Need comments on an LTTE

[T Roosevelt]

the references are optional...

Brother can you spare $87 Billion?

Sunday evening Mr. Bush, in his speech to the nation, let us know he will be reqesting $87 billion to cover military and intelligence operations in Iraq (and Afghanistan) for the NEXT YEAR ONLY. This is in addition to the $79 billion already requested. That is $166 billion to conduct nation building (of a nation we destroyed), an issue Candidate Bush was expressly AGAINST in 2000. These amounts are also NOT included in the current federal deficit estimate of $480 billion.<1>
He says that "his will take time and require sacrifice." Except that he is only asking middle class Americans to make this sacrifice. At the same time as he makes this request, he pushes yet MORE tax cuts for the wealthy. Sacrifice? Not from them.

Here are some examples of things that can be done here in America with $87 billion:

- Double total federal education spending ($53.1 billion) and STILL have $34 billion left over.<2>

- Give every public school teacher a $30k raise, or
Double the total number of teacher, paying them $30k a year.<3>

- Send over 2.2 MILLION students to public univerities for full 4 year degrees. (the US has over 15 million enrolled students.<4><5>

- Fund Head Start for the next 16 years.<6>

- Upgrade ~90% of the national energy grid (est cost $100 billion).<7>

- Provide over $28 thousand to every person who has become unemployed since this administration took office.<8>

- Provide over 4.5 million families with hybrid vehicles, reducing both dependence on foreign oil and environmental impacts.

- Fund a prescription drug plan for over 2 years.<9>

- Restore and triple the projected $25 billion CUTS in Veteran's benefits over the next 10 years.<10>

- Fund port security requirements for the next 160 years (which currently stands at $0).<11>

Just whose side is Mr Bush on? Certainly not ours.

<1> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A46805-2003Aug26.html
<2> http://www.apa.org/ppo/issues/edapprops2-03.html
<3> http://edreform.com/pubs/edstats.htm
<4> http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2002-08-07-universities_x.htm
<5> http://www.princetonreview.com/college/finance/articles/save/costcollege.asp
<6> http://www.stnonline.com/stn/headstart
<7> http://www.computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/recovery/story/0,10801,84329,00.html
<8> http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/08/01/national/main566203.shtml
<9> http://www.cbo.gov/showdoc.cfm?index=3960&sequence=0
<10> http://www.sltrib.com/2003/Apr/04272003/commenta/51662.asp
<11> http://www.aapa-ports.org/pressroom/feb0403.htm

[sandnsea]

1. Sounds very good

Great research! That prescription drug amount actually caused me to - gasp - I didn't know how much it was in relation to other things. You might want to take it out for this particular piece. No need to divert anyone's attention.

And I'm still a little confused on the actual war spending. I vaguely remember $40 billion or so right after the war started and another multi-billion dollar request in June or July. Did you include both of those in your $79 billion figure or was one of them less than I remember or what.

[Rainbowreflect]

2. Great letter!

Might be too long for some editors. I hope they will print the whole thing. I always think it is good to allow people to check things out for themselves.