War deficit
Contrary to what we hear, the cost of war accounts for almost 80 percent of the federal deficit and tax cuts for the wealthy make up most of the rest.
By
John Davey
post a letter about this article »
Wonderful post! Thank you.
You left out the best part: Everyone is blaming Obama for something he never did but inherited. Yes, he now appears weak and ineffective, but what would you do with a mess like ours, especially when you are surrounded by naysayers and those who take delight in obstructing?
Conservatives and Republican'ts are at their finest when they can find someone else to blame. If it were not for the wealthy, I would find it hard to believe that the GOP would even exist let alone survive.
-Franz Fripplfrappl | Madison | September 8, 2011
Nicely put, Mr. Davey. I will pick one nit, however. I understand the deficit to be an expression of the shortfall of the current annual budget. The unfunded war spending has gone on for over nine years. Multiple years of budget deficits create a many trillions of expanding public debt for which our children will pay dearly...Especially if we enter an inflationary period and interest on the debt consumes future discretionary budgets.
Speaking of the discretionary portion of the budget, I would add that over those past nine years and in addition to the unpaid war costs, the defense budget has consumed between 50 and 60% of the discretionary federal spending. Add to that a bloated 'Homeland Security' budget, and it appears to me that a rag-tag group of less than a thousand terrorists has launched the county into a mad spending frenzy driven by fear, opportunistic corporate imperialism, and profiteering. In the meantime, we have willingly allowed the citizens who comprise three corporate-beholden branches of government to divert funds from enterprises and institutions which would lead to a more secure future...i.e.: Education, sustainable energy, compassionate access to healthcare, social security...
Our culture is showing evidence of deep-seated stress. I believe that this stress is often unspoken, but silently felt by many on both sides of the trumped-up political divide. No matter where you may stand politically, I believe that you are uncomfortable with the illogic of our violent and uncaring ways. I believe that you are uncomfortable with the diminishing faith we may have in our core institutions. I believe that we know very well that our way of life and our impaired and corporate values-based leadership will not lead to a more secure future for our children. Will this stress perhaps lead to a tipping point? How much damage must we do to the very resources upon which we depend before we realize that the current political divide does not serve the common good?
Perhaps it is time that we allow ourselves to listen to the views from the front line. Teachers, healthcare and manufacturing workers, coal miners, engineers, farmers, war veterans...are just a few of those expressing angst about the conditions they see within their respective institutions. Here, we may find the common themes that will reveal the common good.
-North Woods | Woodruff, WI | September 8, 2011
