Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Guest Thread - Support Our Troops? How Much Longer?

I am tired of "supporting our troops" in one prolonged Third World conflict after another for the past 50 years. Our nation has plenty of money for wars but nothing for infrastructure, health care, or much of anything else, in a nation with a population of 310 million, which, BTW, has increased by 65 million over the past 20 years.

Paul in Arlington

20 comments:

Don said...

Congress just appropriated $128 billion for Iraq and Afghanistan and maybe as many as 30,000 additional troops will be going to Afghanistan.

Where's my alternative energy, 21st Century transportation system, and single payer health insurance? How much longer will the rate of national unemployment be over 9% ?

Anonymous said...

Want to know what's worse, much worse? Consider that number of headquarters employees at the CIA has increased from 11,000 to 33,000 over the past 8 years. But the CIA can't replace a despot like Mugabe in Zimbabwe, let alone accomplish anything really important.

Anonymous said...

If you count the "officially unemployed", discouraged workers, and people who are working part-time because they can't find full-time employment, that's 19% of the adult workforce.

Cindi said...

Support Our Troops? What do our Troops support? More wars in the Third World.

Pikester said...

Yes. The U.S. Armed Forces only want to fight more wars. Same for the so-called intelligence agencies, DOD, and everyone else in the military-industrial complex. That's become very very clear over the past several years.

Anonymous said...

Don, the U.S. Taxpayer got a $3 billion cash for clunkers program which is chump change when you consider $3 billion is what Iraq and Afghanistan cost the U.S. Taxpayer every 5 days.

Janet said...

I DON'T support our troops. U.S. military only wants to fight wars and more wars.

Joe Lawyer said...

Military-Industrial Complex only wants to fight wars.

former State Dept. employee said...

I worked in an embassy in a very poor African country. CIA and U.S. Foreign Service officers assigned to Third World countries spend more time scheming how to get plum assignments in Western Europe than they do on everything else combined.

ex State Dept. said...

I quit my embassy job in South America because not only were career foreign service officers constantly scheming to get plum assignments but everyone with over 10 years of service was planning his-her retirement. In case you wondered why U.S. foreign policy is going nowhere in most of the world.

Mary McLean said...

How about the alternative to the military-industrial complex - the Preace Corps? Oops, you have to be a Young Republican to serve in the Peace Corps and after you do your foreign travel and adventure you are prime recruits for career positions in the CIA.

Jen said...

I volunteered for the Peace Corps and served in Africa for 2 years. Yes, you do have to be a Republican to serve in the Peace Corps. I am sure there are a few exceptions made for Democrats. And yes, the CIA does try to recruit you when you return to the USA. As does the State Department for low-level embassy and consular jobs. BTW, he CIA is full of former Peace Corps volunteers. I didn't do spit for the community where I served in Africa except teach a few kids a little English. The Peace Corps is and has always been a bunch of Kennedy bull****

Anonymous said...

Lately the people who run the Peace Corps have tried to make the agency something more than travel and adventure for pedigreed Young Republicans. But that goes against almost 50 years of tradition.

Anonymous said...

End all warfare in the Middle East. A tremendous waste of money. If you think the USA is broke now, wait until we've fought for 5 more years in AfganIraq.

Mark said...

I was young and stupid and volunteered for he Navy after high school. Big mistake. Year I spent on a ship in the Gulf essentially doing nothing with 200 other enlisted was a huge waste of time. So were the other two years not stuck on a ship.

DOD employee and sick of the killing said...

About 10 women, kids, and old people are killed or wounded for every 1 Taliban fighter killed or wounded in Afghanistan.

Kathy said...

So after 30 years of Reagan Republicanism our lives are totally controlled, 24/7/365 by neo-con ideology and neo-fascism.

Pam said...

Obama will scuttle national health insurance and send at least 10,000 more U.S. military to Afghanistan. Look for an announcement on or about September 11th.

Anonymous said...

Looks like McCrystal will ask for 40,000 more troops for Afghanistan. When will it end?

Vote for Change said...

This nation is run by a bi-partisan group of psychopaths. More wars, more killing, more civilian deaths, more hundreds of billions wasted every year fighting wars in the Third World.