Apathy, Profiteering, Greed, and Sacrifice – America’s Iraq War

[Robson]

While eating dinner out wife my wife tonight I looked around the restaurant at the laughter, the chatter and smiling faces and realized that for most of us the Iraq War does not have a real personal impact. For over 99.5% of us Americans it’s just business as usual even though the war killed 100 Iraqis in a suicide bomb blast today and 8 American troops in 2 days. For those American and Iraqi families life will never be the same.

It’s a sad commentary that only those relatively few who are military families, those who are deployed or those waiting to be deployed, and Iraqis, who have the War in their thoughts almost every waking moment. For these people their lives can change at any moment and for what?

Then we have those ultra rich financiers; the leveraged buyout private equity specialists such as Steve Schwarzman, Henry Kravits, David Rubenstein, David Bonderman of the “Private Equity Council” that have made billions as a by-product of this economy and the Iraq war. Yet their greed is so strong that they are fighting tooth and nail to prevent Congress from upping their pittance of a 15% tax rate on their carry (fee) profits. This absurd quirk in tax law under Bush and the Republicans in Congress needs changed so that these billionaires pay their rightful share of the cost of running this country. BTW even Warren Buffet calls them out on it.

Actually there should have been a 10-15% “War on Terror Surtax” on every taxpayer, business, and corporation to ensure that every segment of America pays for these wars and are reminded daily of the cost, at least in the pocketbook. But George Bush and the GOP Congress structured it with tax cuts for the "have mores", and big war profits, and an economy built on credit and smoke and mirrors.....all to grease the skids.
If you care to read more about this boondoggle of an unfair 15% tax rate to these billionaires (and I’ll call them as I see them…. leeches) see this forum thread.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=114&topic_id=25953&mesg_id=25953

I find it difficult to find the words to describe the emotions that I feel as a result of this entire scenario of apathy, profiteering, greed, and sacrifice....that surround this pathetic Iraq War that Bush has involved us and the Iraqis in.

[Fire Walk With Me]

1. Remember the bit in Fahrenheit 9/11, "We are New-Fields"?

All of this is about profits for Bush's base, including the monopolization of resources. It's all about money. Imagine if they'd managed to get their hands upon the Social Security reserve...

[Robson]

2. There are rich that do good and there are rich that will suck our country dry.

I do agree it is about the mega rich taking it all and never having enough. Imagine someone who has 20 million thinking that they need much more. How about someone with 20 billion? That's obscene greed in both cases.

Actually the rich already have the Social Security. That's how Bush and the GOP Congress were able to give the huge tax cuts and still have funds to run the country? They wrote an IOU to the Social Security Trust.

Remember that only wage earners and business pays into this SS trust. Those living on investment income that saw the big tax cuts likely never paid one cent. And those earning millions only paid SS taxes on a fraction of the amount (90K.) The Blackwater, etc bunch that makes huge fees on their private equity buyouts should be paying full earned income tax on these fees.

[Robson]

3. Correction 250 killed in Iraq

Reported as 100 killed in suicide bombing is now 250.

This war, this corrupt incompetent BUSH presidency, and this greed.....it should drive us demand answers and changes now.