Barney Frank "The Largest Spending Bill In History Is The War In Iraq"

[kpete]

DEMINT: But this is the largest spending bill in history, and we're trying to call it a stimulus when it's just doing the things that...

FRANK: Well, let me tell you what I think is the largest...

DEMINT: ... you wanted to do anyway.

FRANK: The largest spending bill in history is going to turn out to be the war in Iraq. And one of the things, if we're going to talk about spending, I don't -- I have a problem when we leave out that extraordinarily expensive, damaging war in Iraq, which has caused much more harm than good, in my judgment.


And I don't understand why, from some of my conservative friends, building a road, building a school, helping somebody get health care, that's -- that's wasteful spending, but that war in Iraq, which is going to cost us over $1 trillion before we're through -- yes, I wish we hadn't have done that. We'd have been in a lot better shape fiscally.

STEPHANOPOULOS: That is a whole another show, so I'm going to...

(CROSSTALK)

FRANK: That's the problem. The problem is that we look at spending and say, "Oh, don't spend on highways. Don't spend on health care. But let's build Cold War weapons to defeat the Soviet Union when we don't need them. Let's have hundreds and hundreds of billions of dollars going to the military without a check." Unless everything's on the table, then you're going to have a disproportionate hit in some places.

Video And More at:
http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/barney-frank-largest-spending-bill-history-iraq

also good stuff at:
34 GOP Senators Oppose the Recovery Plan: In Their Own Words
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/2/1/11346/62919/915/691656

[NNN0LHI]

1. Recommended

[indepat]

2. But Barney, it's not how much you spend, it's how much benefit to society we get for what we spend:

now let's all count the benefits from all that trillions of dollars of spending and the carnage, looting, and the destruction that followed. :P

[Kolesar]

38. Military spending removes wealth from the economic system and is *inflationary* ...eom

[indepat]

39. Like maybe those trillions spent on the bombardment and occupation of Iraq have not

given us a good return on that investment, that maybe those dollars could have been better spent on infrastructure, providing universal health delivery, the general economy, education, and protecting the environment. :P

[Faygo Kid]

3. Damned straight.

Not Barney, but his ability to cut through bull and speak truth like this.

[terisan]

4. Well as least neither is outrageously wealthy-DeMint actually looks relatively poor for a Senator

(Hey Jim Barney is Correct on this! and you are wrong )

(even though it appears DeMint may not know how to make money (hard to believe) His financial report possibly does not include value of primary residence. He comes up for re-election in 2010.

Let's see what the 2 dueling congressman look like on paper reports of their wealth:
Jim DeMint

Net Worth: From $16,002 to $65,000
Ranks 87th among all members of the Senate
Assets: 2 totaling $16,002 to $65,000
Liabilities: 0
Transactions: 0
Agreements: 1
Compensation: 0
Income: 1 totaling $1,000

Positions Held: 1
Travel: 0
Gifts: 0
Honoraria: 0



Net Worth:
From $711,021 to $1,840,000
Ranks 157th among all members of the House
• Assets:
15 totaling $711,021 to $1,840,000
Liabilities:
0
• Transactions:
2 totaling $51,002 to $115,000
Agreements:
0
Compensation:
0
Income:
0

Positions Held:
0
• Travel:
8
Gifts:
0
Honoraria:
0

<http://www.opensecrets.org/pfds/index.php>

[Rosa Luxemburg]

5. It puts things into perspective

what exactly did the Iraq war do for American people?

[firedupdem]

6. He's exactly right. The republicans talk out of their asses! n/t

[MichiganVote]

7. Amen to Barney

[Orsino]

8. The cost of Congressional cowardice and corruption: a trillion or more. n/t

[defendandprotect]

35. Cowardice ....???

Democrats financed war for two years because of cowardice...???

Pelosi says on film immediately after 2006 election ..

"Voters elected us to end war in Iraq" .... they knew voters would back them.

[Orsino]

37. Yes, cowardice.

Because they couldn't figure out how to sell us what the GOP would call defeatism, retreat, and Not Supporting the Troops. They were afraid of being seen to ally themselves with the terrorists. :eyes:

[defendandprotect]

40. Iraq was an "illegal" war -- and we have a bankrupted Treasury . . . that's enough to get out . ..

PLUS the public well understood all of this about those wars and wanted out!!

If the voters had at all been influenced by GOP B.S., they wouldn't have voted for the Dems!

From what I can see too many Dems are also profiting from this war ---

[Orsino]

47. Profiting in many ways...

...including the luxury of appearing sufficiently belligerent and jingoistic to keep getting elected.

[Number23]

9. Hell yes.

:applause: :applause:

Happy to rec

[leftstreet]

10. K&R

[JeffR]

11. When Barney is on, he's ON.

And I'd like to hear the same point ramped up everytime a Democrat talks with a camera pointed at her or him.

[mckara]

12. Why Do Conservatives Hate America?

n/t

[JeffR]

19. Can't help themselves.

Some secret memo from Prescott Bush, I expect. He was probably the last of his preposterous bloodline who could string two sentences together. Evil sentences, most likely, but at least grammatically coherent.

[Idealism]

13. If you listen to Stiglitz, Iraq will end up costing $3 trillion

But that is with everything figured in. I mean everything. Two examples of hidden costs that Stiglitz figured in:

-Lost compensation from 4400 dead through their entire lives (estimated of course)
-Future health care costs based on trends of veterans VA records and intervals of care

You can download his lecture on it from iTunes for free "The Three Trillion Dollar War" I believe is the title.

[whistle]

21. Don't forget the compound interest cost for $3.0 trillion as well over the next 100 years

[xchrom]

14. +39

[gratuitous]

15. How gauche!

Counting the cost of things! For that dreary Mr. Frank's information, if you have to put a price tag on a war of aggression, it's clear that you shouldn't be indulging in such purchases, nu? But what's done is done, dahling, and to carp about the money spent is just sooo declasse, n'est-ce pas?

[DallasNE]

16. Republicans Put Up A Bill In The House

It was so rushed that a number of Republicans voted against it. The Republican bill was all on taxes. Studies on last years tax rebates show that only about 15% of that money went toward spending with the other 85% going to debt reduction, saving and such. While debt reduction and savings are not bad they are not job producing and right now we need jobs. Oh, and the Republican bill had some tax increases mixed in with the cuts that went disproportionly to businesses. Tax cuts that would do nothing to increase demand and job creation. Spending creates demand and it is that demand that creates jobs. Why can't Republicans get that through their thick skulls.

[defendandprotect]

43. We need to replace manufacturing . . .

and then the jobs will follow --

However, we also need to convert from a CONSUMER/toss away society to long-term products again.

We have the insanity not only of "new models" still active -- but now big ticket stuff destructs

very quickly. Clothing of very poor quality.

Things used to be built to last --- now even dentists are being taught that they shouldn't

think about fillings that last and last!!!

[alfredo]

17. I hope the freepers put a bunch of money on the Cardinals, just to

spite us.

[Swagman]

18. hey Barney's wrong....the Iraq War made people wealthy...

just not you and me :sarcasm: ..the name Cheney springs to mind though

[Enthusiast]

20. Rec! Well said Barney

tell it like it is!

[lonestarnot]

22. No shit!

[Warren DeMontague]

23. K&R.

:applause: :kick: :patriot:

[kenfrequed]

24. This should be the folllow up

This should be the follow up to every stupid republican meme about democratic waste and 'tax and spend.'

Or maybe the republicans should be the party of 'spend and pawn.'

[marshall]

25. Can we talk about BOTH spending bills?

They both suck, but deflecting questions from one and just talking about the other isn't going to get problems solved.

[riqster]

26. DeMint was OK with giving a similar amount to Wall Street, too nt

[treestar]

27. So true. Which is why Repukes are hypocrites when they

complain about the debt the stimulus bill brings about.

[harun]

28. This is where their fallacy lies when they say "big gov't"

There is gov't in terms of cost, role in our lives, authority, services, etc. When they say they are against "big" gov't they NEVER mean cost, even though they sell it as the opposite. Military spending is COST and BIG gov't, it has to come from somewhere. Proving their hypocrisy every day.

[defendandprotect]

44. Privatizing anything that government does is disaster . ..

We need to reverse that trend --

corrupt capitalism is no different from organized crime --

[leftchick]

29. some of these quotes are just priceless

Brownback: "Will only lead to inefficient and wasteful spending." you mean like the Iraq war?


bunning: "This is not a stimulus package, but a massive government spending bill that my grandchildren and great grandchildren will have to pay for."

you mean like those tax cuts for the rich?



my repuke sen. burr: "If the bill the Democrats have proposed in the Senate does not change drastically, then I will not be able to support it."

you mean like the WoT trillions we are spending?

these people are so removed from reality. The democrats had better not cave on one thing in that bill.

[phantom power]

30. It's about time somebody tried to have this conversation.

[jillan]

31. Personally, I think the best thing Barney Frank said yesterday was

that tax cuts don't build roads.

Tax cuts don't pay for firefighters.

Brilliant!

[harun]

45. That's awesome.

[1776Forever]

32. Right on Right on! We need to scream this loud and clear!

:kick:

[defendandprotect]

33. Iraq I was $45 Billion...and allies contributed to costs--!!

[defendandprotect]

34. Last two years ... Democrats have funded these wars---!!!

[bdamomma]

36. right on Barney you tell those scumbuckets repigs!!!

[Ardent15]

41. Ha

[underpants]

42. VIDEO- 9:53

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x267506

[Romulox]

46. End the war today. But this still sounds like a subtle shill for Wall Street.

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!