Tuesday, September 09, 2003
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A45117-2003Sep8.html
Great article in the Washington Post covering the continuing fiscal follies of our “Santa Claus” President. This guy wants to give everything to everybody without having to pay for it. No wonder he structured the majority of his tax cuts to take effect AFTER he left office. Considering the deficits our country is running now, I can’t image five years from now.
The article puts it in perspective this way, “Bush hopes to spend more in Iraq and Afghanistan than all 50 states say they need -- $78 billion -- to finance the budget shortfalls they anticipate for 2004. The request is higher than the $74 billion the Defense Department plans to spend on all new weapons purchases next year, and higher than the $29.5 billion the Education Department hopes to spend on elementary and secondary education plus the $41.3 billion the administration plans to spend to defend the homeland.”
This is why you don’t fight wars where there is no imminent threat unless there is an INTERNATIONAL coalition.
Sen. Kerry’s speech in October was right on the money, “In giving the President this authority, I expect him to fulfill the commitments he has made to the American people in recent days –to work with the United Nations Security Council to adopt a new resolution setting out tough and immediate inspection requirements, and to act with our allies at our side if we have to disarm Saddam Hussein by force. If he fails to do so, I will be among the first to speak out.” Let there be no doubt or confusion about where we stand on this. I will support a multilateral effort to disarm him by force, if we ever exhaust those other options, as the President promised, but I will not support a unilateral U.S. war against Iraq…”
In the first Gulf War, our allies shared over 70% of the burden of the war. What a contrast to today. His diplomatic failure and rush to war leaves our next generation saddled with debt while cutting tax rates for those who don’t need it.
While we can’t leave Iraq now, this President needs own up to his mistake, be honest and find a way to pay for his folly without structurally damaging the poor and middle class in this country.
Iraq Heroes
Great article in the Washington Post covering the continuing fiscal follies of our “Santa Claus” President. This guy wants to give everything to everybody without having to pay for it. No wonder he structured the majority of his tax cuts to take effect AFTER he left office. Considering the deficits our country is running now, I can’t image five years from now.
The article puts it in perspective this way, “Bush hopes to spend more in Iraq and Afghanistan than all 50 states say they need -- $78 billion -- to finance the budget shortfalls they anticipate for 2004. The request is higher than the $74 billion the Defense Department plans to spend on all new weapons purchases next year, and higher than the $29.5 billion the Education Department hopes to spend on elementary and secondary education plus the $41.3 billion the administration plans to spend to defend the homeland.”
This is why you don’t fight wars where there is no imminent threat unless there is an INTERNATIONAL coalition.
Sen. Kerry’s speech in October was right on the money, “In giving the President this authority, I expect him to fulfill the commitments he has made to the American people in recent days –to work with the United Nations Security Council to adopt a new resolution setting out tough and immediate inspection requirements, and to act with our allies at our side if we have to disarm Saddam Hussein by force. If he fails to do so, I will be among the first to speak out.” Let there be no doubt or confusion about where we stand on this. I will support a multilateral effort to disarm him by force, if we ever exhaust those other options, as the President promised, but I will not support a unilateral U.S. war against Iraq…”
In the first Gulf War, our allies shared over 70% of the burden of the war. What a contrast to today. His diplomatic failure and rush to war leaves our next generation saddled with debt while cutting tax rates for those who don’t need it.
While we can’t leave Iraq now, this President needs own up to his mistake, be honest and find a way to pay for his folly without structurally damaging the poor and middle class in this country.
Iraq Heroes
# posted by AB @ 8:43 AM 
