How to save a quick 1.2 billion dollars?
Homes are being foreclosed on, people are going broke paying for medical care even with insurance, and soldiers are dying in Iraq- so, instead of taking care of all of us, the government is spending 1.2 billion dollars on new armored vehicles to protect our troops from IED’s.
Bad news. It won’t work.
There is only one way to protect troops in a war- end it. With no end in sight, we may as well start dropping our old nukes on Iraq to whip them into shape. If there was one thing I learned in Special Forces- is that no matter how big and bad you think you are- there is always someone who can kick your ass.
It’s sort of a law of escalating innovation. You build a better smart phone, Apple builds the iPhone. When you talk about weaponry, it’s the same thing. The new vehicles won’t work against shaped charges- the kind that the “evildoers” in Iraq are using- and yet, we continue to invest in this bad decision.
“Fighting the terrorists there, so we don’t have to fight them here” is a sad excuse for a war. I say, bring it on- let Mohammad come over- and see how well he fares against every redneck with a Colt hanging in the back of his pick-up truck- or the gang-bangers on the street. Give us some targets- some real live bad ass terrorists. I say, we’re getting our butts kicked in the pocketbook by fear more than by force.
If this war was a business decision- it’s a loser. Buying new armor ain’t the solution- we’d do better to just hand over the billions to the Iraqis as bounties for killing their own off- and sit back and let the most cutthroat bad ass rise back to the top just like Saddam. That’s the only way you will have peace in a country that is hell bent on fighting each other and us.
Reality sucks for our President. But, sure is good for the defense industry.
I know this isn’t my normal topic- but, I thought I’d stick it up as a reminder to all of us that we are letting good men and women die and suffer awful injuries in a fight that isn’t going to end nice and neatly like WWII. Say a prayer- call your congressman- go watch the new Michael Moore film Sicko- and think about what could we be doing to make America a better place, instead of trying to fix a civil war in Iraq.
Wow David – how about you dial it back a bit to local issues. Like we have the worlds most ineffective prosecutor who DEMANDS contributions from staff members yet seems fully incapable of prosecuting a case. Or worse prosecutes cases that make you scratch you head? You want to end foreclosures? How about discussing the inept borrowers (Yes! You do have to pay your mortgage EVERY month…) Or how about the fact that Wanda Smith does anything and everything to NOT help the cops who patrol our streets for CRIMINALS (who then get released by the dumba$$ prosecutor – see the DDN today about the stabbing in Oregon). No – you wan the cops to arrest smokers at bars that are losing business – you just wait until the Sales Tax from bars/restaurants is reported to the State. We have a mayor that I am pretty sure is intoxicated every single day and is an embarrassment to this City – sorry Mr. President I’m reading to 3rd graders today?? He is the President and like it or not you respect the position –
Sara-
I can dial it back to local- I’ve been meaning to post about the Heck/donation thing- it’s the same for every office around- dem and republican.
Don’t forget- Mayor Mikey Turner skipped out on President Clinton- So McLin isn’t the only one with their head up their assets.
But the war in Iraq IS a local issue Sara. Local men and women are getting killed in a war that was unjustified from the start. Our blood and resources are being spilled in the name of what?
The president does deserve our respect, and he has debased the stature of his office by his actions.
Lets look at this from the local perspective…
For what it’s worth a portion of this $1.2 billion is going toward at least one Dayton industry. A local company has the contract to supply some capital equipment to fabricate the shielding on these vehicles. Granted this capital expense is probably only a few percentage points of the full bill but it does help our local economy. Without the military and its private sector contracts Dayton would be in much worse economic conditions than it is today.
If this is a Dayton-centric blog then you can’t deny that we need military spending to keep our economy afloat.
This $1.2 billion is pennies compared to what’s already owed in federal debt. The National Debt is approaching $9 trillion. “On average the National Debt increases $1.33 billion per day.” [SOURCE: http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/%5D
Mike – you don’t understand economics. Someone is robbing Paul to pay Peter to fund this millitary spending. If the average Dayton citizen had more money in his pocket, there would be more spent in the local economy that way. It’s just misdirection in the service of special interests.
Let’s not forget the lost local productivity with so many of our neighbors in the reseves serving active duty for six months to a year in Iraq.