Counting Chickens
Yesterday was an exceptionally deadly day for US soldiers in Iraq: 8 died, the most in a single day since 2005. The past month saw hundreds of Iraqi civilian deaths as 'insurgents' continue the bombings and the Iraqi version of rendition. Bagdhad was been placed under strict curfews because the violence keeps spiraling further out of control. There is no good news coming out of that war-torn country. Yet the Republican Congress is determined to keep a smiley face in the midst of all of this mayhem. From the NY Times:
Even as the Bush administration urges Americans to stay the course in Iraq, Republicans in Congress have put down a quiet marker in the apparent hope that V-I Day might be only months away.
Tucked away in fine print in the military spending bill for this past year was a lump sum of $20 million to pay for a celebration in the nation’s capital “for commemoration of success” in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Not surprisingly, the money was not spent.
Now Congressional Republicans are saying, in effect, maybe next year. A paragraph written into spending legislation and approved by the Senate and House allows the $20 million to be rolled over into 2007.
The original legislation empowered the president to designate “a day of celebration” to commemorate the success of the armed forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, and to “issue a proclamation calling on the people of the United States to observe that day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.”
The celebration would honor the soldiers, sailors, air crews and marines who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and it would be held in Washington, with the $20 million to cover the costs of military participation. [Emphasis added]
Now, $20 million is a drop in the bucket, especially given the billions that keep being poured down the Iraq rat hole, but to most of us taxpayers, that's a sizeable chunk of change. Most of us could think of a much better way to spend that money. I'm reasonably certain that most of the soldiers who actually get to return home alive would prefer the money be added to the funding of more relevant programs such as the Veterans Administration hospitals.
But that would make too much sense. The yahoos in Congress seem to be in short supply of that commodity these days.
Even as the Bush administration urges Americans to stay the course in Iraq, Republicans in Congress have put down a quiet marker in the apparent hope that V-I Day might be only months away.
Tucked away in fine print in the military spending bill for this past year was a lump sum of $20 million to pay for a celebration in the nation’s capital “for commemoration of success” in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Not surprisingly, the money was not spent.
Now Congressional Republicans are saying, in effect, maybe next year. A paragraph written into spending legislation and approved by the Senate and House allows the $20 million to be rolled over into 2007.
The original legislation empowered the president to designate “a day of celebration” to commemorate the success of the armed forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, and to “issue a proclamation calling on the people of the United States to observe that day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.”
The celebration would honor the soldiers, sailors, air crews and marines who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and it would be held in Washington, with the $20 million to cover the costs of military participation. [Emphasis added]
Now, $20 million is a drop in the bucket, especially given the billions that keep being poured down the Iraq rat hole, but to most of us taxpayers, that's a sizeable chunk of change. Most of us could think of a much better way to spend that money. I'm reasonably certain that most of the soldiers who actually get to return home alive would prefer the money be added to the funding of more relevant programs such as the Veterans Administration hospitals.
But that would make too much sense. The yahoos in Congress seem to be in short supply of that commodity these days.
posted by Diane at 3:53 AM
1 Comments:
Count your chickens before they hatch? hell, these people count their eggs before they have seen any chickens, much less have laying hens.
jawbone
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