Economic Destruction
The recent news over the past few days about the bankruptcy at Lehman, and the
falling stock prices, and the banking crisis should reach every American and produce a state of near-panic. The housing crisis isn't going away, and it's spreading to other industries and other aspects of the economy.
And I have come to a conclusion that I don't like: that whatever the merits of the Iraqi liberation and stabilization effort, our country simply cannot afford to keep it going and sustain the occupation. We ought to end our occupation as soon as possible and transition to a new government and withdraw the forces. We simply cannot afford as a nation to continue spending at the level at which we have become accustomed.
Solutions:
1- End the war in Iraq and Afghanistan
2- Remove our foreign presence from major military operations in Germany, Japan
3- Remove all restrictions to new energy creation (nukes, offshore, ANWR, anything)
4- Enforce a balanced budget amendment
5- Start drastically cutting social services and paring down the size of government
6- Privatize and sell off as many federal assets/liabilities as possible (the post office and Amtrak come to mind)
7- End the madness of promoting homeownership to those who aren't responsible enough to sustain it
Sadly, I don't think we have the political willpower for any of these, no matter how desperately needed.
Labels: Economics, foreign policy, iraq, policy, politics, war
The High Cost of Empire
The war has been quite a poignant collegiate issue, not the least of which because it hearkens back to the era of Vietnam war protests that have been wrongly romanticized. However a real issue has been the cost of these endeavors, and as one who supported both operations when they started, and still do to a degree, I think it's still worth noting that the administration originally said an estimate of $50-60 billion was excessive, and is now receiving a $165 billion appropriation for one year of both operations. Where have these costs come from, and where is it going? It just defies sense, if you paid 250,000 men $100,000 each for a year, you'd get a $25 billion pricetag. Yet wikipedia tells us there are 154,000 troops in Iraq, and 23,000 in Afghanistan. That works out to 177,000 total troops deployed. The Defense department has a normal budget of $439 billion dollar budget on top of all this. So, taking $165 billion divided by 177,000, you get a per troop allotment of $932,203.39 per troop. How can it possibly be costing this country a million dollars per troop abroad, and those brave soldiers are obviously not getting paid a million dollars per man. Where is this money going? Does the label 'unpatriotic' scare away other people from asking this most basic of questions? Why have we given the government a blank check to spend money on war, and continue these outrageous overseas actions. Let's assume that Saddam had WMD, and was the worst guy around, worthy of being toppled… he's gone! The left does seem unpatriotic when they selectively argue for withdrawal from Iraq but ignore the 70,000 troops in Germany or those in Japan, Korea or anywhere else we feel the need to unnecessarily project power. Those who supported the war, such as myself, ought to acknowledge that it appears we have been used and duped by a President more intent on global empire than on keeping America's interests safe. This mirage of world government secured through our military power should be dialed down, toned down, and brought back to the level where it serves us best: when our foreign commitments only serve our clear and compelling national interests. Our commitment to Iraq must end, someday, and when good Americans such as Ron Paul mention this, they ought not be demonized by the anti-intellectual crowd like Sean Hannity. We ought to resist the urge to control the lives of people a world away. The war is over, we're in an occupation, and long-term occupations almost never go well for the foreigner. Let's find a way to exit with honor and stop this senseless hemorrhaging of lives and resources that this operation is causing. Those who propose staying ought to give us clear metrics on what they seek to achieve by staying, without simply saying "stability."
Labels: afghanistan, budget, iraq, mccain, ron paul, war
