The past week included a sad day in American history when we marked the 5th anniversary of the beginning of American involvement in Iraq, and mourned the death of 4,000 of our soldiers from the unnecessary war. In addition to the tragic and needless loss of life, this war has been economically costly to the American people; at a current price tag of $526 billion it has far exceeded the amount, adjusted for inflation, spent in Vietnam. The money thrown down the drain in Iraq continues to suppress our economy and the deficit, a legacy we will pass on to our children. As we fight off a recession, the President insists we continue our open–ended commitment to Iraq, no matter the cost in both lives and to our economy. Worse yet, a possible John McCain administration would continue the misguided strategy and bring the nation four more years of George Bush’s policies and priorities. So much for the straight talk.

Our economy needs help; the $12 billion we spend every month in Iraq would be better spent boosting our economy here at home. Congress should invest in new infrastructure spending, which creates immediate jobs and provides the backbone for long term economic success. For every $1 billion spent on roads and bridges, 47,000 American jobs are created that cannot be exported. We should turn our attention towards our own citizens and spend money on education, health care, and housing. The money spent in Iraq could have funded, each month, over 128 thousand new teachers, almost 1 million head start slots, housing for 66 thousand homeless families, or fully funded health care for the uninsured. Our soldiers have preformed valiantly and we appreciate their sacrifices but the time to end their involvement in Iraq is long over due. America needs to focus on our priorities here at home and end this tragic war.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 25th, 2008 at 3:40 pm and is filed under Politics .