War or health care, education and Social Security? Which will it be?

[JDPriestly]

One of our goals as a nation is to encourage democratic self-government and respect for human rights around the world. We believe that democratic institutions and the protection of individual rights lead to prosperity and peace.

Before WWII, with a few exceptions, our international strategy focused on providing an inspiring example of economic development and relative prosperity for all. Since WWII, we have increasingly resorted to brute military force and imposed regime change to spread democracy to other countries.

Never mind that the military might we used in the Philippines and Cuba did not do that much for us in the long run. Democracy imposed by armies and war planes, killing and destruction engenders a lot of disappointment.

I would like to suggest that we change our tactics.

A democracy that has convinced itself that it cannot afford to feed and house its elderly, provide health care and education for its young or jobs for those between is not much of an international role model.

I think we will have far more influence in the world if we cut back our military involvement and focus instead on maintaining a high living standard including Social Security, infrastructure investment, education, in aid to children and families and expand Obama's health care efforts.

Let's stop repeating the mistakes that the French monarchy made prior to the French Revolution. It funded foreign wars (including our revolution, which was a good thing in itself) not by taxing its aristocrats and wealthy but by taxing the middle class and the peasants.

We can do better than the French kings. If we have to choose between spending on our military or insuring a decent living standard for every American, let's take care of each other first.

We will be accused of being protectionists. Well, maybe making sure your own children have shoes before giving shoes to others is protectionist, but it still makes good sense.

[markpkessinger]

1. A: All of the above n/t

[ixion]

2. I don't think it's protectionist to want to live in a decent society

Just because we're taking care of our own needs, doesn't me we can't trade with other nations, it just means we're taking care of our own business.

k/r

[JDPriestly]

4. Yes, but when other nations enforce protectionist measures against

our goods, we need to rethink our trade policies. And that is what is happening now.

Extremely low wages are also a protectionist measure. We should insist that our trading partners impose decent living standards for their populations. It is unfair to trade with a society that exploits its working population and the environment. We aren't doing anyone any favors by trading without agreements that set certain standards for labor conditions.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. I like how you think!

Good luck getting our "leaders" to go along with it.

The military likes wars, and they have a lot of clout in DC.

Recommended.

[amborin]

5. $57,000 per minute in Afghanistan:

Afghan War Costs $57,077.60 per Minute
A 30,000-person surge will coast at least $30 billion.

— By Jo Comerford

DonateNewsletter
14 Comments | Post Comment.Thu Dec. 17, 2009 11:59 AM PST
This story first appeared on the TomDispatch website.

$57,077.60. That's what we're paying per minute. Keep that in mind—just for a minute or so.

After all, the surge is already on. By the end of December, the first 1,500 US troops will have landed in Afghanistan, a nation roughly the size of Texas, ranked by the United Nations as second worst in the world in terms of human development.

Women and men from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, will be among the first to head out. It takes an estimated $1 million to send each of them surging into Afghanistan for one year. So a 30,000-person surge will be at least $30 billion, which brings us to that $57,077.60. That's how much it will cost you, the taxpayer, for one minute of that surge.

By the way, add up the yearly salary of a Marine from Camp Lejeune with four years of service, throw in his or her housing allowance, additional pay for dependents, and bonus pay for hazardous duty, imminent danger, and family separation, and you'll still be many thousands of dollars short of that single minute's sum.
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http://motherjones.com/politics/2009/12/afghan-war-costs-5707760-minute

[Autumn]

6. The people want health care, education and Social Security

too bad the leaders, and I use that term loosely, want war. You used the term "Let's", we have no say in what they want to do.