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Politics : Bush-The Mastermind behind 9/11? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: nz_q who wrote (6582)	5/22/2004 7:28:45 AM
From: Rock_nj	Respond to of 20039

Great observations. If you look at human history, war is just about the easiest way to become rich. As you point out, the mark ups are out of this world, plus the funds are nearly unlimited, and the oversight is nearly non-existent. That's one of the reasons there is so much war and carnage in the world. There really is no incentive for those at the top to run the world in a peacful manner. They had a saying back in the 1960s, "War is good for the economy, invest your son or daughter". That pretty much sums up war in the modern era. It comes from a world view that the wealthy elites hold, in which everyone else is expendable in their never ending conquest to expand and create their wealth. After all, what difference does it make in the grand scheme of things to a wealthy elite if some working slob (or his/her son or daughter) dies creating wealth for them here in America (in some factory somewhere) or in some foriegn land, in a war?!? It doesn't, the important thing is that the working peron serves as a cog in their wealth creating machine in some manner. You know, as I grow older I've come to realize what a dog and pony show our political system is. I mean, the politicians hem and haw over this or that issue. But, really the entire federal government is set up as one big money making machine (scam) for the super-rich. Even the dreaded federal income and payroll taxes serve this grand purpose very well. I mean, what better way to funnel money from the working class directly to the super-rich than through federal taxation and spending? It's the perfect con game, and it has a few positive side effects for the wealthy elites as well. It keeps the working class immersed in their fight for survival, and keeps them from having time to change and question the system, also it keeps the working class financially unstable and more willing to join the military and fight in their wars. How insane are our federal spending priorities these days? I mean, even if they're going to tax us so highly, at least they could spend the money improving our country. In my region there are literally about $50 Billion worth of public works projects that would dramatically improve the life of ordinary Americans, that decade after decade, year after year, go unbuilt for lack of funds. Yet, the federal govt. has $200 Billion to spend on destroying and rebuiling Iraq on the drop of a hat and enriches Halliburtan, Bechtal, Exxon-Mobil, etc. in the process. What a friggin scam. God Bless SCAMerica!

To: nz_q who wrote (6582)	5/22/2004 8:16:54 AM
From: Rock_nj	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 20039

Here's a perfect example of what I'm talking about when I say the misplaced spending priorities of the federal government (and it's not even in my region). There's enough money to wage war in Iraq, but not enough to build a transit line in our 2nd largest city? What do we pay taxes for? May 20, 2004 LOS ANGELES Light-Rail Line to East L.A. May Be Postponed Funding for an extension of the Gold Line faces a new hurdle after a key congressman expresses concerns about the project. By Jia-Rui Chong, Times Staff Writer Federal approval for the planned light-rail link between downtown Los Angeles and the Eastside could be significantly delayed, potentially adding millions to its cost, after a key congressman questioned the project and said he could not commit to funding it at this time. Los Angeles officials said Wednesday the setback could cause them to miss a June 2 deadline for signing the construction contract, raising the prospect that the project could cost $100 million more if the contract must be rebid. The six-mile Gold Line extension from Union Station to Atlantic Boulevard in East Los Angeles is the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's No. 1 priority. Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta and the Federal Transit Administration could still approve the project, but local officials worry that the concerns raised by Rep. Ernest J. Istook Jr. (R-Okla.), chairman of the House Appropriations transportation subcommittee, could postpone that step for many months. "It will be difficult for the FTA to sign the full-funding grant agreement in light of an objection," said Roger Snoble, chief executive of the MTA. "The anxiety level is going up," he added. "With 13 days left and a recess for Memorial Day next week, there's not a lot of time to make some significant changes." The Gold Line currently runs from Pasadena to Union Station. MTA officials have estimated the total cost of the extension into East L.A. at $898 million. The Federal Transit Administration told Congress on April 2 that it planned to approve a $490-million grant for construction of the extension. That notification triggered a 60-day review period by Congress. On Tuesday, a week and a half before the end of that period, Istook raised concerns about the MTA's project in a letter to the federal transit agency. Given the tight federal budget and that other transportation projects have already been approved, he wrote, "This submission is simply unrealistic; we do not have the money." latimes.com Rock_nj: Why is the federal budget so tight? Could it have something to do with the rediculous amount of money we're spending in Iraq and other misplaced priorities that are running the deficit up to $500 Billion?