Byrd questions war spending request

[davidinalameda]

http://www.wvgazette.com/section/News/2003092225

Opening a week of hearings before the Senate Appropriations Committee, Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., said future generations will pay for President Bush’s latest request for $87 billion in supplemental funds, $71 billion of which will be spent in Iraq.

If Bush’s request is approved, the federal deficit would be expected to reach $535 billion. That means the average family of four in the United States would have to pay almost $10,000 in federal taxes to cover this year’s deficit alone.

The new deficits continue the reversing of a government spending trend that would have eliminated the national debt by 2008.

[Parche]

1. vote no

I want to help our troops over there, but we have to put our
foot down on this one, no more money for Iraq
Until our country is taken care of

[nostamj]

2. slogan/button concept:

WHAT
ABOUT
U.S.
?

[Myra]

3. I watched Byrd on C-SPAN

He's so friggen great.

[LiberalVoice]

4. I cant agree...

Unfortunatly the american people stood by and watched a man steal the reigns of our country. Take away our rights and alot of our freedoms. We watched when he decided to use our emotions and memories of 9/11 to get us to go to war. We watched him kill thousands of innocent people and, now as obvious as it is that he was wrong to go into Iraq. I dont see any other way(while he is still in office)to do whats right. Then to help those people. We have stood by and watched him do horrible things.

Now its our turn to pay the price...

[LiberalVoice]

5. btw

I Love Byrd!!!

[Bridget Burke]

6. But we need to know...

How much of that huge amount will actually go to help the Iraqi people--and how much is going into the pockets of Bush contributors.

Remember, Halliburton & friends are mostly working on non-bid contracts with no details available to those of us who are actually paying.

[Unknown Known]

7. Iraqi leaders to tell Congress of wasteful spending

In interviews, the Iraqi leaders said they planned to tell Congress about how the staff of Paul Bremer, the American occupation administrator, sends its laundry to Kuwait, how it costs $20,000 a day to feed the Americans at Al Rashid Hotel in Baghdad, how American contractors charge large premiums for working in Iraq and how, across the board, the overhead from supporting and protecting the large American and British presence here is less efficient than granting direct aid to Iraqi ministries that operate at a fraction of the cost.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2003/09/22/MN206196.DTL

I think Chalabi is behind this because he wants his hands on the money.

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/23/international/middleeast/23CHAL.html?ex=1065292494&ei=1&en=3f5c0ff33e63c101

[loudsue]

8. Bush wouldn't like Chalabi saying this....

The lord Bush giveth, and the lord bush taketh away....if Chalabi is behind this, bush will make sure he pays severely. The "mob" always works this way...the world (and Chalabi) has to learn to live with it.

:kick: