Yes, War Does Make Us Poor

Congressman Conyers and Grayson are on to a good idea by floating H.R. 5353. The "War is Making You Poor Act" seeks curb the out of control costs that the Defense Department burdens the American people with every year. While keeping our country safe is a top priority, the fact is we spend more on our military than the next top fifty countries combined.

H.R. 5353 is pretty cut and dry:

It seems that Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) would agree, perpetual war is making you poor.

To begin rectifying the situation, he's joined with Congressman Alan Grayson (D-FL) in co-sponsoring the "War is Making You Poor Act," which would limit defense spending to $548.9 billion: the exact figure alloted in the fiscal year 2011 budget.

Oh and there's this that might help sweeten the pot:

The act also seeks to utilize an additional $159.3 billion set aside for "discretionary" operations abroad to relieve the full federal income tax burden on every American's first $35,000 earned per year, or up to $70,000 per year for married couples.

While this is great news, it is only a start. Simply halving that massive budget would go a long way in solving many of our top domestic priorities, such as education, health care and job development to name a few (this pie chart helps put things into perspective). Unfortunately though, the defense industry is well staffed with many lobbyists that ensure that anything less than a large yearly increase for their weapons contracts would be akin to hating America and letting the terrorists win. If Conyers and Grayson could pass this Act, it would be a big step in the right direction, even if it only caps the spending where it is now.

Bush Gives Our Troops The Finger

How I'd love to see a picture of Bush flipping the troops off, because it would compliment the policies towards them that he endorses. The President is asking for another chunk of change to "fight" the war in Iraq. That chunk is $108 billion, not a penny more and not one less. He does not want to see Democrats passing legislation that would help our troops receive college educations after their service and he definitely does not want to help pay for the war he is pushing for one moment after he leaves office. That means the next President would have to request funding the moment he gets into office. George really is a piece of work.

From the AP:

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush and Democrats controlling Congress continued on course toward a veto confrontation Tuesday as Bush said he would veto any attempt to add a popular veteran benefits bill to his $108 billion war funding request.

Bush's hard line in a Rose Garden news conference could virtually assure a veto of the hotly contested war funding bill. Democrats are likely to add extended unemployment benefits and new education funding for post-Sept. 11 veterans to the war funding bill, along with a few other add-ons.

When asked about the popular plan to increase education benefits for troops returning from Iraq, however, Bush held firm.

"I made my position very clear to Congress and I will not accept a supplemental over $108 billion or a supplemental that micromanages the war, ties the hands of our commanders," Bush said. "We will work with Congress on these veterans' benefits .... But the $108 billion is $108 billion."

As we know from the President's past attempts at bipartisanship, "We will work with Congress" means that its Bush's way or no way. $108 billion means more contracts for war profiteers like Halliburton and Blackwater. It means more dead and wounded soldiers. It means more death and chaos across the country of Iraq. It means continuing down a dead end street.

This time we need the Congress to hold firm and resist the President. Of course, we needed them to be strong for the last few times in the last year and a half, so I'm not holding my breath.

Four Thousand Reasons To Leave

Sunday may have been a day of easter egg hunts and young children getting their picture taken with the Easter bunny, but it was far more grim in the streets of Baghdad and Iraq as a whole. As a few of our soldiers made their way down a Baghdad street, a bomb brought four of their young lives to a close. In that instant four families lost a loved one and the nation counted it's four thousandth death in this avoidable tragedy that has gone on for more than five years.

From Yahoo News:

The American deaths occurred Sunday, the same day rockets and mortars pounded the U.S.-protected Green Zone in Baghdad and a wave of attacks left at least 61 Iraqis dead nationwide.

An Iraqi military spokesman said Monday that troops had found rocket launching pads in different areas in predominantly Shiite eastern Baghdad that had been used by extremists to fire on the Green Zone, which houses the U.S. Embassy and the Iraqi government headquarters.

"We hope to deal with this issue professionally to avoid civilian casualties," said spokesman Qassim al-Moussawi.

The four soldiers with Multi-National Division — Baghdad were on a patrol when their vehicle was struck at about 10 p.m. Sunday in southern Baghdad, the U.S. military said. Another soldier was wounded in the attack — less than a week after the fifth anniversary of the conflict.

Navy Lt. Patrick Evans, a military spokesman, expressed condolences to all the families of soldiers killed in Iraq, saying each death is "equally tragic."

Yes Mr. Evans, each death is equally tragic, yet we continue to accrue equally tragic casualties in this misbegotten folly of a war. Easter may have been a happy day for many that believe in the Easter bunny, but not for those four families that had their worst fears realized....and the 3,996 families before them.

What's Five Years Anyway?

What does five years mean to you? Literally its a half a decade. It can be a small child getting ready for kindergarten, a slightly lengthened college career or the time to get ready for a Senator looking to be re-elected. It means a lot of different things to many different people. Yet one thing many of us share, is our nation's collective experience in Iraq. Five years ago our country was lied to and manipulated and on this day in 2003 our troops crossed the Iraqi-Kuwaiti border and deposed Saddam Hussein not too much later.

Since then, we have lost nearly four thousand soldiers have lost their lives, hundreds if not more contractors have been killed and tens of thousands have been wounded in one way or another. That means that hundreds of thousands of Americans know friends or family that have died in the war, or experience the post-war lives of the wounded. Sometimes it is hard to notice the direct effects in your community but then it sometimes not. A couple months ago I was grumbling about one thing or another when I was buying something at the pharmacy and I turned to my left and saw a young man who had a prosthetic leg. Every other part of him looked like a soldier...and I completely forgot what I was angry about.

The other day I was walking with my girlfriend and we passed the 69th Regiment Armory over on Lex and 26th. She noticed a group of National Guard troops and was shocked at how young they were. Even in our late 20s, it is hard to see people in uniform with baby faces. Those soldiers have the very real possibility of being shipped over to Iraq. It is incredible....and yet it is unconscionable.

And what, pray tell does George Bush think about his failed war? What does he gather about five years of death, misery, poverty and a new struggling theocratic government in Iraq? Does he think about the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians that have died, or perhaps the influx of terrorist organization into the country since he began the war? Well, why not ask him?

From The Huffington Post:

WASHINGTON — President Bush says he has no doubts about launching the unpopular war in Iraq despite the "high cost in lives and treasure," arguing that retreat now would embolden Iran and provide al-Qaida with money for weapons of mass destruction to attack the United States.[...]

Looking back, Bush said, "Five years into this battle, there is an understandable debate over whether the war was worth fighting ... whether the fight is worth winning ... and whether we can win it. The answers are clear to me: Removing Saddam Hussein from power was the right decision and this is a fight America can and must win."

Bush said the past five years have brought "moments of triumph and moments of tragedy," from free elections in Iraq to acts of brutality and violence.

"The terrorists who murder the innocent in the streets of Baghdad want to murder the innocent in the streets of American cities. Defeating this enemy in Iraq will make it less likely we will face this enemy here at home," Bush said.

So there we have it. More lies, the same lies and the tired rationale that somehow Iraqis who have decided to rebel against our occupying force would come over here to fight us in our homes. No Mr. President, it is you that sent our troops to fight in their homes. You sir, are the terrorist that helps to murder the innocent with your deception, your bloodlust and your greed for power and domination.

Five years to me is five out of seven failed years of your Presidency. It is five years that you have sent our soldiers off to die and many to be scarred (physically, mentally or both) for life. It is five years that you have trashed our reputation in the global community and plundered our economy to fight this godforsaken war. For shame George, for shame.

There Is A Better Way To Spend $720 Million A Day

Imagine the possibilities......



And remember the candidates that are promising one hundred years in Iraq if thats what it takes, what the objective is......nobody knows.

The Three Trillion Dollar Road To Hell

When I was a kid and introduced to the Wizard of Oz, the yellow brick road amused me to no end....when I was four. Now George Bush literally wants to pave our way into the depths of perdition by wasting our resources, our military and domestic programs that help make us strong. For the first time ever, the requested national budget from the President is over three trillion dollars.

From RawStory:

The 2009 spending plan sent to Congress on Monday will project huge budget deficits, around $400 billion for this year and next and more than double the 2007 deficit of $163 billion. But even those estimates could prove too low given the rapidly weakening economy and the total costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which Bush does not include in his request for the budget year beginning Oct. 1.

Last year, when Democrats were newly in the majority, there were drawn-out veto struggles. This year's fights could be worse because it is an election year.

As in past years, Bush's biggest proposed increases are in national security. Defense spending is projected to rise by about 7 percent to $515 billion and homeland security money by almost 11 percent, with a big gain for border security. Details on the budget were obtained through interviews with administration officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity until the budget's release.

The bulk of government programs for which Congress sets annual spending levels would remain essentially frozen at current levels. The president does shower extra money on some favored programs in education and to bolster inspections of imported food.

Bush's spending proposal would achieve sizable savings by slowing the growth in the major health programs — Medicare for retirees and Medicaid for the poor. There the president will be asking for almost $200 billion in cuts over five years, about three times the savings he proposed last year.

"Achieve sizable savings by slowing the growth in the major health programs....." That line is truly haunting. Instead of saving money by ending the war or keeping military projects within the Pentagon in place of ridiculously expensive contracts, we will be starving those most in need while continuing to sell our future away with a massive amount of debt.

If Bush is looking for a legacy, I believe 'death and destruction of country' already found him.

The Cost Of War

The debate over the war in Iraq, whether we should, or should not have gone in unfortunately rages between a majority and a minority of Americans to this very day. True, the majority has switched to those being against the war in the last five years but regardless, we are still paying the price. Big numbers can sound abstract to many people as they lead their busy lives, so sometimes you need to put things in perspective. Numbers like 3,908 and $483 billion can become mind numbing to all of us, even if they are shocking at first. So that is why I want you to read the last blog post from Major Andrew Olmstead. His words do what no others can.

From Obsidian Wings:

This is an entry I would have preferred not to have published, but there are limits to what we can control in life, and apparently I have passed one of those limits. And so, like G'Kar, I must say here what I would much prefer to say in person. I want to thank hilzoy for putting it up for me. It's not easy asking anyone to do something for you in the event of your death, and it is a testament to her quality that she didn't hesitate to accept the charge. As with many bloggers, I have a disgustingly large ego, and so I just couldn't bear the thought of not being able to have the last word if the need arose. Perhaps I take that further than most, I don't know. I hope so. It's frightening to think there are many people as neurotic as I am in the world. In any case, since I won't get another chance to say what I think, I wanted to take advantage of this opportunity. Such as it is.

"When some people die, it's time to be sad. But when other people die, like really evil people, or the Irish, it's time to celebrate."
Jimmy Bender, "Greg the Bunny"

"And maybe now it's your turn
To die kicking some ass."
Freedom Isn't Free, Team America

What I don't want this to be is a chance for me, or anyone else, to be maudlin. I'm dead. That sucks, at least for me and my family and friends. But all the tears in the world aren't going to bring me back, so I would prefer that people remember the good things about me rather than mourning my loss. (If it turns out a specific number of tears will, in fact, bring me back to life, then by all means, break out the onions.) I had a pretty good life, as I noted above. Sure, all things being equal I would have preferred to have more time, but I have no business complaining with all the good fortune I've enjoyed in my life. So if you're up for that, put on a little 80s music (preferably vintage 1980-1984), grab a Coke and have a drink with me. If you have it, throw 'Freedom Isn't Free' from the Team America soundtrack in; if you can't laugh at that song, I think you need to lighten up a little. I'm dead, but if you're reading this, you're not, so take a moment to enjoy that happy fact. Read on...

I never got the chance to read Andy's works until now, but I am glad I was able to find them. He was a brilliant yet humble writer who personifies the cost of the war. In that comment thread at Obsidian Wings there is a policy not to post political comments, since Andy's family is reading it, so please, if you like what he wrote, please leave a respectful comment down below.

Godspeed Andy.

We're Paying How Much !?!?!?!?

$1,500,000,000.00 = $20,000 per household.....and almost all of it is on credit. Bush has the gall to claim that Democrats are spending money like a teenager with a credit card yet he is refinancing the house for the seventh time. This war of words must end, we have to punish Bush now and make it hurt.

The Cost Of The War In NYC

To the average person, it is hard to truly understand what $2.4 trillion or $456 billion means when it comes to the cost of war. Sometimes its easier to break it down on an individual level. To really feel it, many people have lost loved ones and friends to the war, with almost 4,000 now dead because of a pointless occupation of Iraq. For the rest of us, we can break it down into dollars and cents.

From The Gotham Gazette:

So how does the cost of the Iraq War break down across the city? According to a new analysis by the National Priorities Project, a nonprofit research group that analyses federal budget data, the city covers more than a third of the war’s entire cost to the state and about 3 percent of its cost to the country.

The data breaks down the local bill through fiscal year 2007. Interestingly, the war has brought the largest tab to Queens, which outspent the rest of the boroughs by nearly $1 billion.

The group also looks at the proposed war costs for fiscal year 2008 and how that is dispersed locally.

Here is the breakdown borough by borough for fiscal year ‘07:

Bronx: $1,828,300,000

Brooklyn: $3,936,500,000

Manhattan: $3,592,200,000

Queens: $4,701,200,000

Staten Island: $1,213,500,000

New York City total: $15,237,500,000

New York State total: $40,915,800,000

The U.S. total is about $456 billion.

Queens is the biggest borough population-wise, so naturally they would have the largest cost. Whatever the cost, it is far too much for Bush's biggest folly, and our national tragedy.