Like war and high finance and other fancy stuff.
The president and Congress are wrangling about a new spending bill. It’s called a Stimulus package and it’s rumoured to cost about $850Billion in funds we do not have.
It’s okay though. We didn’t have $700Billion Congress gave to Wall Street.
We didn’t/don’t have the $1 trillion or more that the war in Iraq is going to cost.
Everyone is busily pointing fingers and shouting about how beleagured their side is and the rightness of their cause.
Here’s an idea. Let’s total all the figures up. I was in the advanced math program when I was in high school. So let’s see how I do with this.
$850,000,000,000 + $700,000,000 = $1,550,000,000,000 (that’s domestic spending)
The war of choice in Iraq $1,500,000,000,000 (that’s an extremely conservative estimate that I used just to make a nice round number). A more responsible estimate from Joseph Siglitz (see the link above) is $2.4 trillion dollars. This may change as our withdrawal plans are telescoped under President Obama … oh wait, that would mean we’d spend less money we don’t have at the hands of a Democrat. But under Republicans, we were committed to spending more. Despite my enrollment in advanced math, this is complicated.
Nice. $3,000,000,000 … $3 TRILLION dollars in debt. Hmmm and only $850,000,000,000 of it from Democrats. So who are the tax and spend monsters here, exactly? I just can’t keep it straight anymore.
What do I think would be a really good idea? Only spend money we actually have.
If we don’t have money to keep troops in Iraq, then I guess they need to come home.
If we don’t have money to give to corporate baboons … I mean bankers … then I guess they’ll have to figure out other ways to fund their multimillion dollar retreats, private jets and end-of-year bonuses. But I’m damn tired of paying for it.
The only thing I think we should be spending money on right now?
Creating jobs … programs such as the CCC during the 1930’s. The Civilian Conservation Corps kept millions of men and women off the public dole and off the streets. It built our interstate highway system and created our national and state park system. Bring it back … put our people to work in meaningful jobs rebuilding our country. Bring our industry back home. I’m sick and tired of buying fabric and clothing manufactured overseas by slave labor and in inhumane working conditions. I want to know that men & women here have a job OR conversely that the men and women overseas (not children) who manufactured my stuff are not dying to work. Either way, I am tired of crap at crap prices just to make a few people rich.
Education … real education, not force fed trivia in the name of passing tests. Let’s teach our children how to enjoy life long learning, not the drudgery of how to pass a test. There’s nothing intrinsically beneficial to the child or the country in that. Being able to pass tests is a skill, being able to develop technology is a gift. We need to put our money and resources into developing our children’s gifts and talents, their skills will naturally follow along.
Healthcare … our healthcare system is broken by greed. What kind of system is it where my husband cannot get coverage for 10 $600 sugar shots to provide relief for his chronic debilitating back pain. It is non-invasive and 90% effective. He can get coverage for surgery which would be more than ten times more expensive and the chances that it would be effective are less than 50%. Not even a gambling addict would take those odds. Worse, a single mother with 6 children under the age of 7 can get covered for fertility treatments that cause her to bear 8 children, but I cannot get covered for birth control … because my “plan” will not cover it. We have seniors and children literally rotting from lack of preventative health care that would cost pennies, but it will make insurance companies and drug companies millions for them to get really sick. Drug companies are allowed to push vaccines that are not really necessary through fear and intimidation (have you seen the ads for bacterial meningitis? ask yourself how many cases there really are a year and do the research). It’s sickening.
Food … yes, food. Our agri-industry is killing us. It is walking hand in glove with the healthcare industry. Twinkies are inexpensive. When you’re living on a fixed, substandard income it’s a lot easier to eat mac ‘n cheese and chips than it is to eat fruits & vegetables. But it’s the fruits & veggies that will keep you well and chronic illness away from your door. As it turns out, an apple a day really will keep the doctor away. But only if you wash it really carefully. Read Michael Pollan. Then read him again. Then write to Congress and the President. If you want your tax dollars spent on something real, get them to stimulate CSA’s and community gardens.
Well … come to think of it. That looks remarkably like a household budget, doesn’t it? I think Congress (on both sides of the aisle) needs to get rid of their household help and begin to live like regular folk once again. Remember that they are first and foremost, civil servants. They are in office to serve us, rather than the reverse, which currently appears to be the case.
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P.S. Please do not use comments to tell me how you think I’m all wet behind the ears or stoopid or something because, “of course money has to be spent on defense, and this or that or the other thing.” I’m using my space here to talk about what I think the top priorities are. And you’re probably not going to change my mind about those things. I’ve spent a long time thinking about them and coming to these conclusions. If you want to disagree with me, that’s fine, but please use the comments to write in a positive manner, in ways that are constructive and will move the conversation forward. If you can’t or won’t, you’ll prob’ly find your comment deleted without explanation.
