collect 100 small potato flakes, you'd find they amount to something.

Yes, they'd amount to 100 potato flakes.

It's silly when people latch on to relatively minor things like this to poo-poo frivolous government spending. You could send 1,000 skaters to Ghana or whatever for the cost of a single military missile. At least the world will be a slightly better place: the foreigners will probably enjoy the the skating experience, even if it is being hosted by Evan Lysacek.

[Serious Business]

This is some cart before the horse thinking here, CoyoteChris. The reason the US is in debt (most of which is held domestically, by the way, and not by China) isn't because it has diplomatic and good will missions to other countries, or because it does any of the other many basic, necessary and beneficial functions of a government. Imagine if the Golden Skate forum were going broke (which it often seems to be, judging by the server lag), would you blame the smiley faces draining all that bandwidth and money? Hopefully not. What you should blame is that people aren't putting enough money into it. The same is true of the US government. We've had over half a century of rolling back the progressive tax rate in the US both directly and through loopholes, so that rich people and rich corporations (small difference legally) pay less and less into the country that allowed them the safety and opportunities they continue to exploit. As the US government's income is drastically slashed, it is still expected by everybody, including those rich hoarders, to keep things running as they are. The difference is made up in debt.

Ultimately, there are only two solutions to this: disband the US government, or pay more into it. I favor the latter, but just by a tad. As someone who lives in the northeast, I wouldn't be overly fussed about a disunion of the states. We do pretty OK here, and shedding the dreck can only help.

[CoyoteChris]

This is some cart before the horse thinking here, CoyoteChris. The reason the US is in debt (most of which is held domestically, by the way, and not by China) isn't because it has diplomatic and good will missions to other countries, or because it does any of the other many basic, necessary and beneficial functions of a government. Imagine if the Golden Skate forum were going broke (which it often seems to be, judging by the server lag), would you blame the smiley faces draining all that bandwidth and money? Hopefully not. What you should blame is that people aren't putting enough money into it. The same is true of the US government. We've had over half a century of rolling back the progressive tax rate in the US both directly and through loopholes, so that rich people and rich corporations (small difference legally) pay less and less into the country that allowed them the safety and opportunities they continue to exploit. As the US government's income is drastically slashed, it is still expected by everybody, including those rich hoarders, to keep things running as they are. The difference is made up in debt.

Ultimately, there are only two solutions to this: disband the US government, or pay more into it. I favor the latter, but just by a tad. As someone who lives in the northeast, I wouldn't be overly fussed about a disunion of the states. We do pretty OK here, and shedding the dreck can only help.

While we disagree on who owns the debt (look at the pie charts for 2009 and for "now"...) we agree completely on the failure of the govt to tax its citizens in a fair and honest manner as was done during the Ike administration, where IIRC the Bill Gates and Oprahs of the country paid 50 to 70 percent of their income to the government. Unfortunately, we now live in a country were a White House advisor, the CEO of GE, is legeally allowed to hid his company's profits overseas.
While Mathman makes good sense (although I am not sure what we are getting out of Sweden that anyone will remember into the next news cycle,)and is correct that a couple of hundred thou is pennuts, I am a principle person. If you are going broke and you are the head of GM, you dont fly to WA DC in your own personal corporate jet to beg for a bailout, even though that jet costs pennuts. He was caught by the press and tared and feathered for it. And rightfully so. And so should our politicians be. While other countries like Greece, Spain, and England realize just how serious this economic crisis is and have made dramatic cutbacks, enough to cause riots...our debt is running away....SB is correct that we need to stop subsidies to the rich and start taxing them. We also need to start closing out military bases all around the world, stop needless wars, and bring the jobs home. If we are ever in the green again (dont hold your breath) then I am for sending Millionaires to Sweden. Until that day, I say the small stuff like putting congress on medicare and Social Security does matter, even if it only saves a few tens of millions of dollars.
DISCLAIMER: I AM REALLY PISSED AT YOUR GOVT FOR CANCELING THE EAST AND WEST COAST F16, F15, F/A18 AND A10 SINGLE AIRCRAFT DEMOSTRATION TEAMS FOR AIRSHOWS. THESE COST PENNUTS AND WERE ENJOYED BY 10S OF MILLIONS OF AMERICANS EVERY YEAR. WELL, WHATS GOOD FOR THE GOOSE IS GOOD FOR THE GANDER, I SAYS. YOU GORE MY OX AND I GORE YOUR EVAN!
(btw, the F-22 program was terminated some time ago...all those jets werent delivered last year...the first was delivered in 2005...the last one in Dec. 2011....and the F-35 program is being cut back...while the Russians and the Chineese are introducing new fighters.)
(also BTW, MK is beautiful, intellegent, articulate and does get us good press.....Evan is....well....Evan.

[Mathman]

(also BTW, MK is beautiful, intellegent, articulate and does get us good press.....Evan is....well....Evan.

True. Evan is handsome and I have no reason to think he is not intelligent, but he is not exactly the life of the party.

[CoyoteChris]

True. Evan is handsome and I have no reason to think he is not intelligent, but he is not exactly the life of the party.

Well, I think women do find him handsome...like you, I have no real evidence that he is not intellegent. I have never had the pleasure of hearing him talk in person cause when he has showed up to the FOFS breakfasts, I was just leaving to do something dumb, like watch the ladies practice. I know he does do public speaking...and yet, like you, I get a sense that he is a bit uncomfortable around people...perhaps a bit reserved....not someone who would be a natural great commentator....he is a bit of an enigma.....Ironically, my wife and I have always enjoyed his skating and have cheered for him...and I won a copy of Figure Skating Magazine with his pic on the cover and his autograph across said cover at a breakfast.....Well, by the time I return from the Reno Air Races we shall know more about his, and JW's comeback....

[Tonichelle]

Evan is a slice of tall, dark and handsome