Posted on 09/07/2003 5:14:03 PM PDT by dogbyte12
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush will announce on Sunday night that he plans to ask Congress for $87 billion to fund the U.S. military deployment in Iraq and pay for reconstruction, a Republican source said.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the money would fund U.S. military operations in Iraq and reconstruction over the coming budget year.
The figure includes assistance for Afghanistan. Bush was to make the request in an 8:30 p.m. EDT address to the nation, the source said.
The figure was at the high end of expectations. Some members of Congress said earlier they expected Bush to get what he asked for but wanted him to detail how long U.S. troops would remain in Iraq and outline a strategy for bringing them home. (snip)
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Now, I'm not sure what your idea of fighting back is, I developed mine when I was in grade school...it's still viable today.
It was quite simple: If a kid hit me and told me never to come on his street again, I'd walk right up to him, on his street, and hit him back...I never thought that running into my house, locking the doors, barring the windows, and hiding so that he could never hit me again was considered "fighting back".
To be succinct, it is now obvious that short-term U.S. interest rates at 1.75% are inappropriate. When the Fed does raise rates we are going to witness a domino collapse of forced liquidations. Liquidation begets losses, which begets more selling and faltering liquidity.
And points that I need to think about myself, when my urge to have us shut down the borders entirely kicks in (which is does quite often).
It would only hurt America in both the long, and short run....
THAT is why it is SO important to take the fight to the enemy........regardless of the cost. Because the benefit is much greater.
I try to keep these things in perspective. Our national debt is over 34 trillion, 80 billion is more like a drop in the bucket, even though we are barely making our interest payments on that debt per year. They call "balancing the budget" being able to make the interest payment on that 34 trillion, nothing much is ever paid on the actual debt.
This is an experiment in democracy building, it's a pretty bold but neccessary experiment that we must be prepared to see fail. It's an alternative to having to take out every middle east nation over there, looks like to me. I think it's a better gamble than the ten billion to Africa which is throwing away good money after bad.
We have poured billions into Africa and cannot buy an industrious spirit for the people there, spirit is not for sale or attainable with cash, and contrary to the Fed's belief system not everyone is an industrious American just waiting to get out.
It may well cost us over 80 billion to realize that not everyone loves and wants the risky business of freedom, because we cannot purchase the spirit of freedom and self determination, that must burn in the heart of the individual, with cash. If that spirit is not in them, we face utter failure, and we are talking about a bunch of welfare babies in the middle east. Heck we no longer have much of that spirit left in the people of the USofA, it's about 50/50, much less in the middle east.
Few men work in the middle east, in Afghanistan work is a shame to be seen doing. In Iraq and in Palestine the majority of citizens live on welfare via oil revenues in Iraq, via American money in Palestine handed over in our name and hidden in payments made to them with the name of the U.N. attached. Not only does the USofA hand over welfare to Palestinians up front, but we contribute to 32% of the welfare money handed over to support them via the U.N. a billion of which is in Arafats bank account.
Freedom is hard work and the risk of failure is borne by the individual, not everyone in the world wants it, and certainly not a majority of the immigrants to the USofA, who only want the riches it produces.
In Mogadushu the rebels disdained the fact that they would ever comply to adopting American ways. They enjoy their life style of only the strong and well armed surviving and resent any intrusion into their on going civil war.
The odds favor failure in pouring 80+ billion into Iraq but there is that slim chance, given their treatment under Saddam, that democracy may bloom there. Everyone will have a different opinion on the subject but the bottom line for me is, roll the dice, see what happens, because the international community will howl if we find we have to kill every mother's son over there to maintain our lifestyle that freedom from terrorism will cost.
I don't see that we have much of a choice here, we are already considered pariahs in the international community. Personally I don't care what they think, but I'm a pull up the draw bridge shut off all trade, and let them destroy each other and themselves with no help from us type. Our protection of Europe and allowing them to shelter under the shadow of our wings has been a very bad idea. It has allowed the cost of self defense to be spent on socialism, and the insanity of thinking it brings, to flourish in those nations that now consider themselves of "superiour enlightenment" to the scruffy minions of the USofA who still refuse to believe that you can talk an armed tyrant into not pulling the trigger of the gun at our temples.
Asking for 80 billion while insane is less insane than the rest of the world in it's present state, and believe me, but for a few exceptions the world has gone barking mad.
I don't think they're DU'ers as you say, I think there's a lot of our own party joining the group because it's coming to that time when we must know what to do because who's it affecting?--our own pocketbooks, our children and grandchildren. We have to have the truth and facts because as we've seen recently on so many threads, there's a lot going on that we weren't happy about also and remember how many of our rights have gone down the tubes. Do we all like being pulled off course at airports, do we want to live in a police state, and do we want to give our jobs to others, and take away what matters to us as americans, another 87 billion coming out of OUR pockets!, etc.--no.
Hmm...any idea who profits from those companies/owns?! Guess it's not you or me.
We are in a WAR, for heaven's sake.....and you are worried about being inconvenienced by being pulled off an airplane! Unbelieveable!
If America were being governed by wimps and cowards, we would surely be destroyed.
You should be thanking God for George W. Bush's resolve and strength, not worrying about your imaginary loss of 'rights.' The only 'right' lost by this war is the 'right' to commit crimes against America.
And if you want to complain about spending......which is a serious issue......then keep your complaints to domestic spending......not the spending necessary to keep you FREE and ALIVE.
Get the BIG picture, and quit whining.......
Throwing away 87 billion dollars does not equal 'resolve and strength.' There is nothing brave or admirable about spending money that isn't yours. Making the Iraqis take immediate responsibility for their own lives is an act that would require real resolve and strength.
When it comes down to it, the persons foo-fooing 87 billion dollars sound more like DU'ers than those arguing to the contrary.
It is being INVESTED in the security and safety of our country by CONTINUING the War on Terror which was begun in force on OUR soil on September 11.
And it is being INVESTED in the security of the Middle East region. This war in Iraq has never been just about Saddam OR his WMD......and the enemy has proven it by centering their efforts to destroy us, and all civilization by getting us out of Iraq.
Our money is also already being invested in having the Iraqis take control of and responsibility for their own country in the quickest way possible (How have you missed that?). That's PART of the resolve shown in the President's speech last night.
I guess you weren't paying attention either......
Succinct’s appreciated, but I need some help with this.
1) Why’s cheap/bountiful money inappropriate long term?
2) What do you think’s going to be liquidated? Loans? Why do you think that new higher rates would force banks to liquidate at a loss?
My guess would be 90%. The rest are probably loafers and criminals, much like 10% of Americans.
Ah, I now see the light! Your judicious and forceful use of CAPS has left me no choice but to submit to your logic. /sarcasm
What sort of return do you expect on these investments? Do you honestly believe that creating a gaint welfare state in the Middle East will prevent another attack?
Do these companies employ anyone?
Why yes. That’s exactly it!
A European style welfare state, democracy, semi-socialist oil producing collection of desperate islamic people carved out to the most brutal fascist police state on the planet run by an anti-American mad man and right in the middle of a collection of the most brutal terror-exporting islamo-fascists terrorist states that have ever existed.
87 Billion? The boost to human freedom is worth 10 times that at least.
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