So, I'll stipulate that the WarBucks were a good thing. Now, explain this to me . . . .

[Stinky The Clown]

. . . . How do we find that loose $33B without a problem, but we can't get jack shit else done? How is nation building a half a world away MORE important than funding schools and health *care* here at home?

Because by funding the war but cutting the school budgets and not even STARTING on health care, that's the message.

[Oregone]

1. Id simply like to know how all this wont inspire "splinteristicnoscialism"

[BootinUp]

2. There was an informative post about the bill here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8827714#8828374

Pretty sizable piece for taking care of Vets and money for Haiti.

I have been advocating for more stimulus spending. I tend to follow Krugman on economic issues.

[MineralMan]

3. Wars suck! Wars suck budgets dry! I hate them.

We're in one. Lots of folks are over there because they were sent there. So, that costs lots of money. I can't figure out any way to bring them home quickly that also wouldn't cost lots of money and that wouldn't produce its own disaster.

There's a plan to get out. Not today. I'm hopeful that works. In the meantime, wars cost lots of money, and this $33 billion would have to be spent even if we decided today to end this as quickly as possible.

Wars suck! It's their nature.

[Stinky The Clown]

4. Here's how:

HuuuuuuBOUT Face

Forward ...... MAAAAARCH.


Left . . . yer left . . . . yer left, yer right, yer left . . . .

That's snarky.

It IS that simple. It will take months and millions, but it really is that simple.

[MineralMan]

6. Not that simple. A retreating army still has to fight, to guard its

rear. Then, there's the situation for the Afghanis. That's all part of the equation. We left Vietnam very poorly and it cost a few hundred thousand lives. We're unlikely to do that again, and rightly so.

Obama's hope is that we can leave behind a little stability. I think he's wrong, but that's the goal. Still ugly days to come, but the time is drawing near when he'll say, "Enough is enough." He's already set a target date to begin getting out. I expect it to be met, whether the desired goal is reached or not.

In any case, the $33 billion is going in many directions. Some are appropriate. Heaven knows we don't need to be spending any more money that we don't have. Obama inherited a shitload of trouble when he came into office. He's trying to deal with it all in a reasonable way. I don't know if he'll succeed, but I'm going to give him a shot at it.

I don't know if you have any military experience or not. If not, then you may not have a clear picture of what's involved in ending our participation in this shitty war, while juggling our future policy in that part of the world, an election, an economic crisis, and all the other things that are going on.

I'm giving the man more than a year and a half to pull it all together, you see. Seems fair enough to me. In the meantime, lots of shitty stuff is going to continue. My focus is on the 2010 election.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

5. But..but..the Prez says the war is "necessary"..schools, health care, jobs, not so much.

[madinmaryland]

7. I have $2.57 left on my StarBucks card...

When are the Rethugs going to let us do some United States Nation Building?

NEVER.

[Motown_Johnny]

8. the (R)s are always for wars and the (D)s don't want to look like they lost the wars

it is the perfect political storm of death