Oppose extra money for Iraq War

[PaddyMac]

From Just Foreign Policy. Take action here: http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/involved/iraq.html

Some in Washington refuse to acknowledge that the majority of Americans, like the majority of Iraqis, want an end to the U.S. occupation of Iraq. USA Today and Congressional Quarterly report that the Bush administration will ask Congress for a record amount of war money in 2007 - perhaps as high as $160 billion. That would be in addition to the $435 billion in military spending Congress already authorized for 2007.

That would mean one out of every five of our taxpayer dollars next year would go to military spending, and that's not even counting $17 billion on US nuclear weapons.

Money spent on the military and war is money that will not be available for pressing domestic needs, like health care, schools and combating poverty. Senator Kent Conrad, the Democrat who will oversee the Senate budget next year, told USA Today the high military price tag "is going to increasingly become an issue." He said it could restrict the availability of money to expand Medicare's prescription drug coverage.

We set up a web page that makes it easy to write a letter to your senators and representatives asking them not to pour more money into a failed and destructive policy in Iraq. More money means more young American soldiers will die and be horribly injured in this needless war and more Iraqi civilians will die at the hands of our troops.

Our suggested talking points also ask senators and representatives to place conditions on any money that is appropriated, setting a firm deadline for the withdrawal of all troops and requiring the administration to directly engage Iraq's neighbors, especially Iran and Syria.

We encourage you to use our talking points as a guide, since personalized letters may have more impact.

For more information, click here to see the story in the USA Today and here to see the Congressional Quarterly article.

[mom cat]

1. K&R and letter written!

[mom cat]

2. PS: Welcome to DU!

:hi:

[PaddyMac]

3. Thanks ...

... I like the Venezuela thread.

[Nite Owl]

4. Done and

passed on.

[Peace is Possible]

5. Congress is back in session

It is a great time to call and ask them to support cutting off the funding completely

Kucinich: Well, here’s what’s happening. The Congress appropriated $70 billion in so-called bridge funds for the Iraq war. Those funds began to be spent as of October 1st, 2006. Those funds will last until at least the end of June 2007. Keep in mind all of last year when the war was sharply escalated, the Department of Defense spent $117 billion in Iraq. They’re coming in with a request for close to $130 billion (also here) in the spring for a supplemental appropriation. Now that means in a single year the costs of the war could go up to $200 billion, but they’re not saying what the money is used for specifically.... When you read the England memo very carefully you see that it basically expands the definition of what this $130 billion can be used for.

http://www.truthdig.com/interview/item/20061205_rep_dennis_kucinch_no_more_money_for_war_on_iraq/