I hope the Libertarians and even the Republican ‘libertarians’ are hearing this. Maybe the super-rich can save us (reference to Nader’s new book) and end this Vietnam. We cannot count on Obama or Levin to do it. From Bloomberg News:
Nov. 21 (Bloomberg) — Higher-income Americans should be taxed to pay for more troops sent to Afghanistan and NATOshould provide half of the new soldiers, saidCarl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.An “additional income tax to the upper brackets, folks earning more than $200,000 or $250,000” a year, could fund more troops, Levin, a Michigan Democrat, said in an interview for Bloomberg Television’s “Political Capital With Al Hunt,” airing this weekend.White House Budget Director Peter Orszag has estimated that each additional soldier in Afghanistan could cost $1 million, for a total that could reach $40 billion if 40,000 more troops are added.That cost, Levin said, should be paid by wealthier taxpayers. “They have done incredibly well, and I think that it’s important that we pay for it if we possibly can” instead of increasing the federal debt load, the senator said.Other countries in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization should bear responsibility for delivering half the additional troops needed to secure the conflict zone and train Afghan forces, Levin said. He didn’t predict how many troops President Barack Obama would add.
1 comment so far
Recognize the nuance of my comments.
Its come to the point where the political leadership does not care what citizens have to say unless they are super-wealthy and are part of the corporate hegemony. They are sold-out and beholding to the corporations and celebrity.
In other words, its up to the super-rich to tell Obama and Congress we don’t want to pay for these wars. The super-rich need to tell Obama and Congress that we need a health care system that works and keeps America competitive.
End the Vietnams of Iraq and Afghanistan. Remember my quid pro quo: bring on universal single payer, then we can talk flat tax.
Just think of the lives saved and/or the economic efficiency of ending the foreign occupations, kicking the lawyers and insurance companies out of health care, and then getting rid of the accountants, tax services like H&R Block, and most of the IRS.
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