Socialism for the elite but not for the masses?

  • Itdidnttrickledown@lemmy.world
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    8 hours ago

    Its more than a grocery store. I knew a guy who was buying german VCRs in the late 80’s and early 90’s and shipping them home. The german machines didn’t have the copy protection circuit in them and would make perfect copies of any tape. The machines were all bought at cost from a US base’s PX.

    • criscodisco@lemmy.world
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      10 hours ago

      That would be the Base Exchange/Post Exchange, but it, the Commissary, Shoppettes (convenience stores), and Class Six (liquor stores) all fall under the Army Air Force Exchange Service. The Navy has their own service.

      Funny enough there is still rationing. If you are in an overseas base, alcohol and cigarettes are rationed to cut down on black market sales to host nation citizens. We still bought stuff for our friends, though. Bourbon and cigarettes were super cheap compared to what they could buy on the economy. Coffee was also on my ration card, but I don’t think it was actually rationed. No one ever signed it off.

      • Itdidnttrickledown@lemmy.world
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        8 hours ago

        Thanks for the added detail. It was only the end result I saw. He got out in 90 right before Iran invaded Kuwait. It is unlikely he would have been deployed. He was Cobol programmer.