Question is to what extent is Iraq effecting our daily lives? Seems to me that Iraq has become a “Major” issue placing a plethora of other issues on the backburner.
I’m not trying to belittle Iraq or the sacrafices being made there or the arguements on either side. However how many are being effected by the Iraq issue and to what extent versus something like healthcare, the economy or even SS reform…yeh I know that last one is a dead horse.
Just curious, what people think, are we spending to much time and effort on one issue again?
It can’t really be separated from any other major issue. We are dumping $6 billion a month into Iraq right now. We can’t afford to do much of anything else until that is addressed.
In my line of work I cross paths with a lot of companies who are working in Iraq and they can’t get over not only how badly that country is messed up but how badly our policies are messed up.
Bechtel, the big engineering company that just pulled out of Iraq was building a state of the art hospital complete with every piece of cutting-edge technology money can buy. They were spending hundreds of millions of dollars on a white elephant edifice when what the coutry really needs is local healthcare clinics to take care of basic healthcare needs. They were installing million dollar lasik surgery technology and CAT scanners and the children in Baghdad can’t get $1 vaccines. The hospital was decided upon for political reasons, its hard to have a ribbon cutting ceremony for giving a child a shot.
We need to get the hell out of that country as quickly and humanely as possible. Bush needs to lean hard on his Saudi buddies to start footing the bill for iraq security and reconstruction, after all we are there for their security and economic interests. When its Saudi money on the line you’ll probably see a lot less graft and corruption.
Question is to what extent is Iraq effecting our daily lives?
It doesn’t really effect our daily lives and that’s the way we like it. As long as someone is over “there” fighting, we gain a sense of security, as false as that may be. After 9/11 there was outrage and a need for revenge (enter Saddam Hussein) and our government was more than willing to make the revenge issue their mandate to take us to war. We were more than happy to agree, as long as it didn’t interrupt our daily lives.
I think if we are attacked again, the reality will hit home AGAIN, that the Muslim extremists are not just thinking 9/11 was an isolated incidence and now they are going home. At some point, it will impact our daily lives. It’s not something any of us want but I believe it is something we will have to get used to.
**Seems to me that Iraq has become a “Major” issue placing a plethora of other issues on the backburner. **
I think that was the Republican strategy because they always score highest on National Security issues. I think the real problem for them was that Bush kept repeating the same things over and over (ie. stay the course, we are winning, better to fight them over there than here, etc.) but there was a disconnect between the rhetoric and what we were seeing on the T.V and reading in the papers.
However how many are being effected by the Iraq issue and to what extent versus something like healthcare, the economy or even SS reform
That plan backfired on the Republicans and I anticipate that we will see more issues raised. However, if we are attacked again or the war goes on into 2008, the focus will go right back to Iraq and the Republicans will jump on it as their opportunity. It will be interesting to see new options brought to the table and how the Bush handles those options.
I think the election results were great. It’s now time for the Dems to actually take a stand and it’s time to see if Bush can put partisanship aside for the good of the country.
" It can’t really be separated from any other major issue. We are dumping $6 billion a month into Iraq right now. We can’t afford to do much of anything else until that is addressed."
National Defense budget 2002 in millions 348,555
2005 - 495,335.
Increase not including inflation 146,780
Total Budget 2005 2,069,994
Total Defense difference as a percent of 2005 budget 7%.
Seems to me that the money spent on teh defense is not much greater of an increase than Medicare and SS increase combined.
Now throw that in with the fact that health care cost in the US was roughly 1.9 TRILLION in 2004, seems to me that spending in Iraq is dwarfed by the healthcare issue. A mere 1% increase in one year, over 2004 prices is larger than the entire increase if the defense budget from 2002 thru 2005 combined.
The rest of the “inneffecienies” and bad policies are, well, not surprising. Nor is it confined to Iraq, so IMHO is pretty much a moot point.
This if course is the TOTAL of what is being spent in Iraq assuming that all of those cost would disappear if we pulled out of Iraq, which they would not.
None the less, still comparitively nothing compared to the healthcare issue(s).
Without getting into a huge discussion about the war and getting all the trolls excited, I think the election was a giant, national referendum on the war. I think the American people voted on the administration’s handling of the war and basically said: “The war in Iraq is wrong and we don’t support what you’re doing there”. By the way, I do believe that we are at war, but Iraq is a distraction. The real war should be in Afghanistan. I would be more supportive of military action there. My own $.02. My son is philosophically opposed to the war as are many of his fellow service members. Can’t imagine being sent to war when you don’t believe in what you’re fighting for.
By the way, I do believe that we are at war, but Iraq is a distraction. The real war should be in Afghanistan. I would be more supportive of military action there.
I agree 100%. Regardless, I hope we are able to put at end to this much sooner than later and that your son is able to stay out of harm’s way.
I think everyone on both sides of the aisle will agree on that.
Define discretionary. IMHO about the only non-discretionary expenditure in the budget would be teh interest on teh loan. All other’s simply “Programs” we choose or don’t choose to pay for.