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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (222455)	3/4/2007 11:13:11 PM
From: Mary Cluney	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

deficits dropping rapidly due to very high tax income to the Feds from the capital gains tax cut. When you have growth, deficits are not so bad because you can grow out of them The Bush budget projects that deficits will drop after he goes out of office. The way Bush has grown the budget deficit to unprecedented levels, his budget projections for after he leaves office has no credibility. The arithmetic is simple but the use of false assumptions make the projections useless. You don't win wars unless you are SEEN to have won them. We spend $400 billion dollars on our military. The $300 billion we spent in Iraq does not even count in this budget. Give me a scenario where we might lose a war. Show me the magician that can make it look like they can defeat our military. What do you think will happen in the Persian Gulf if we cut and run now? You honestly think we can sit safe at home with the likes of Ahmedinijad and AQ calling the shots in the Gulf of Hormuz? It will spark a nuclear arms race among some very instable powers, any one of which can close the straights at his leisure Oil is fungible. Although we may be addicted to oil to make our lives easer, the ME is addicted to making money selling oil so they can be fed. We have at least seven aircraft carrier (maybe 10) groups that no one can come close to matching. We control the sea lanes. Ahmedinijad and AQ, at most, can smuggle some suicide terrorist into Europe and the United States and cause damage but that is about all they can do. Drivers while intoxicated will do far more damage and kill many more people year after year. We should be cautious. We should be prepared, but we should not be living in fear.

To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (222455)	3/5/2007 12:49:51 AM
From: Elroy	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

You don't win wars unless you are SEEN to have won them. Israel can beat Hizbullah too, but is it perceived to have won this summer's war? It is not. I thought Israel crushed them this summer. It was a hands down 10 to 0 victory. Lebanese were seen weeping and moaning next to their dead family members and their completely destroyed buildings, while Israelis from the North had to move for a few days down to a nice beach resort in the South out of range of the Hezbo missiles. The Israelis were in swim trunks in the sun waiting for the "war" to end sipping margaritas, while the Lebanese were hiding like rats in a hole trying not to attract fire from Israeli gunships. Who told you Israel wasn't seen as winning?

To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (222455)	3/5/2007 1:13:10 AM
From: Katelew	Respond to of 281500

When you have growth, deficits are not so bad because you can grow out of them. Simple arithmetic. In Bernanke's address last week, he made the following statements: (1) The CBO projections are invalid because they are based on faulty assumptions (2) Current shrinking deficits are just a lull before a storm and the economy CANNOT GROW us out of the coming fiscal crises (3) Over the next 25 years, debt will grow to equal or possibly exceed 100% of GDP (4) Interest payments on the debt will crowd out discretionary spending (5) This scenario WILL result in higher interest rates, a weaker economy, and reduced tax revenues which will exacerbate all of the above. Check the transcript....it was very straightforward and rather dire. His advice: raise taxes or reduce spending or some combo of the two AND do it sooner rather than later.