Cost of War

In a recent article written in The Washington Post, Too Many Wars, Too Few U.S. Soliders, it talks about the costs of war and how War is now become a problem for society as many service members who come back from war are devastated by the effects of war.  I submit that war is not a bad thing but a last resort.  We should not go to war unless we have exhausted all diplomatic measures, as War’s cost money, resources and human capital. 

The Wars in Iraq and in Afghanistan have put a cost on our nation and put a big price tag on our nation budget, in a recent study done by Brown University it seems that all the wars we have participated in last decade comes about to be about 5 Trillion US Dollars that has been syphoned out of our budget to fund wars on foreign soil.  Now I am all for the liberation of freedom from dictators and our militaries and foreign policy maker’s mission to bring democracy anywhere across the globe.  But I feel that there are other ways to go about that mission, mainly through diplomacy where we would not to spend trillions of dollars in a war that not only do Americans not benefit from war.  We feel as though money and are hard earned wealth is being taken by our government to be used to fund a war is not something Americans like to know.  So in the end though the US government gets a kick out of going to war to liberate that country and make and ally, the people back at home in America are paying for the bill and the costs of war.

In times of war not only do we use money to fund the war we take good natural resources from America like food and oil from America and bring it abroad to be used in the service of democracy.  Now come on, I don’t believe that for a second I believe that using our resources is particularly necessary I feel that we are just wasting time and energy on something that is not helping the American people in general.  And to take our resources and give them to a foreign nation to be used to help them liberate and become democratic is something that makes me laugh as I feel that war again is a last resort and we should not commit our resources to fight another countries war.

In the past decade we have been to two wars that has lasted most if not all of the decade, and that has taken a toll on Americans both around the nation and abroad, where service members go each day into the battlefield to give their lives to this beloved country of ours.  Members of our armed services come back from war with many conditions such as depression, PTSD, and nightmares from war.  These really affect the human capital in America as many young Americans sign up and go to war in the service of our nation, only to come back impaired in a certain way. They do not come back the same as when they left, going to war I feel that people who go to war always leave a little bit of themselves behind in the battlefield.  SO that they could forget the horrible incident and go on and live normal happy lives as best as they can.  Why should we sacrifice the sanity and the liveliness of our future generations to war. I believe that it is not necessary to do so and that we as a nation should do something to stop wars from happening in the future.

So War, it challenges America both monetarily, resource wise and psychologically; we have to give up a lot during times of war.  We see many sacrifices being taken among those who are not in government.  While the government sits in their ‘Ivory Tower’ deciding that was is best for its allies is to support them and to go to war, I believe that they do not look at the people at home who are the ones who sacrifice for war.  I feel that war is a last resort, a tool that should be used when there are no other alternatives; and that wars should be quick and concise so that we do not spend decades into a war that drains the moral of a country.

The House approves $3.5 trillion Budget Plan

A Few days ago I came across an article that discussed the new budget that has just pass a house vote.   In the very divided congress we currently have today in our government, the republican controlled House of Representatives passed a there version of next year’s bill, in which voting was heavily based on party lines.  The new budget for next year was introduced by congressman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.1st) would equate to about $3.5 trillion dollars in spending.

In congressman Ryan’s bill he proposes:

The Ryan plan, which proposes cutting tax rates and a dramatic revamping of Medicare to curb costs for future retirees, faces all but certain rejection in the Senate but will frame the parties’ election-year debate on fiscal issues. The plan cuts $5.3 trillion over the next decade — entirely through deep cuts in entitlements and agency spending.

And as the voting breakdown as you are all aware were based on party lines with some republicans voting against the proposed budget:

The House vote breakdown was 228 Republicans in favor, and 181 Democrats and 10 Republicans opposed.

After the vote, Republicans ground out press releases praising the vote for proposing “real solutions” to improve the economy. Democrats responded with a round of statements decrying the GOP effort to revamp Medicare.

Overall, I still believe that the budget is too high and that we should cut back, and I believe I will continue to feel this way until I see that our government is safe and secure in terms of our budget.  But I like the steps that the government is taking to lower our current budget deficit, so that our future generations may have a chance to have a government without debt.

Is Going to War with Iran a Good Idea?

 

The Islamic Republic of Iran’s Nuclear Program has been the subject of heated debate in not only American politics but even global international politics.  While we here at home have started with economic sanctions towards Iran’s economy,  other nations in the international community have called for combative measures to suppress Iran from becoming a new up and coming nuclear power.  I agree that we should stop nuclear proliferation and should at all costs stop the Iranian government from pursing nuclear weapons.

But we do not need to go to war over it, mainly because first we just do not have enough money to be in a two war situation, second the American people are not in favor of another war, and finally I think America priorities are wrong where we try to curry favor from everyone and we try to make everyone happy is what is causing us to run our deficit and unnecessary spending.  It is time for a change in the way we think and act and we do not need to go to war to prove that America is a great power or try to make everyone happy in order to make our country look benevolent. In hard times we need to change our outlook in order to make a difference and change what is broken.

War is a last result when all forms of diplomacy have failed and we can no longer negotiate with the country we are in conflict with.  And I am all for supporting America to go to war with Iran, but the reality of the situation is that we as a nation do not have the necessary funds or resources to send our country into another conflict in which we will lose money to foreign nations and the lives of our American military service members who are willing to give their lives in the cause of freedom.  But if we go to war with Iran it would not be for freedom, it would be to suppress another country from becoming a nuclear power, thus going against our country’s morals and original cause to go to war with other nations.

Again, not to be repetitive but I want to drive this point across, Wars cost money and we do not have the money to wage another war with another country, and Iran is a country that can pose a formidable threat to the US war machine.   We have the weaponry, tools and personnel to go to war with Iran but do we have the moral support of the American people, if we do not how are we going to allow for our military to invade a foreign country and stop them from becoming a nuclear power when we are unable to solve our own problems at home.   We have a massive public debt, our government is so politically divided that nothing gets done in our government, and some in America feel that our constitutional rights are being restricted by our current government.  With all these issues at home do you really think we have the support, time our resources to go to war with Iran?  I do not think so.

In order for us to really go to war with the country of Iran I believe that we would need the support of the American people, but at this time the American people want our government to leave Afghanistan and get out of fighting for a while so I do not see the American people supporting a war with Iran.   We have internal problems of our own in America.  We just do not have the time, energy or effort to solve the problems of the international community any longer.   Before we can go back to becoming the great superpower again where we solve the world’s problems, we need to solve our problems first and stop the political infighting, and the massive public debts.  Then we can go back to becoming a global superpower and help police the world and solve their problems.

So at the end of the day, “WE CAN NOT GO TO WAR WITH IRAN!”, why because our country is weak, not because we are morally or physically weak, but our country is fiscally unstable, economically weak, and politically divided.  How can we wage a war, make political progress, and reinvigorate our economy when we are weak in the most important things.  We are not in the cold war anymore where we can go and attack every country we feel is oppressing others or if they are against America.  Our government needs to access what is important to average Americans and work to help them instead of solving global issues.

Why are Gas Prices so High?

Recently I can across an Baltimore Sun article called, “The Extra Dollars You’re Paying at the Pump are Going to Wall Street Speculators”, in the article it stated that the reason that gas prices are going up is that, speculators in wall street are driving up the prices, they say that this is what happened into 2008 as well.  Now I do not agree with that opinion but I do agree that the recent activity may have been caused by:

If prices at the pump continue to rise, expect the gas wars to intensify.

But the current surge in gas prices has almost nothing to do with energy policy. It doesn't even have much to do with global supply and demand. It has most to do with America's continuing failure to adequately regulate Wall Street.

Oil supplies aren't being squeezed. More than 80 percent of America's energy needs are now being satisfied by domestic supplies. In fact, we're starting to become an energy exporter.

Iran is threatening to cut production in retaliation for sanctions imposed by the European Union and the United States. But Saudi Arabia's increased production is more than enough to make up the difference.

Demand for oil isn't rising in any event. Oil demand in the U.S. is down compared to last year at this time. The American economy is showing only the faintest signs of recovery. Meanwhile, global demand is still moderate. Europe's debt crisis hasn't gone away. China's growth continues to slow.

I believe that the problem is caused by a global political crisis, and not by the some stockbrokers in Wall Street. The problem is that Americans and countries across the globe are dependent on oil and I believe that we should find alternatives to oil so that we are not dependent to other countries and drain our own oil supply thus ruining our ecosystems just to fuel our daily lives.
We were to first to create alternatives to crude oil such as E-85 ethanol, but we are now the last in the world to actually utilize this technology.  So in order for us to be a great and successful country we need to grab the opportunity when we are ahead instead of creating an idea and then let the world get ahead of us and then catch up behind everyone else.  We are the world’s only superpower I believe that it is time we acted like one.

 

 

A 21 YEAR OLDS POINT OF VIEW

I found this blog post while searching for something to write and found this very interesting.

“The problems we face today are there because the people who work

for a living are outnumbered by those who vote for a living”

This was written by a 21 yr old female who gets it. It’s her future

she’s worried about and this is how she feels about the social welfare

big government state that she’s being forced to live in! These

solutions are just common sense in her opinion.

This was in the Waco Tribune Herald, Waco , TX Nov 18, 2010

Put me in charge . . .

  TO

Put me in charge of food stamps. I’d get rid of Lone Star cards; no

cash for Ding Dongs or Ho Ho’s, just money for 50-pound bags of rice

and beans, blocks of cheese and all the powdered milk you can haul

away. If you want steak and frozen pizza, then get a job.

 AND

Put me in charge of Medicaid. The first thing I’d do is to get women

Norplant birth control implants or tubal ligations. Then, we’ll test

recipients for drugs, alcohol, and nicotine and document all tattoos

and piercings. If you want to reproduce or use drugs, alcohol, smoke

or get tats and piercings, then get a job.

 AND

Put me in charge of government housing. Ever live in a military barracks?

You will maintain our property in a clean and good state of repair.

Your “home” will be subject to inspections anytime and possessions

will be inventoried. If you want a plasma TV or Xbox 360, then get a

job and your own place.

In addition, you will either present a check stub from a job each week

or you will report to a “government” job. It may be cleaning the

roadways of trash, painting and repairing public housing, whatever we

find for you. We will sell your 22 inch rims and low profile tires and

your blasting stereo and speakers and put that money toward the

“commo

n good..”

Before you write that I’ve violated someone’s rights, realize that all

of the above is voluntary. If you want our money, accept our rules..

Before you say that this would be “demeaning” and ruin their “self

esteem,” consider that it wasn’t that long ago that taking someone

else’s money for doing absolutely nothing was demeaning and lowered

self esteem.

If we are expected to pay for other people’s mistakes w e should at

least attempt to make them learn from their bad choices. The current

system rewards them for continuing to make bad choices.

AND 

While you are on Gov’t subsistence, you no longer can VOTE! Yes

that is correct. For you to vote would be a conflict of interest. You

will voluntarily remove yourself from voting while you are receiving a

Gov’t welfare check. If you want to vote, then get a job.

I realize that this is a extreme way of trying to tackle the issue that our country is currently facing in terms of spending too much on welfare programs.

I only post this up as a comedic license to see how some hardcore conservatives view our current situation, I  in no way believe this persons words or point of view in their entirety.  I like to use this as a way of lightening the situation our country is currently facing.

If you take offense to these views, well you are entitled to your opinion; and as I said earlier this is just a comedic view on the current situation.

Is Our 'Booming' Economy Helping Our Budget Deficit?

In a recent The Hill article “Improving Economy Does Little to Help Obama Shrink the Budget Deficit” reported that in a recent jobs report the positive outlook that the report gave would help president Obama in his reelection campaign.  However, the growth was very little and it may not be enough to make a difference.

In the article they quoted Keith Hennessey, an economist highly regarded by conservatives, and wrote on his blog that “even if the current positive trend were to accelerate I would anticipate economic policy to be a (the?) central focus of the election.”

“If the economy looks good, debate will shift to the fiscal picture which is still miserable,” he wrote.

The report stated that “the economy added 227,000 jobs in February and the unemployment rate stayed at 8.3 percent.  However, the trade deficit grew and this led some forecasters to reduce their outlook for gross domestic product.”  So the growing economy is not helping the president and our government with shrink our budget deficit, which in turn means that our debt is not being scaled back. 

This is not good outlook for the future years to come, as we have a growing economy but no signs of relieving our debt and budget deficit means our government will still be in a hole where they owe others money for years to come and that is a terrible prospect for our future generations.  I believe that we in this generation should clean up the mess that our government has currently left us in and try to restructure not only our budget but the people in government who support the measures to keep us in debt.

Though the report says that:

The White House last month forecast 2.7 percent growth in 2012. Even with that high rate of growth, it estimated this year’s budget deficit to be $1.3 trillion. Even by assuming historically high growth of 4.1 percent in the middle of the decade, by Obama’s own figures his budget has $8.6 trillion in deficits over the next ten years.

The President may forecast growth in our economy, but that means nothing if our government is in a budget deficit.  That means that our government is still in the negative where we owe more than we can produce, and that is not an efficient way to run government.  I believe that needs to change, and a way to do that is to change the system and our current leaders in power and in government.  So I say we need ‘change’ to come again.

China’s Grip on the United States is Slipping?

Recently, I glanced across a Bloomberg article that discussed how China, who is currently the largest holder of US Treasury bonds and one of the main creditors to the U.S. public debt, has started to reduce their holding of US Government securities for the first time in recent years.

In the article they stated that:

“The world’s second-largest economy held $1.15 trillion Treasuries as of Dec. 31, down from $1.16 trillion at the end of 2010, according to Treasury data released yesterday. The U.S. revised the figures to show that China held about $51 billion more than reported earlier last month. The revision shows nation’s holdings peaked at $1.3149 trillion in July.”

It seems that the Chinese government is starting to change is policy views towards where to invest their interests in other countries and not just the United States. As the Article China’s Holdings of Treasuries Decline for First Time “China’s policy makers have advocated diversification of the nation’s foreign-exchange reserves away from U.S. assets after more than doubling its holdings of Treasuries since 2007 in the wake of the global financial crisis.”  However, one reason I believe that the Chinese are trying to diversify their investment in our nation’s foreign exchange reserves is that the interest in the US government treasury bonds are starting to go down in terms of yield return.

As the article states that the Yields are going down as a result of the European Debt Crisis:

Yields on benchmark 10-year Treasury notes dropped to a record low of 1.67 percent in September as investors sought a haven from Europe’s sovereign - debt crisis and the Federal Reserve pledged to keep borrowing costs close to zero to sustain economic growth.

So is it that the beginning of the end in terms of reigning in the American public debt.  Well no, because even though the Chinese are pulling away from our US Treasury bonds other countries in Europe, South American and other parts of Asia have stepped in to take up the slack in terms of lend us money.

Japan maintained its place as America’s second-largest lender, with $1.06 trillion of Treasuries in December, while Brazil held $226.9 billion, the Treasury Department said. Hong Kong held $121.7 billion at the end of last year, according to the data. Total foreign holdings amounted to $5 trillion, up from $4.44 trillion in December 2010.

As China’s demand for Treasuries has waned, buyers in Europe have taken up the slack as the region’s debt crisis worsened. Luxembourg increased its holdings by 74 percent to $150.6 billion last year, Switzerland boosted its stake 33 percent to $142.5 billion and Belgium’s position in the debt more-than-quadrupled to $135.2 billion.

So in the end China may show signs of staying away from our riddled credit, but other countries are stepping in to fill the void left by the Chinese, but that is not the point because at the end of the day we in America need to call upon our government to stop there extravagant spending.  I am calling for cuts across the board, whether it be health care, defense, transportation, energy social security, and whatever can be cut there needs to be a slimmer and more efficient government that can run on the revenue from our American taxes instead of borrowing it from other countries. That is what I believe that we should do in terms of helping our country get out of this debt.