2/14/06

Iraqi War Bush budget buster

President Bush submitted a budget to Congress this past week that is so big, most of us just shrug it off without thinking about what it means to us individually. Think about this:

• The $2.77 trillion budget for the fiscal year starting in October breaks down to an average of $9,293.62 for everyone in the USA.

• The latest budget request for Iraq of about $96 billion brings the cost of that war to $322 billion, an average of $1,080.34 per person.

If you think big business or somebody else will pay the bill, think again. About 45% of the federal government's revenue comes from individual income taxes.

Paying more for education, health care, Social Security, real "homeland security" and … decent pay for servicemen and women doesn't bother me. But Bush simply can't convince me on continuing the cost in Iraq - in dollars and, more important, in precious lives -for a war that he never should have started.

[From editorial by Al Neuharth, founder of USA Today]

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