WHAT HAPPENED TO THE MONEY?
I have heard that the United States is "wasting a billion dollars a
week in Iraq."Now, I'm not exactly an expert in foreign policy, but I
hesitate to say the money is being "wasted ." While I wasn't
particularly in favor of this war, I'm not sure my judgment should be
taken too seriously in the matter." After all, when you've got a
country with 300 million folks in it and about half think the war is
worth fighting, either there are a lot of duped or stupid people, or
there must be SOMETHING positive to say for the war.
I'm sort of a peaceable guy, but I also consider myself somewhat
logical and reasonable." I was not in favor of the Korean War." I have
no idea why we were there, but I DO know that once we WERE there, it
would have been a good idea to win it decisively." I DO know that by
politicizing the war and making certain territory "off limits, we
unnecessarily tied the hands of our commanders." While we didn't lose
the war, we certainly didn't win it.
I suspect that if we had decisively won the Korean War, we would not
have had to fight in Vietnam." I was not in favor of the war in
Vietnam, but I DO know that once we were there, it would have been a
good idea to win it." I DO know that by politicizing the war, making
certain territory "off limits , and letting the politicians play
general we tied the hands of our commanders unnecessarily and lost the
war." I am convinced that had we WON that war, we would not have had to
fight in Iraq either time.
Ê
I believe likewise concerning the terrorist attacks." We should have
learned a lesson from Reagan and Kadaffi." Pan Am flight 103 went down;
Kadaffi's palace got bombed; no more flights went down." Had we taken
steps after the initial acts of terrorism, I suspect that the World
Trade Center would still be standing.
Ê
It is abundantly clear that if we had won decisively in Iraq the first
time, we would not be fighting there now." (Ironically enough, for 10
years I listened to the left wing lament, "Bush [41] didn't finish the
job. ÊHe didn't go into Bagdad and get Saddam. " NOW, I've got to
listen to them complain that Bush [43] DID go into Bagdad and DID get
Saddam.)
What I wish to address is the often repeated statement, "If we were
not spending that money in Iraq, we could & and then follows a litany
of "good things that the money could accomplish." Personally, I'm not
so sure.
Let's go back to 1964 or so, and the "War on Poverty ." Johnson stole
the money from Social Security and used it to fund a "War on Poverty
.." To date, I can see no obvious results from spending that money
(over six trillion dollars)." The percentage of folks in poverty is
about the same as when he started, and the absolute number is greater.
Let us move on to the seventies." Our roads were great and "excess
money was being collected from the gasoline tax." This money is
dedicated to road construction, repairs, and improvement." Since the
money was not needed to repair the roads, Congress "borrowed the
money, left IOUs in the highway trust fund, and spent the money." I
could (and can) see no obvious results from that money." Today, our
roads, bridges, and general transportation infrastructure is in
shambles." When we went to the highway fund to get the money to repair
them, all that was there were a bunch of IOUs." Congress now
appropriates money to address the problem." APPROPRIATES??" Why in heck
didn't they just redeem the IOUs?" They had to BORROW the money they
appropriated after stealing the original funds!
Let's move on to the nineties." The Soviet Union was no more."
President Clinton began reducing (some would say decimating, even
demolishing) the military." He reduced it by:
709,000 regular (active duty) service personnel; 293,000 reserve
troops; eight standing army divisions; 20 air force and navy air wings
with 2,000 combat aircraft; 232 strategic bombers; 13 strategic
ballistic missile submarines with 3,114 nuclear warheads on 232
missiles; 500 ICBMs with 1,950 warheads; four aircraft carriers, and
121 surface combat ships and submarines--plus all the support bases,
shipyards and logistical assets needed to sustain such a force." In
inflation adjusted dollars, he CUT the defense budget 25% or about 75
BILLION dollars." Over eight years, that's a considerable amount of
money.
It was called "The Peace Dividend ." I don't know where they spent the
money since they didn't consult me." They talked of all the great
things that could be done with this money." I am not aware of ANY great
things that WERE accomplished." Actually I'm not aware of anything
accomplished at all." Maybe I just don't read enough.
TODAY, folks want to take the money they took from us because they
needed it for "defense and spend it on something else (again)."
Perhaps I'm somewhat hard hearted, but I've got to ask, "What have you
done with all the other money you took from us? " I don't know what YOU
folks call it when you obtain money for one purpose and spend it on
another, but where I come from we call it FRAUD." People who do it are
called "con men or "confidence men." They are considered criminals.
Forgive my ranting, but you took our money for our retirement and you
spent in on "good things ; you took our money for roads and you spent
it on "good things ; you took our money for defense and you spent it
on "good things ." NOW, you want MORE money that we gave for defense
to spend on MORE GOOD THINGS." Please tell me JUST WHAT GOOD THINGS
ARE YOU GOING TO SPEND IT ON THIS TIME?
Before you answer that question, could you possibly respond to these
two:
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH ALL THE MONEY THAT YOU HAVE ALREADY SPENT
(MISAPPROPRIATED)?" WHAT "GOOD THINGS DID YOU SPEND IT ON?
I don't want you to tell me WHERE you spent it I know that." You spent
it on "the poor , "the arts , "education ," "job training ,"
"health care and/or "social programs ." What I believe the American
public has a right to know is "What did you ACCOMPLISH by spending all
their money? " Our roads are a disaster, being only slightly better
than our education system." Our highway fund is broke." There is more
"poverty stricken in this country NOW then when you started." Our
illegitimate birth rate has skyrocketed, and you've destroyed our
family structure." Our cities are cesspools as citizens flee them." Our
borders are sieves." Health care is falling apart as hospitals close
because they must (but cannot) give free care." We turn felons loose
because we don't have space in our prisons." Social Security is going
broke only slightly more slowly than Medicare." Our military has been
decimated." As you pump more and more money into the economy by giving
it away, the dollar is tanking and we're running a massive deficit."
Our debt has skyrocketed." We're a debtor nation that consumes more
than it produces." You're presently taking more than half of our
income, AND YOU STILL WANT MORE!!
Ê
Gawd help us if we give you any MORE money to spend." How much will be
enough? How much MORE damage will you do?" How many more "bridges to
nowhere will YOU build with OUR money that WE could use for the
benefit of OUR children?
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