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"Maybe you shouldn't have supported trillions in unfunded wars..."

by: Adam L

Mon Feb 28, 2011 at 02:52:21 PM EST



What "the great deficit debate" really boils down to is one thing:  priorities.

Deficits weren't a priority when nearly all Republicans and a good number of Democrats voted for the ill conceived and ill advised invasions and occupations in Afghanistan and Iraq close to a decade ago.  They weren't a priority when tens, if not hundreds of billions went to waste or were just "lost" in Iraq - not knowing if they ended up in the hands of those who were the stated enemy.  They weren't a priority when billions of no-bid contracts were handed out like candy, with no accounting.

There were some in Congress, including my Representative, Scott Garrett, who weren't yet elected when the first vote was taken to start the folly in Iraq.  However, he, and his ilk have been present for all or most of the subsequent economy killing votes to continue funding these disasters with our children's, grandchildren's and great-grandchildren's money.  There wasn't even a hesitation on most of this - even with the very basic premise that cutting taxes in conjunction with a war is unheard of and pretty much unprecedented.

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Adam L :: "Maybe you shouldn't have supported trillions in unfunded wars..."
There was little to no concern of the drain on the economy, the massive deficits being caused by these trillions - coupled with the massive tax cuts at the same time.  There was little to no concern when the levees in Louisiana couldn't hold back, despite prior warnings.  There was little to no concern when bridges were collapsing in Minnesota, when a failure of the power grid knocked out much of the east coast for over a full day or as our country's roads were given failing and close to failing grades.

There was little to no concern when the amount of money being borrowed was a neverending pit, or when the weapons being used weren't really suitable for the kind of "war" that was being waged.  There was little to no concern when the debt was piling up and our country's coffers were being raided for "business opportunities" for looting by private companies post invasion rebuilding.  There was little to no concern that this government was paying private contractors scads of money for "security" in Iraq - with no accountability and on numerous instances, with highly questionable behavior.

So now, as we hear suddenly from the same people that brought the ill advised invasion and occupation of Iraq, the same people that doubled down on Afghanistan, the same people who have no interest in holding those accountable for stealing untold billions from We the People - we hear that this country can't afford to take care of its own?  

Really?  Really?  Perhaps if any thought was given to the plight of Americans and the US economy for the past 8 years, then we wouldn't be in a "nobody could have guessed" scenario as the guilty parties try to give moral advice.

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Well said (4.00 / 1)
As Charlie Brown said to Lucy... THAT'S IT!!! Just wish MSM was addressing this point. My representative in Congress, Rob Andrews not only voted for the Iraq war resolution but posed with Bush for the signing.

mmgth

Burdens and costs (0.00 / 0)
Rolling Stone (Issue 1124) has an excellent piece on Gen. Petraeus' plan to get us out of Afghanistan - "one that involves way more killing, a ton of cash, and a whole lot of spin." And Rolling Stone on-line just came out with an article on how "The U.S. Army illegally ordered a team of soldiers specializing in "psychological operations" to manipulate visiting American senators into providing more troops and funding for the war."

An excellent book on this subject is the just published Bing West: The Wrong War where he discusses the Obama administration's failing counterinsurgency strategy that emphasizes "winning over the population" ("Thus our military became a gigantic Peace Corps... drinking billions of cups of tea, and handing out billions of dollars") - an "amorphous" mission that confused the soldiers.  The author proposes that the U.S. immediately "transition to an adviser corps" whose primary task would be to continue training Afghan forces to defeat the Taliban.

It is now time for the Afghans, not the Americans, to be shouldering these burdens and costs.  

"The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die." - Sen. Ted Kennedy


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