*Governors of five U.S. states urged the federal government to provide $1 trillion in aid to the country's 50 states to help pay for education, welfare and infrastructure as states struggle with steep budget deficits amid this continuing recession.
This is concrete evidence of the critical problems with which our states and individuals are desperately trying to cope. Deficits in individual state budgets are in the multi-billions. So, the state governors are looking for $1 trillion from the government to bail them out. But the funds are simply not there for the giving.
Why are there no federal funds available for such a high priority in our nation, namely, the functioning of the 50 states, their commitment to education systems and services to the poor, needy, disabled and the unemployed? The question is not the least bit difficult to answer. There are no funds available because they have been committed, not to the welfare and needs of the American people, but rather to the massive war machine and the defense industry which feeds upon it.
This much is clear. Our government and our leaders have decided that their greatest priority is the proliferation of wars in foreign lands. The $1 trillion that states say they will need, a monumental amount, is about equal to the annual Defense Department budget. Bullets, bombs, drones and an empire of bases are gobbling up all available funds and are the greatest reason that the printing presses in the Treasury Department are running non-stop, printing billions more "fiat money."
But, while states are collapsing and wars drain the remaining wealth of America, the vast majority of Americans remain very silent, they seem to be unable or unwilling to break their silence and demand that this madness stop. Wherever I happen to be on any given day, I hear nothing about this issue that is doing so much damage to our nation; no strong opinions, no great debate or discussions pro or con, simply silence. Something is drastically wrong. Are we all going to just keep watching as our country goes into the tank?
What about the members of our Congress who approve those funds for the Defense Department? Do they ever question anything, do they ever challenge requests for supplemental appropriations, hold hearings to investigate abuses and waste in the system? Would they even dare to hold hearings to expose and then put a stop to the billions being spent on the Blackwater/XE mercenaries in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan? The answer to all these questions is no; Congress remains completely silent and submissive on these matters.
What about the radio talk show and cable TV hosts who talk endlessly about politics, politicians' extra-marital affairs, and Sarah Palin? Whether right wing conservatives or progressive hosts, I hear absolutely no discussions or debates about our on-going wars. So conservative and progressive voices finally agree on something; that there is nothing to be gained by wasting time talking about war the corporate advertisers would not like it or the government might brand it as unpatriotic, maybe it's a violation of the Patriot Act. Besides, the political lightweight Palin brings much higher ratings.
Do we hear voices in the Congress, the media, or the majority of America questioning the morality of these wars? What about the fact that our latest "surge" in Afghanistan brings with it increasing collateral damage, i.e., needless deaths of innocent civilians, including many, many children? Any complaints about drones, those WCD's (weapons of civilian destruction) that rain death upon suspected enemies and innocents alike? There is nothing but complete silence. It's as if life is sacred but only if it is an American life.
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