The Pentagon is seeking $100 billion
MORE dollars for Iraq and Afghanistan next year:
WASHINGTON (Dec. 14) - The Pentagon is in the early stages of drafting a wartime request for up to $100 billion more for Iraq and Afghanistan, lawmakers say, a figure that would push spending related to the wars toward a staggering half-trillion dollars.
Reps. Bill Young, R-Fla., the chairman of the House appropriations defense panel, and John Murtha, D-Pa., the senior Democrat on that subcommittee, say the military has informally told them it wants $80 billion to $100 billion in a war-spending package that the White House is expected to send Congress next year.
That would be in addition to $50 billion Congress is about to give the Pentagon before lawmakers adjourn for the year for operations in Iraq for the beginning of 2006. Military commanders expect that pot to last through May.
This money isn't going to buy us safety or democracy in either country. Of course we have to pay for these wars, and the Bush administration has figured out how to fund the war on the backs of the poor, all in the spirit of Christmas.
More....
States have been requesting
additional money from the federal government for people who will have trouble paying their heating bills this winter, money to help these people buy food. The amount being sought is between $8 and 30 per month for food stamps and our "Christian" president has denied these requests (wonder if they sent the denials with a "Happy Holiday" card?):
The Bush administration has denied requests from five states to increase food stamps for low-income families facing higher heating bills this winter.
Maine, New York, Kansas, Virginia and South Carolina sought to raise monthly food stamp allotments by projecting what families will pay to heat their homes. The increases would have ranged from $8 to about $30 a month for families who pay their own utility bills.
State officials and advocates for the poor said the decision will make it hard for needy families to afford both heat and food. The Energy Department has forecast 25% average increases in heating bills this winter. Research shows that when utility bills rise, some poor families reduce food purchases.
Gas is expected to rise to record highs this winter, and Americans will find themselves facing either warmth for their homes or food on their table, and this administration wants them to freeze while they starve.
Of course congress, in its great wisdom has cut taxes again for the wealthy, giving back to those who already have so much, to the tune of about $56 billion dollars. Imagine the joy at those houses this Christmas! Yet another "gift" from a president who rewards those who have rewarded him.
Not enough madness for you? How about the $50 billion in budget cuts that congress is implementing? Cuts to Medicare, cuts to student loans, and cuts to almost every group that doesn't deserve being "rewarded." All of this, of course, to be done in the spirit of Christmas, to be done by those who call themselves "Christians."
The madness doesn't stop there though, as we learn that millions of Americans face critical housing needs:
More than five million low-income American households paid excessive rent or lived in substandard conditions in 2003, nearly unchanged from the mid-1990s, a U.S. government report showed Tuesday.
The Housing and Urban Development Department, in a report to the U.S. Congress, said 5.18 million low-income households experienced critical housing needs due to low incomes, high rent or substandard conditions compared with 5.20 million in 1995.
And of course all this goes on while our trade deficit continues to reach new highs:
The Commerce Department reported that the gap between what America sells overseas and what it imports rose by 4.4 percent in October to $68.9 billion, surpassing the old record of $66 billion set in September.
So far this year, the trade deficit is running at an annual rate of $718 billion, far surpassing last year's $617.6 billion imbalance. Critics say the soaring deficit is evidence that President Bush's policy of pursuing free trade deals around the world is not working.
There are so many more examples one could post, examples that repeatedly show that the actions of this administration are completely without any compassion for those in our country who need help, those who are facing choices between food or heat, rent or food, rent or heat and on and on (don't even get me started on the cost of health care.)
How can anyone state, with a straight face, that they value "life" when they are supporting this madness? How can anyone, with any sense of decency, any sense of fairness, support this madness? How is it that the madness continues? What exactly will be the "tipping" point to stop this madness? How is it that we cannot afford to help families with $8 to 30 worth of food, but we can give billions back to those who have more then they can spend? Is this not the definition of madness?
This is the madness of King George, and it grows every worse each day.