Black and White is Gray » Government and Politics

That's the U.S. for you: Fund wars but not health care

Cassandra — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:13:24 +0000

Can anyone explain why American taxpayers are more willing to fund wars in far-off places than spend their money on health care at home? And why Americans can tolerate so much death and destruction in Iraq and Afghanistan but show so little interest in saving thousands of citizens’ lives?
This Christian nation’s priorities are terribly confusing. But these church-going people are all up in arms over how much health care reform will cost yet keep their mouths shut over the billions the country has borrowed to crash overpriced planes and helicopters in the mountains of Afghanistan.

Between March 2003 and July of this year, 4,200 U.S. military personnel have been killed in Iraq, according to the Brookings Institution. To deploy one, just one, U.S. soldier for one year in Iraq costs a freaking $390,000, according to the Congressional Research Service. Can you ever imagine paying that much for your health insurance premium? So why does health care spending make people so angry? The real ripoff is military spending. Wake up and smell your hard-earned dollars burning in Iraq, taxpaying public.

Here are some other stats that should make you just a little bit angry:

Lost & Unaccounted for in Iraq – $9 billion of U.S. taxpayers’ money and $549.7 million in spare parts shipped in 2004 to U.S. contractors. (ABC News)

Mismanaged & Wasted in Iraq – $10 billion (Congressional hearings)

$20 billion –amount paid to KBR, a former Halliburton division, to supply U.S. military in Iraq with food, fuel, housing and other items

Missing – $1 billion in tractor trailers, tank recovery vehicles, machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and other equipment and services provided to the Iraqi security forces. (CBS News)

After tolerating an administration that did nothing to boost American’s esteem, morale and quality of life, people are now so worried about a deficit that was dumped on them by that administration. An administration that focused its misspent energies on doing everything in its power to leave this country in a recession and deep, deep in debt. But the growing debt wasn’t a problem when the Bush folks were creating it. Now, Obama has no choice but to keep borrowing to fund our insane and hypocritical habits even as he makes the case that we need to control costs on the very expense that people are crying is out of hand: health care.

Don’t you wish Americans would start making sense?

We should get rid of government run:

Marty — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 19:20:17 +0000

I think we should get rid of government run:

Air traffic control.

National defense. Got a gun? do it yourself. I’ll buy you a ticket to Afghanistan.

Highways. Privatize all roadways. You’ll love paying tolls on every road and having interchanges every mile or two.

Fire departments and emergency services. I’ll sell you water and a hose. And heck, after an accident just leave ‘em on the roads for the crows.

National Parks, state parks…hell, all parks and green space. Gosh, you know the private sector will do that better.

Sewage and waste-water treatment.

Water: A well for every household. Neighbor’s sewage runs into it? Tough! That’s what guns are for.

Border patrol, immigration, etc.. Let the private sector take care of it. That’s what guns are for. Duh.

Courts and the legal system. Who needs it? We have guns, let’s use ‘em!

It's not about health-care, get it? It's all about…

Marty — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 22:40:37 +0000

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In the News Today: Republicans and Democrats hit by more scandal

Marty — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 15:07:30 +0000

Republicans and Democrats hit by more scandal

Reported by Myron Hacktor of the Freepress Daily Inquiry

There is yet more scandal in the Republican party since it was recently discovered that an unmarried Republican senator, John Freeman from Nebraska, has had an affair with an unnamed, unmarried woman. Both are approximately the same age, neither have been married before or have any children from a previous relationship. The Republican leadership is calling for his resignation.

In other news, Democrats showed up at a town hall meeting for a health-care debate in Rural Illinois and gave up their Constitutional rights of mob behavior and free speech by having a rational debate.

Finally, it is confirmed, Obama is indeed a black man…well half…who was born in Hawaii, was elected the 44th president of the United States and has chosen not to be the “Decider”. Against modern precedent, he has given that role to Congress.

And other scandal in this country, it has been discovered that Sonia Sotomayor, despite her testimony to Congress stating that she is an emotionless automaton, has a secret stash of empathy.

Sotomayor sworn in

Marty — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 16:07:21 +0000

Maddow: INTIMINATION – Nazism is not a metaphor

Marty — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 03:25:49 +0000

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Of the corporations, by the corporations, for the corporations

Marty — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 13:53:57 +0000

We began as an aristocracy, and we remain one. Except now the aristocrats are the corporations – protected by the Constitution with the same rights as individual citizens, but with greater access to its protections. Don’t be fooled that this is a democracy.

Lord, save us from egotistical politicians

Cassandra — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 15:04:35 +0000

Can you believe what Senate-wannbe Roland Burris said? Well, here are his words:

“We are hoping and praying that they will not be able to deny what the Lord has ordained. I am not hesitating. I am now the junior Senator from the state of Illinois.”

He thinks the Lord is sending him to Washington, huh? Didn’t Bush use that “Lord ordained” nonsense to get his way? Any Lord that spends time inserting himself/herself/itself in crazy U.S. politics should be suspect. And we all know that Rod Blagojevich only named Burris because he’s African-American. It was a cynical, selfish ploy to inject race into this sorry affair and to throw more mud and confusion on top of his already self-destructing, crumbling political career.

Tax haters

Cassandra — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:12:52 +0000

…perhaps some of her daddy’s tax money should be spent making her better educated about the role of taxes in a DEMOCRACY.
I’m so annoyed about this anti-tax rhetoric. Here she is at a town hall being held at a STATE University and she’s complaining about taxes. Who funds public universities, Missy? And I’m sure the gigantic SUV Dr. Daddy drives puts a lot of stress on those taxpayer-funded roads.

If I made more money, I would be happy to pay more taxes. There would still be enough left over to live on. Why can’t people see how tax-funded services add to their quality of life in America, greatest country in the world, as they say? Well, it wouldn’t be so great if we didn’t have that military they love to use to invade other countries or a public health system that tracks diseases they don’t want to get or a food inspection system that protects them from getting ill from contaminated meats or vegetables. How much money do some people need?

Meltdowns

Cassandra — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 01:09:15 +0000

The U.S. economy is melting down. John McCain’s campaign is melting down. One is a crisis. The other is gift to the American electorate.

And, so Bush, Paulson and company rush in to try to save both–the economy and McCain’s campaign.

But, thankfully, it looks like the voters aren’t buying it. They are rising up and saying “slow down” to Bush’s bailout plan.

Similar to the rush to war in Iraq, the Bush administration is invoking the fear card to rush through a $700 billion bailout plan to save the country from financial Armageddon. Scaring the American public, that’s a familiar tactic of this current administration to get its way. Doesn’t it stand to reason that perhaps the billions–nearing a trillion–spent on the Iraq War is also a contributing factor to the nation’s economic woes? The country has run out of money because it is spending money it doesn’t have. When will common sense prevail? You can only spend what you don’t have for so long.

In the weeks leading up to now, it was apparent that voters were increasingly skeptical–and scared. In comment after comment posted on blogs and news sites, people expressed how afraid they were about the country’s future. Fear will not end this nightmare. It started almost eight years ago and now the monster is upon us. Taking decisive action is our only hope. And that decisive action for most of us means getting out on Election Day and turning away another fear-mongering Republican. Perhaps it’s an omen that McCain’s campaign is disintegrating right before our eyes–and right before Election Day. Hot water has been thrown on his inept campaign and it’s “melting, melting.”

Remember, my friends, just like Dorothy in the “Wizard of Oz,” the power to get rid of the wicked Republicans is in your hands: