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Stop Funding for Bush's Wars
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Progressive Portal
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Mar 15, 2005 18:39 PST
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FOURTH SUPPLEMENTAL BUDGET FOR WAR IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN
WOULD ADD $82 BILLION ON TOP OF PREVIOUS $150 BILLION TOLL
* Act now - House vote is imminent *
[From Peace Action <http://www.peace-action.org> and International
ANSWER <http://www.internationalanswer.org>]
When George Bush submitted his 2006 budget to Congress, he said, "The
taxpayers of America don't want us spending our money into something
that's not achieving results." On that score he's absolutely right:
Instead of continuing to foot the ever-increasing costs of a tragic
invasion, Congress should reject Bush's request for a supplemental
appropriation of $82 billion for waging war in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Despite the cheery prognostications from the White House, Iraqis and the
few Western observers who actually dare to move beyond Baghdad's heavily
guarded hotels and "green zone" say conditions for most of the
population continue to deteriorate. If the money were actually given to
Iraqis for reconstruction and reparations, the $82 billion might begin
to turn the situation around. But it's clear that the administration
intends to spend it instead to maintain the occupation.
Congress has already wasted more than $150 billion of taxpayers' money
on Bush's failed policies in Iraq. It's past time for our legislators to
say "enough," and the clearest, most concrete way to do that is to vote
against his latest budget request.
If redirected to domestic needs, $82 billion would pay for:
1. restoring all the funds Bush proposes to cut from 150 federal social
programs - more than four times over;
2. restoring 48 education programs Bush proposes cutting, plus hiring
about 1.5 million teachers in our elementary schools;
3. providing health care for than 14 million uninsured workers;
4. preventing the $60 billion in cuts to Medicaid spending that Bush has
proposed; or
5. providing housing vouchers for 14 million low income families.
Tell your Representative *today* to oppose the $82 billion supplemental
appropriation.
Take Action
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Send a message to your Representative at:
http://answer.pephost.org/site/Advocacy?id=114 (International ANSWER)
- or -
q.demaction.org/dia/organizations/Peaceact/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=472
(Peace Action)
More Information
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More on the opportunity cost of spending $82 billion on war:
http://www.americanprogress.org/site/pp.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&b=345939
http://www.americanprogress.org/site/pp.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&b=171438
For estimates of the cost of the war in Iraq for individual states,
counties, and communities, and comparisons to what similar amounts would
provide if directed to social spending at home, see:
http://costofwar.com
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