War through the prism of the fiscal conservative!


For our fiscal friends....



We’ve always heard the Iraq War in different ways-- from searching for weapons of mass destruction to providing democracy for our Iraqi friends and in between the subliminal message that it was the Iraqis who were responsible for 9/11.



Most of it is simply bullshit!



And I’m tired of hearing it.



Nonetheless, 70% of Republicans were buying all of this right through this past winter. These same people, who are not sacrificing a damned thing, tend to look at war and peace through a very personal lens.



And most of it happens to be "How much does it cost?"



So, maybe we have to look at this entire problem another way.



For example, if we translate this war into a bleeding away of our national treasure it may have resonance with our strictly conservative republican friends, although truth to tell, I do not claim to too many these days who I will break bread with and not feel guilty about.



Let’s take the kind of look at the problem that may light a bulb over the misinformed few who still cannot separate the wheat from the chaff.



But first, we need a little reminder or two of what’s really going on in the world.



Remember, we have cut taxes for the rich which means the burden of whatever the government spends on comes off the backs of the worker who increasingly is finding himself/herself without work.



Why?



Because the government wants to cripple the unions, and therefore takes great pride in expediting the flight of jobs with business's consent. Therefore, they can take these additional profits and "offshore" them and never pay taxes....



Secondly, our bleeding has not been staunched by our utter dependency on China these days.



We buy virtually everything in the "Walmartmania" of today to the extent of some sixty billion dollars in indebtedness per month. Meanwhile the Chinese keep their currency at artificial levels as they up the ante on America to the tune of more than 800 billion dollars.



We could not go back on them if we wanted to since they hold the potential for ultimate revenge—the marketplace.



now, just imagine if this was the perfect kind of war with no deaths or injuries. Still, we would have invested nearly one trillion dollars of our scare tax dollars in some arcane, costly adventurism that few of us understand. Even then, wouldn't we expect some kind of positive result over five years?



What kind of return did we get for our investment?.



And let's remember we haven't factored in the VA costs for the million or so troops who will require mending and care after the War and the impact on our military establishment.



What did we get back?



Did we lessen the effects of the War?



Have we made things better for the people?



Who made money out of this crisis?



What are the measurable returns?



Do the Iraqis or their neighbors like us better?



What have we lost because of the distraction of this war?



And when it's over, will we be able to recapture what we stood for?





Now, let's approach this issue another way, since ultimately a trillion dollars is a little more than chump change.



What could be done with one trillion dollars to help America?



Now, let's look at where the needs are here:



the home mortgage outlook



inadequate scientific progress



crumbling schools



the need for teachers...



infrastructure: maintenance of highways and bridges



the care of the old and the indigent...



the economy



Global Warming and Alternative Engergy.





We could buy a lot of everything we need with a trillion dollars....anyway you slice it.



It's time that this kind of analysis comes to the forefront among those who are really “numbers oriented.” After massaging the numbers, can anyone really point to a success here or even progress.



I think not.



And instead of it being a boon to America and fighting the good nonexistent fight against terrorism, it has only weakened us to the extent we should all start studying our history books and what aggression did for Ancient Greece..


And that's even without talking about sacrifice, the loss of human beings in an unnecessary war and on and on.





Les Aaron