12 Billion a month for 2008 in Iraq?

[midlifebear]

OK, I might as well see if this stirs up as much anger in any LPSG members as it does me. I had to check my Yahoo e-mail account (I use another, more sophisticated portal most of the time) and one of the lovely Yahoo headlines noted that non-partisan, independent sources have forecast that we 'Mericuhns is a gonna pay 12 billion a month just for 2008 to do whatever isn't working in Iraq and Afganistan. In my humble opinion, this is a low-ball prediction and whoever is elected the next President of These United States (him, him, or her) will probably not make much of a difference.

Are there really any of you out there who actually believe that George W. Bush is in control, a "good" president, and has led our country well during the last 7 years? How much would it take to restore the damage still evident in New Orleans? Do you think national health care would actually cost more than 12 billion a MONTH for all Americans? What's important to you: 1) war and your SUV's or 2) education/health care/maintaining and improving the infrastructure of the USA? Discuss. I know what my opinion is.

Source: Studies: Iraq costs US $12B per month - Yahoo! News.

 

[SSBrownBear]

MidlifeBear - You're preaching to the choir with me. I agree with you.

However - if listening to CSPAN's American Journal every day is any indication - Mr. Bush still has many fans; at least the one who stay on hold for 2 hours to spew their loyalty. They explain the inexplicable thusly:

The liberal media
Lack of respect for "our" president
Lack of patriotism
Lack of support for the troops
gays/jews/fill-in-the minority (the "n" word makes it past the screener sometime)

What truly fascinates me are the Republicans who call in and want to blame it all on the Dems (actually, I think both parties equally heinous). I wonder if they ever consider how the country got to where it is right now...or why why my place of employment is about to lay off 10% of its workforce or why a high percentage of homes are in foreclosure.

I might be giving in to a stereotype, but I can't help but think that the "murican" who still thinks we're being well served by the current occupant of the White House wouldn't necessarily be found hanging out here at LPSG.

If you're still standing by your man, let's hear from you. You got some 'splaining to do!

SSBB

 

[alex8.5]

I find it appaling that Bush is spending this kind of money on another country when ours seems to be falling apart. People are sleeping on the street, shelters. They can't afford food, education, clothing, people living in houses that are literally falling apart. I'm all for aiding other countries, but when it is becuase he can't find one terrorist and he's still at it. Give it up Bush, you won;t find him. The funny part is, Bin Laden is probably living in a mansion in America ..

 

[midlifebear]

SSBrownbear and alex8.5:

I suspected I might be preaching to the choir. I have received a few PM's from people in the military who have served and are going to serve again, tours of duty in both Iraq and Afganistan. It's my sincere hope they all return home safe, and soon. Two weekend warriors now on active duty have even sent me lists of specific items they lack to protect themselves and the locals from bomb blasts and bullets. I find this incredible; we're in a war -- justifiably or not -- and not equiping our troops adequately? WTF?

One of the reasons I started this thread this morning is because I'll be returning to the USA substantially earlier than I had anticipated. Instead of October I'll be arriving back in Nevada in a few weeks. My home in the USA is in the north eastern part of Nevada; hearty, cattle-raising, cowboy country where the big celebrations are the county rodeo and the weekend car shows where folks take great pride in showing off their restored Chevy's, T-Birds, Corvettes, etc. My neighbors (many friends) have recently lost everything due to 6.0 and above earthquakes that have pretty much left many living in the motels and with neighbors who were lucky to avoid much damage. That part of the Nevada isn't exactly flush with rich folks.

Almost everyone didn't have earthquake insurance. But is there any government help available for these every-day working class flag-waving citizens to simply get a foot-hold to begin rebuilding their lives? Apparantly not. Ironically, I did have earthquake insurance and didn't suffer any damage. Since I'm rarely at my ranch, I'll be moving a newly homeless family into my Nevada home, rent free, so they can get back on their feet. However, they will still have a rough time of it because my place is 20 miles outside of the main town where the parents both have low-paying jobs (one works graveyard the other days) and their children attend school. They tell me that diesel and gasoline are currently selling for U$S3.89 and U$S4.01 a gallon. So, they'll have at least a couple of daily round-trips into town in older vehicles that get very bad mileage cutting into their low wages. Even with my help they will have a rough time keeping their family fed and clothed.

I doubt anyone working for Halliburton is suffering much -- unless they're working in Iraq or Afganistan. Even the local librarian has had to cut the library hours because she cannot afford the daily commute until she gets rid of her SUV and gets a smaller car that sucks up less fuel.

It just fucking pisses me off that despite doing the right things, being politically involved (albeit I'm living outside the USA, but still paying a ton of Federal taxes and I ALWAYS vote) that we can't even help our own citizens. Grumble, grumble, grumble, grumble, grumble, grumble, grumble, and grumble!

 

[deleted136887]

From a non-american: I'm glad to see so many people do NOT support GW Bush. Of course, any american outside the USA CLAIMS that they never voted for Bush, it's all a conspiracy by big oil(it probably is!!) 12 Billion could help a lot of people in the US, could even remake the US into the great nation it once was. Give the people back their pride and self-respect. I feel sorry for the US troops, who are wasting their lives for no discernable cause. I feel sorrier for the millions of people in the countries occupied by the so-called coalition, who are getting maimed and killed by unwanted occupiers( that's the definition of the occupier: hated and unwanted, despised), their economies hijacked by the Haliburtons of this world. But will it change? no matter who is in charge in the USA, the system is too dependand on big bussiness and favours and influence-peddling. Who cares a f*** what the people need and want? Certainly not an elected official?

 

[HazelGod]

This also begs the question of why the American taxpayers are continuing to foot the bill for security and reconstruction efforts in Iraq?

It might have made a bit of sense in 2003, when the country's infrastructure was torn apart and the price of oil was lower...but now Iraq is churning up 2.2+ million barrels per day, and crude is holding steady above $100 US per barrel, so they're making upwards of $50+ billion per year.

So why are we still financing this disaster?

 

[Chick&2DicksUK]

And there's me, struggling to pay the mortgage.

 

[Oncamale28]

Bush deserves to be tarred and feathered in broad daylight in the capitol mall

 

[simcha]

Bush deserves to be tarred and feathered in broad daylight in the capitol mall

Now that would be a sight to behold! :biggrin1:

We as a country have made a choice to ignore children. We don't build schools here. We don't pay teachers real wages. We place unfunded mandates on principals to test, test, test, their students, but not teach. We strip our children of any chance of getting healthcare by slashing Medicaid and making it more difficult to qualify. We place youth in a corrupt foster system that gives small payments to people to house a child until 18 only to turn them loose on society after 18 by kicking them out with not enough education and basic life skills to survive. And we abandon the children with mental health issues at 18 to roam the streets homeless and destitute. Meanwhile we scratch our heads and wonder why street violence is rising. And the rich white asshole republicans continue to build their gated communities to protect themselves. We've gutted our nation's mental health system such that the medications that help make people productive members of society don't make it to the people who need it and we cut off funding for them to see good psychotherapists long enough to make changes they need to make in order to be functional while taking the medications.

We are terrible to our children.

Iraq and the 12billion per month is just the latest manifestation of our neglect of our nation's youth. We will continue to fund Haliburton to poison our troops with tainted water and deny our soldiers basic supplies and defenses to protect themselves while allowing the oil executives to get rich off of the war.

It's sad and disgusting and it sickens me.

This country needs an enema and the first turd to be expunged needs to be that giant, crusty, old fool who currently occupies the White House.

 

[liberia]

The blame can only be laid at the feet of the insane American public. What can you expect from a half educated people, the majority of whom still believe in the bible creation story and think David Attenborough and Charles Darwin is and was in league with the devil.

 

[Phil Ayesho]

If you will remember, the american people were told the entire cost of the war would be a mere 12 billion... and that Iraqi oil would pay for it....so it would be "free".


At present , we have spent nearly 500 billion on this idiotic war. And nearly all of that money has been borrowed from the Chinese.



The part Americans really don't get is that this money, in a very large measure, has been directed into the pockets of a very few corporations. A staggering amount has been paid to Blackwater to pay for mercenaries and their state of the art equipment, while US soldiers go begging.

I do believe the GWB is an idiot.
But his staff are criminals

 

[DC_DEEP]

MidlifeBear - You're preaching to the choir with me. I agree with you.
<...>
I might be giving in to a stereotype, but I can't help but think that the "murican" who still thinks we're being well served by the current occupant of the White House wouldn't necessarily be found hanging out here at LPSG.

If you're still standing by your man, let's hear from you. You got some 'splaining to do!

SSBB

You might actually be shocked by how many on LPSG think he has done, and is still doing, a fine job. There are quite a few who mistakenly think that just because they see themselves as "conservative," that means blind allegiance, and if you dissent, it means you hate your country and our servicemembers abroad.

midlifebear, I'm with you. But you have to admit, it is quite a bargain. How else could our fearless leaders kill off so many of our promising young citizens at such a reasonable cost?

Oh, and don't forget how LITTLE the administration wants to provide in veterans' services.

 

[dong20]

Look at it another way, the annual 'cost' is the equivalent of the Government 'knocking' 1$ off a gallon of gas.

http://www.lpsg.org/1329061-post21.html

 

[deleted136887]

Bush deserves to be tarred and feathered in broad daylight in the capitol mall

Tarred and feathered is kintergarten. He's a war criminal and should be held responsible for, and pay for his crimes(after due trail by the world court).And pay fnancially too.

 

[deleted136887]

The blame can only be laid at the feet of the insane American public. What can you expect from a half educated people, the majority of whom still believe in the bible creation story and think David Attenborough and Charles Darwin is and was in league with the devil.

That's a bit harsh. The blame should be laid at the feet of the media in the USA, who is feeding the public blatant lies and getting away with it. What can you expect from FOX,CNN etc? And while we're on it, the BBC is hardly the impartial paragon it once was. It's feeding propaganda and blatant crap into the brains of the UK public(and the rest of the world who still believes the BBC is "true news"), which is also just lapping it up. WMD anyone? WTF happened to that ?

 

[DC_DEEP]

The blame can only be laid at the feet of the insane American public. What can you expect from a half educated people, the majority of whom still believe in the bible creation story and think David Attenborough and Charles Darwin is and was in league with the devil.

Excuse me? I'm "half-educated?" Get over yourself, queen.

 

[SpeedoGuy]

This also begs the question of why the American taxpayers are continuing to foot the bill for security and reconstruction efforts in Iraq?

So why are we still financing this disaster?

It is indeed the question.

Despite some handwringing about the war and all its associated costs, our reps in Congress continue to feed the beast. Business as usual.