I meant to link to this post by Darren Hutchinson about the GOP’s fiscal priorities earlier, but it was just before Thanksgiving, and I wasn’t feeling that well, and… well… you know….
After weeks of deliberation regarding a military-endorsed troop surge in Afghanistan, President Obama, according to emerging reports, has agreed to send an additional 34,000 troops to fight the Taliban. The troop surge would take place over the next 9 months. The estimated cost for the war over the next decade approaches $1 trillion — more than the cost of each healthcare reform package pending in Congress.
Two Democrats in Congress — Senator Carl Levin of Michigan and Representative David Obey of Wisconsin — have called for a surtax on upper-income earners to finance the troop surge. Self-proclaimed fiscal conservatives, however, have remained virtually silent regarding the expense and deficit-impact of the war in Afghanistan. Most of these individuals strongly endorse the troop surge and voted for the war in Iraq.
Bombing foreign nations and leading young Americans to their deaths in the name of national security (however skeptical the claim) is worth the expense. Funding healthcare for almost all Americans is reprehensible and socialist. Someone please explain this logic.
It’s also worth taking a look at Prof. Hutchinson’s Comments section. There is some vigorous back-and-forth debate there between Prof. Hutchinson and a couple of his readers that I found quite interesting.
PAST CONTRIBUTOR.