Franken introduces Pay for War Resolution

[kpete]

Source: Washington Independent

Franken introduces Pay for War Resolution

By Andy Birkey | 04.07.11 | 11:25 am | More from The Minnesota Independent


Sen. Al Franken introduced legislation on Wednesday that would require Congress to pay for future wars and ensure that they do not add to the federal budget deficit. The Pay for War Resolution gives Congress the option to finance war through budget cuts, creating new revenue or a combination of both budgetary means. Franken said the bill is meant to avoid a repeat of the $1.25 trillion that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have added to the national debt.

“We have to ensure that Iraq and Afghanistan remain anomalies in American history,” Franken said on the Senate floor Wednesday. “And that’s what my resolution seeks to do. It will ensure that future wars don’t make our deficit and debt problem worse. It will ensure that Congress and American citizens must face the financial sacrifice of going to war. And it will force us to decide whether a war is worth that sacrifice.”

“In the last ten years our wars have been paid for by borrowing,” Franken said. “The Iraq War was accompanied by a massive tax cut. That failed fiscal experiment created the impression that war requires no financial sacrifice. We know that is just not true. The question is who will bear the financial sacrifice, the generation that has decided to go to war or its children and grandchildren?”

He said the bill was started months ago, before the U.S. action in Libya. “This did not start with Libya although Libya gives it a sense of urgency,” he said.


Read more: http://washingtonindependent.com/107679/franken-introduces-pay-for-war-resolution

[buddysmellgood]

1. About time. It should be called the Bush War Tax

[forty6]

11. exactly! I was about to post the same thought!!!

Tax on stockholders in oil companies, tax on everyone earning over 250,000 a year.

I'd say 20% of total income, off the top, before deductions....

[obxhead]

28. 30% off total income, 90% on every penny over 250K.

Make that the same for corporations since they are people now too.

[valerief]

35. Corps will just get their subsidies increased to offset. nt

[obxhead]

66. That is the other side of the coin.

NAFTA must be repealed, massive tariffs must also be placed on imports, double for US companies that move jobs overseas.

The solutions are easy, but the lower class will benefit first. None of it will change until the commoners are our leaders. To do that elections must be paid for by public funds.

It's a long story to get to change, but it won't happen until people who are not millionaires or billionaires are in control.

[jmowreader]

49. Better idea...

Use the tax table we have now up to $100k. 40 percent from $100k to one dollar less than a congressman makes, 50 percent from what a congressman makes to what a senator makes (I know what they make, but this is designed to float with congressional pay raises), 60 percent from what a senator makes to $300,000, 70 percent from $300k to $1 million, and 90 percent above that.

[midnight]

67. Awesome idea....

[RoccoR5955]

21. Bingo... I like it. What a way for the shrub to be remembered

Of course he will not like it, but too effin' bad!

[russspeakeasy]

34. Exactly..."the bush war tax" forever. (starts tomorrow).

[orangeapple]

37. more importantly

will it apply to 'kinetic military action'?

Or can future Presidents (and Congresses) just doublespeak their way out of the requirement?

[No Elephants]

77. Bush has been out of WH since January, 2009.

[ProudDad]

89. Actually, Jimmy Carter and Ronny Ray-gun started this latest trend...

As did Lyndon Johnson with Vietnam...

Borrowing from the rich instead of taxing them was ray-gun's "improvement" though...

[Drale]

2. The only issue I see

is that if there is ever another just war like World War 2, there might have to be a full war effort in which it adds to the deficit. Otherwise its a good idea.

[MaineDeadHead]

6. The way around that is to...

amend the bill such that an actual Congressional Declaration of War bypasses it's funding requirements.

[Drale]

7. Yeah that would probably work.

[tomp]

73. how about we don't engage in military action....

....without congressional approval? or is that just too old-fashioned?

or better yet, why don't we engage in peace?

[spartan61]

15. Weren't there war bonds during WW II to

help pay for the war?

[Drale]

18. War Bonds are more like loans then just money

All the war bonds had to be payed back after the war was over.

[No Elephants]

71. Better for U.S. to pay interest to Americans than to China?

[WatsonT]

3. Amen

And withhold all elected officials pay until they either end the war or find a way to fund it.

Nothing wrong with going to war when the situation demands it.

But if it's worth fighting it's worth paying for.

[gateley]

9. If it's worth fighting for it's worth paying for. Amen. nt

[Angry Dragon]

4. I like Al

[yngdip]

5. GO 'HEAD AL!!!!!

:applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:

[Chorophyll]

8. Al's the best. nt

[aquart]

10. YES! WAR TAX!

Tax the rich to pay for the wars they don't fight. Watch peace break out all over.

[Plucketeer]

13. Sounds good to me!

WAR TAX

[freshwest]

12. Time to adopt 'pay as you go' or don't go! Quit making generations to come pay for them.

[jwirr]

14. Doing what we sent him to do. Thanks Al.

[HereSince1628]

16. I understand why this is happening...but...I just have to say...IF(!)

someday there actually was an existential threat to our country that had to be met by military force, we wouldn't REALLY worry about how we were going to pay to preserve the Union.

I've do understand what Sen. Franken is doing, but still...I wouldn't want that terrible day to have Uncle Sam in handcuffs.

[No Elephants]

72. Sensible legislation would cover that.

[Marthe48]

17. YAY--if it weren't for these invasions

we wouldn't be in good shape, but at least our country wouldn't be bankrupt. Stupid ass tp's and repugs want to keep killing us, either fast in Iraq, or slow by unaffordable medical care.

[barbtries]

19. does it have a chance?

well how many laws do stand a chance with this pathetically polarized congress

[Amonester]

24. No. (Sorry)

The 'new' Royals (1%) won't allow their 'war-profiteering' bonuses and bloated pension plans to be 'sacrificed' in any way.

They'll keep buying politicians on all sides to make sure of that (like they always do).

[Tripod]

69. In my State they all just took a two week vacation.

Most of the Republicans are a part of it.

[No Elephants]

75. Rethugs never hesitate to file bills that have no chance. As long as people hear about it, I'm okay

Even better if it comes to a vote. I like fokkers having to show where they stand.

[NewJeffCT]

83. Agreed

if this makes the news beyond MSNBC at night, it will be a victory for Franken.

[BlueCollar]

20. "Amen" from this veteran

"It will ensure that Congress and American citizens must face the financial sacrifice of going to war. And it will force us to decide whether a war is worth that sacrifice.”

Well said...

[LuckyLib]

22. We already know it's not worth the human sacrifice. But perhaps the American people

have to approach it as not being worth the monetary sacrifice.

[SaveAmerica]

60. Isn't that sad? But apparently they don't care about that either

[SomeGuyInEagan]

23. If only they had put the wars on a credit card - think of the free miles!

In seriousness, Franken was been talking about this long before he became *MY* U.S. Senator. Back in the Air America days, he frequently talked about how we were the country in history to be in a war and at the same time cutting taxes.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

48. Ask the Bush and Cheney families to pay for the deficit!

[Corruption Winz]

25. Nice article. k/r. n/t

[felix_numinous]

26. K&R

[kag]

27. What a concept! n/t

[athenasatanjesus]

29. Paying for war is Big government! nt.

[Enthusiast]

30. This would be a good start

toward reining in the military industrial complex. Another good move by Senator Franken.

[earcandle]

31. You gotta Long Dark Night to Face....

http://www.earcandleproductions.com/Long_Dark_Night_ec.swf

[Luciferous]

32. "it will force us to decide whether a war is worth that sacrifice" Well said, Senator.

Although I worry more about the sacrifice of our young men and women and the innocent civilians that inevitably get killed in these wars, if we can't pay for it, we shouldn't be doing it.

[JBoy]

33. Jack up the price of admission so only rich people can go to war.

[smirkymonkey]

85. +1000

[valerief]

36. This'll get dropped like a hot potato and blacked out on teevee unfortunately.

Of course, NO WAR makes the most sense, but we gotta feed the energy companies with WAR.

But I guess if you don't buy a lottery ticket, you can't win, and Franken is providing a lottery ticket for us. I just wish the odds were better.

[MasonJar]

38. I love Al.

[LawnKorn]

39. I'd pay $50 to watch Senator Franken debate Dick Cheney

It would be worth it to see Al mop the floor from the position of what the American people want as opposed to what the war mongering defense contractors want.

The solution is simple:

Pay for it up front or don't start another war

[tclambert]

40. I'm not sure on this one. In some future scenario, we might need to borrow, TEMPORARILY, to finance

a war. I love Franken, especially his having the guts to put forth good ideas, but on this one, I don't know that I can agree with an absolute requirement to "pay as you go" for any war. Certainly Bush went way too far in cutting taxes for the rich while simultaneously borrowing huge for his wars. I'd rather do it Al's way than Bush's way, but in WWII, they used to sell a lot of war bonds, which is a form of borrowing. Can't we allow that kind of war financing?

[alp227]

43. good point. also back in the eisenhower admin there was a 90% top tax rate

i suspected that had something to do with WWII or the Korean War. the top tax rate increased during wartime (WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam), but not for Iraq and Afghanistan.

[tclambert]

47. Well, leaders were serious people back then, not cheap reality show celebrities.

I'm sure tax cuts were a popular way of pandering to special interests back then, too, but leaders would point to WWII or the Cold War and even rich people would agree to "share the sacrifice." Today's band of rich people are Gordon Gekko, Ayn Rand fans, which means greedy, selfish bastards.

[Populist_Prole]

41. Baggers just ignore offense spending in budget talks, but maybe now

It'll have to be discussed. Could put them in an uncomfortable situation where they'll either they have to say they want offense spending off the table ( in the face of its huge cost,and thus damage their credibility ) or have to admit to some cuts just to save face. I sure hope so.

[chollybocker]

42. Excellent idea.

But the War Boot Makers will crush this like a bug on the floor.

Kudos to Al Franken, though. At least he pushes back. He continues to show great integrity in office.

[Mosaic]

65. I wouldn't compare

Morality to a bug, oh how the rethugs love whimpy dems. Don't ever help them!

[DirkGently]

44. THIS is the kind of ARGUMENT Democrats need to WIN. Not compromise. Not glad-hand. WIN.

Puncture Republican lies. Jump up and down on the logical disconnect. Not Kabuki theater
about fake budget-cutting attacks on the middle class.

[Overseas]

68. Well said!

[ozone_man]

45. It's about time!

I'm amazed at how little air time this issue ever gets, it's almost like they aren't allowed to talk about the elephant in the room. The war costs or defense spending. Obama would rather talk about "entitlements" like social security (his words). End the wars and defense spending, raise taxes on the rich. Budget solved.

[forty6]

46. Great Idea, sorry that it will go nowhere... this is exactly what the USA...

needs, accountability.

[Egnever]

50. Sorry thats just stupid

I am all for having the war spending have to be part of the budget but forcing it to be paid without a defecit is short sighted and stupid. What if another country attacked us right now? We wouldnt be able to defend ourselves cause we are running a defecit?

[Vattel]

53. You seem to be misreading.

The resolution doesn't prohibit war if we are running a defecit. It prohibits wars that add to the deficit. It is a pay as you go requirement.

[No Elephants]

78. When did a country last attack us? Have you read the bill? See Reply 72.

[bluebuzzard]

51. Gerald Celente gets pissed

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqM7wq0W_kw&feature=player_embedded

[inna]

52. and who exactly is that (presumably) rw fuck? and why is that of interest?

ETA: i vaguely remember that he made some accurate predictions at some point, but that's about it.

[lunasun]

54. fianlly some accounting for war $ in my lifetime!!

[Soylent Brice]

55. K&R

[former9thward]

56. The link does not indicate he has any co-sponsors.

I wonder if Reid will allow a vote on this? I doubt it.

[inna]

57. extremely unlikely it'll go anywhere. nice gesture, though.

[klook]

58. Outstanding -- I have been waiting for this proposal for many years (n/t)

[donheld]

59. Al is my 2nd favorite Senator

Bernie is 1st.

[SaveAmerica]

61. Doggone it, he IS smart enough!!

[Psephos]

62. It would take one additional sentence to apply it to Libya.

Without including Libya, it's just hollow posturing.

I expect better from Franken than the same old kick-the-can-down-the-road. Our problems need to dealt with now, not in the future.

Also, there's nothing stopping him or anyone else from crafting a bill making Iraq and Afghanistan pay-as-you-go operations, either. How quickly would both of those wind down if every 1040 had an extra line in it assessing an additional charge for war?

[No Elephants]

80. How are we better off without this bill? See also Reply 75.

[lordsummerisle]

63. K&R n/t

[Mosaic]

64. Excellent Idea

Wars will be much more scrutinized, hopefully avoided. Franken is sounding like a hero. I wish him great success with this.

[notesdev]

70. I've got an idea

how about a "don't get into stupid new wars-of-choice" resolution

[democrank]

74. Imagine....

Unfunded wars, yet national "leaders" rail against teachers` pay. That`s MORE change I can`t believe in.

[No Elephants]

76. Love Al. Reinstate the draft, too.

[Charleston Chew]

79. Sen. Franken's Introduction of the Pay for War Bill

Sen Franken introduced the Pay for War bill that would require congress to find ways to pay for wars and not borrow the entire cost.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x571314

[orbitalman]

81. Why didn't Obama think of this ??????????

[neoralme]

86. Why, indeed.

[tinwi]

82. And any company profiting from war should be taxed extra

[SomeGuyInEagan]

88. Truman called war profiteering treason and went after them ...

... as a U.S. Senator. His actions led to FDR calling for more corporate taxes on war profits and Truman was tapped to be V.P. in the next presidental election. Seems like any number of well-intentioned, serious legislators from either party could have made a serious name for him/herself the past decade simply by taking a page out of the Truman playbook .... unless they are already owned by the corporations, I guess.

[ProudDad]

90. "unless they are already owned by the corporations"

Yep...

[myrna minx]

84. K&R n/t

[Uncle Joe]

87. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, kpete.:thumbsup:

[ProudDad]

91. I have a better idea...STOP THE WARS and cut the fucking war machine!!! (n/t)

[sarcasmo]

92. Go get em Al.

[yurbud]

93. kick