Here's Some Sad Speculation

[ThomWV]

It seems to me (meaning this is opinion, not fact) that if the money Bush has spent training the Iraqi police had been distributed via formula grants to every police agency in every town, city, county, and state in this country that our crime rate would be nonexistent by now. And then there is the speculation as to how we'd be doing now in respect to education or any of the many facets of public infrastructure were this more-or-less continuous deluge of funds to be rained down upon any one of them as it has on George's War.

[soothsayer]

1. Mebbe yes, mebbe no. Public funds get squandered almost

anywhere you land them, to a certain extent. But it would have spread the wealth around a bit more instead of 100% of it going to the BFEE.

[Clevenger]

2. What "Crimes" Would Bush Make "Nonexistent"?

I shudder to think what would happen if Bush was handing out billions of dollars to police agencies in this country.

[ThomWV]

5. Good Point. OK, Give To The Schools Instead

What has the war cost so far, $300 Billion or so? That would be $60 Billion per state. I don't know how it is where you live but if there were $60 Billion dumped into West Virginia, I don't care how you spent it, things around here would change for the better.

[DaveJ]

6. That's sort of what I was thinking...

The trillion dollars could have been put to better use than creating police state (here or there).

[newyawker99]

7. Hi Clevenger!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Clevenger]

8. Thanks! I'm glad to be here. n/t

[OHdem10]

3. Just last week

A speaker from one of the Think Tanks gave a speech on
a new approach to Foreign Policy for the US.

In his speech he said that if we took the money we are
spending on the war in Iraq and used it for one purpose SS.
He said SS would be shored up well into the 23rd Century.
Of course we would never concentrate all the money
on one program, but this was used as an illustration.

Seen on C-Span.

[Jackpine Radical]

4. The best way to increase tghe crime rate is to increase the number

of cops on the beat.

The additional cops always have to find something to do, so they find more crimes (mostly trivial ones) and make more unnecessary arrests.

[Clevenger]

9. Passing more laws also creates more criminals...

...and there are thousands of new laws passed in the US every year. Hell, everybody I know is a criminal.

[leftofthedial]

10. repukes are not in the business of governing

they are in the business of stealing and destroying government