Facing cuts instead of "reform"

[IndianaGreen]

Facing cuts instead of "reform"

December 8, 2009

I WORK in health care in Massachusetts, where the "reform" enacted several years ago is supposed to be the model for national proposals.

There has been a perfect storm of bad news this week that shows how twisted the government's priorities are, and exposes the lie that measures--like in Massachusetts, which requires the uninsured to purchase private health insurance--will provide health care for all.

This week, Barack Obama announced that 30,000 more troops will be sent to Afghanistan, an unjust occupation. The U.S. has no right to occupy Afghanistan or anywhere else, and more troops will mean more injury and death for Afghan civilians and U.S. soldiers.

At a cost of about $1 million per soldier per year, this will increase spending by $30 billion. Money that should be used to build is being used to destroy, and to paraphrase Martin Luther King, Jr., the bombs that are being dropped abroad are exploding at home.

Last month, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities announced that 35 states face additional mid-fiscal year shortfalls of a total of about $32 billion.

The $30 billion that will go to escalate the war in Afghanistan could have been used to prevent the further budget cuts that will come as a result of these shortfalls--as could the over $32 billion in bonuses paid out this year by the top nine banks, as they profit from taxpayer bailouts.

http://socialistworker.org/2009/12/08/cuts-instead-of-reform