I got email from my buddy Dennis Kucinich today. Before getting to the point (which was that he would appreciate a contribution to his Congressional campaign), he waxed eloquent about why we need more Congressmen like him (which we do). Among all the other wrongs committed by his less-enlightened Congressional colleagues, he mentioned that the average American family will spend perhaps $25,000 just on the Iraq War. Destroying another country for no good reason is bad enough … but charging me $25,000 to do it really pisses me off. I’d rather buy a new truck.
Actually, I have no idea what the war is really costing me. Estimates for the total cost of the war are all over the place, and I don’t know what total Dennis used for his math. And I don’t know how my share of the tax burden compares to the average family. But $25,000 probably isn’t a totally unreasonable number.
In all my previous war protesting, I had actually never thought of it that way. I had considered the enormous financial cost, and thought about all the ways it could be put to better use. But I had never looked at it as a direct hit to my checking account. I wonder if all the moronic Bushies with their yellow ribbons have stopped to think about how much gas they could buy for their SUVs with their $25,000. Of course, they don’t expect to ever pay their share; they’re perfectly happy to let Bush borrow it and make their kids pay it off, with substantial interest. Hell, since I don’t have kids, maybe their kids can pay my share too.
I might as well post some excerpts from Dennis’ email, to remind everybody why I wanted him to be President
The Democratic Party is struggling to rediscover its soul. Leading Congressional Democrats still support the war; still support corporate-run health care, still support trade without protections for workers’ rights, human rights or the environment. Predictably, the corporate media which fueled our march to folly in Iraq still sides with the corporate wing of our party… Remember how the administration guaranteed us that “there was no doubt” but that WMDs were poised to strike us? Their loyal followers called me a liar – and worse – on “Meet the Press” and other national media for daring to challenge the Administration’s “evidence” on WMDs and Saddam’s then-alleged links to 9-11 and Al Qaeda…Little solace knowing that the average American family will spend perhaps $25,000 just on the Iraq War – a war which makes all us less safe. Inexplicably, the media which remained silent in the face of massive government propaganda now lashes out at those of us who did speak out at the time. Yet those complicit in selling this war to the American people remain loyal to their lies and continue their propaganda… Each of us must speak out about the crimes done in our name. Torture is not an American value and the thought that the President would sign a statement reserving the right to continue to torture brings shame – and danger – to all of us.
And he could have saved me $25,000.