Friday, September 02, 2005

Unpopular thought for the day

This country spends about $1.3 billion on the war in Iraq every week.

There wasn't a vote as such on whether or not to invade Iraq; there wasn't a vote on whether or not we should let Osama bin Laden go free. This was something the American taxpayer was basically handed as a done deal...and even now that more than half the country will say it was a mistake to invade Iraq, we will likely still go on for several more years spending $1.3 billion every single week on that endeavor.

The President wants to make the suspension of the estate tax permanent. He wants to reduce federal spending and cut taxes still more. Except for that thing in Iraq, mind you, where no amount is too high...provided it doesn't go towards body armor, or adequate medical facilities for wounded troops. And then he asks Americans to donate to the Red Cross for hurricane relief.

I find that offensive. I'm sorry if anyone thinks that makes me a bad guy, but there it is.

If private charitable giving is the way to go, I say let the Pentagon get its military budget from charitable donations. If we need those funds for defense, let the Administration make its case to the American people and see if they'll voluntarily donate $1.3 billion every week to keep it going. But if you're going to collect tax money from the people, shouldn't the first priority be spending it on saving the lives of those same people?

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