The Republicans in America are hell-bent on cutting back Government expenditure - especially if it makes inroads into the Democrat's programs and sees social security-type payments or payments to those in need reduced.
Meanwhile, the Americans grapple with a deficit which seems impossible to curb. There would be one direction in which to look if the GOP chose to do so.......but as this piece "Afghanistan MIA From Deficit Debate" on truthdig highlights, they won't. The cost, purely monetarily that is, involved in the 2 wars America is now fighting, are truly mind-boggling.
"While Republicans race to cut spending, including outlays for education, health care and social services, they never mention one of the real reasons for the deficit: the cost of the war in Afghanistan and the mess we’ve made in Iraq. President Barack Obama ignores it, too, as he cautiously moves to the right, proposing minor reductions, letting the Republicans control the debate. Aiding and abetting them are cable news, Internet news outlets and most of the print media.
The Republican goal is clear. It has nothing to do with America’s longest war. While young men and women are fighting and dying in Afghanistan—1,500 Americans have been killed there—the Republicans are trying to dismantle protections that will assist veterans returning to civilian life and help their families. In addition, the Republicans aim to starve government, destroy protections that created a middle class and leave us with a country of rich and poor and a powerless middle class. In their single-minded pursuit of this goal, they don’t mention the war.
For a real lesson on the impact of the war, visit an informative website, costofwar.com, part of the National Priorities Project, a Massachusetts-based progressive research organization. Looking at this site is a technologically dazzling and emotionally depressing experience. The running cost of our involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan is there, increasing in what looks like milliseconds, broken down to the last dollar, totaling more than $1.165 trillion. The last time I looked, Iraq was $779.4 billion-plus, Afghanistan $386.4 billion-plus, both rising fast.
In the current year, according to a report by the Congressional Research Office, Obama is asking for $51.1 billion more for Iraq and $119.4 billion for Afghanistan.
The Afghanistan request alone, according to the National Priorities Project, is enough to provide health care for 55 million low-income children for a year or hire 1.6 million teachers or furnish Veterans Administration health care for almost 14 million vets.
That story is not being told. War news burnout has struck the great majority of people who run the cable networks, Internet news operations and newspapers. The Afghanistan War is too expensive and complicated for them to explain. How can cost-cutting news executives—terrorized of losing audiences—explain a country that has defied explanation to generations of outsiders?"
Meanwhile, the Americans grapple with a deficit which seems impossible to curb. There would be one direction in which to look if the GOP chose to do so.......but as this piece "Afghanistan MIA From Deficit Debate" on truthdig highlights, they won't. The cost, purely monetarily that is, involved in the 2 wars America is now fighting, are truly mind-boggling.
"While Republicans race to cut spending, including outlays for education, health care and social services, they never mention one of the real reasons for the deficit: the cost of the war in Afghanistan and the mess we’ve made in Iraq. President Barack Obama ignores it, too, as he cautiously moves to the right, proposing minor reductions, letting the Republicans control the debate. Aiding and abetting them are cable news, Internet news outlets and most of the print media.
The Republican goal is clear. It has nothing to do with America’s longest war. While young men and women are fighting and dying in Afghanistan—1,500 Americans have been killed there—the Republicans are trying to dismantle protections that will assist veterans returning to civilian life and help their families. In addition, the Republicans aim to starve government, destroy protections that created a middle class and leave us with a country of rich and poor and a powerless middle class. In their single-minded pursuit of this goal, they don’t mention the war.
For a real lesson on the impact of the war, visit an informative website, costofwar.com, part of the National Priorities Project, a Massachusetts-based progressive research organization. Looking at this site is a technologically dazzling and emotionally depressing experience. The running cost of our involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan is there, increasing in what looks like milliseconds, broken down to the last dollar, totaling more than $1.165 trillion. The last time I looked, Iraq was $779.4 billion-plus, Afghanistan $386.4 billion-plus, both rising fast.
In the current year, according to a report by the Congressional Research Office, Obama is asking for $51.1 billion more for Iraq and $119.4 billion for Afghanistan.
The Afghanistan request alone, according to the National Priorities Project, is enough to provide health care for 55 million low-income children for a year or hire 1.6 million teachers or furnish Veterans Administration health care for almost 14 million vets.
That story is not being told. War news burnout has struck the great majority of people who run the cable networks, Internet news operations and newspapers. The Afghanistan War is too expensive and complicated for them to explain. How can cost-cutting news executives—terrorized of losing audiences—explain a country that has defied explanation to generations of outsiders?"
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