BREAKING NEWS FROM THE "TIMES!" Restaurant customers in Louisiana are against aid to Iraq. Does the "Times" think we will believe this a poll, or do they just like to spend their time in Southern Restaurants?
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THE PUBLIC MOOD
Taxpayers Are Restless on Billions in Aid for Iraq
By LYNETTE CLEMETSON
bATON ROUGE, La., Oct. 14 — Wil LaVergne and Chad Cannon argue regularly about politics. But on Tuesday, over heaping plates of fish, shrimp and softshell crab at Poor Boy Lloyd's, a downtown lunch spot, the two men, co-workers at an air-conditioning service company, had a rare meeting of the minds.
Mr. LaVergne, a Republican, and Mr. Cannon, a Democrat, are strongly critical of President Bush's request for $87 billion to finance military and reconstruction projects in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"It might make me feel more comfortable if the money wasn't all supposed to come from us," said Mr. LaVergne, 32. "They've got all of that oil. I don't see why we can't use money from Iraq's oil reserves to pay for what needs to be done."
Mr. Cannon and Shanon Courtade, a third co-worker sitting at the table, nodded in agreement.
"We need to support the troops," Mr. Cannon said. "And it's the Christian thing to do to repair the damage we caused there. But we could go and spend all that money rebuilding and then they just go and blow everything up again, because they don't have anything invested in it."
With the House and Senate expected to vote on the spending bill this week, the conditional support of the two men echoed sentiments voiced elsewhere around town and across the country. Though the legislation is expected to pass both houses, many members of Congress, responding in part to constituents' complaints, backed amendments that would require Iraq to repay part of the reconstruction costs from future oil revenues.
Senators John B. Breaux and Mary L. Landrieu of Louisiana, both Democrats, supported one such amendment, though the Senate voted it down on Tuesday night.
Mr. Cannon said part of his discomfort with the large financial package stemmed from seeing so much need at home. Louisiana, still feeling the effects of thousands of job losses over the past year, is facing projected state budget deficits. According to a variety of indicators, the state's public school system ranks near the bottom in the country in math and science proficiency.
"So many people in our country are hurting, needing," said Mr. Cannon, 34. "I just hate to see so much money going to looking after other people, when we can't seem to take care of our own."
Not everyone shares his views. At Webb's Barbershop, Shan Charles, a salesman for Frito-Lay and a Navy reservist, responded to a barber's disapproving comment about the spending request with a quick retort.
Mr. Charles, 31, said $87 billion was "a drop in the bucket," adding: "Our troops are over there working hard, but everyone expects things to be fixed overnight. I'm not sure where exactly the money is going. But I bet there's a good reason for every single dollar."
At Highland Coffees, just outside the gates of Louisiana State University, Dawson Bean, a minister with Campus Crusade for Christ, said he backed the bill mainly on moral grounds. "We owe it to the Iraqis to restore a sense of justice," said Mr. Bean, who described himself as a conservative independent.
As the vote on the spending bill nears, debates over its size and use are playing out across the country. At a town hall meeting this week in Spokane, Wash., Representative George Nethercutt, a Republican who supports the bill, fielded questions and comments on the aid package.
Glenn Bishop, an executive with the Boys and Girls Club in Spokane, said he supported reconstruction efforts, but added, "We've got to get financial support from other countries because we can't bear it by ourselves."
At Lulu's Cafe in San Antonio, Michael Behrens, the cook and general manager, argued that Americans were getting stuck "having to foot the bill" in Iraq. At a nearby table, Bill Sutton, from Orlando, Fla., and Paul Mott of Philadelphia, both sports marketing consultants, readily chimed in.
"That $87 billion is about $86 billion more than I'm willing to give," said Mr. Sutton, 52.
Mr. Mott, 45, agreed. "I feel the same way," he said. "Not only do I not believe we have a plan for Iraq, but I don't believe there can be a plan."
Back at Poor Boy Lloyd's, the spirited conversation between the co-workers carried on throughout lunch. Though it felt good to vent, Mr. Cannon said, passage of the bill was likely "a done deal anyway."
As they prepared to head back to work, Mr. Courtade voiced a concern that had come up a couple of times during the back and forth, a frustrating sense that no amount of spending would ease the tensions in Iraq.
"What's it going to fix?" he asked no one in particular. "We're probably going to end up back in there 10 years from now."
"Shoot," added Mr. LaVergne, the only one of the three men who generally supports Bush administration policies. "As much of a mess as we're in, we'll probably still be there 10 years from now."
nytimes.com |
