Cutting Our Losses

"Opinion"

10/24/2007

Paul Munnis


So far Democrats have refused to allow the nations’ budget bills to come to the floor for a vote. I’m glad not sad.

Included in those budget bills are spending for more war in the mid-east including enough money to permit Bush to open another and third front -- against Iran.

Today the CBO announced that the costs look they will total $2.4 Trillion over the decade if we keep on this way.

Stop! We can’t afford it.

Allowing the seven sisters of oil to gain access to the Iraqi oil will not give us back the money that we are putting into this war. Remember Shell is Dutch Shell and their income goes to Holland. BP is British Petroleum and their share goes to Britain. And so it goes, much carving up of the territory, using public tax money on behalf of oil companies to conduct war and to seize Iraqi assets.

Where I come from that’s called “piracy.”

Nations used to conduct piracy on the high seas seizing each others ships and their cargo prizes. It was finally put a stop to and is not appropriate behavior for our government today.

We the people do not benefit either When oil is sold it is sold at the spot market price. We pay the spot market price for our oil. Hunt Oil Company pumps it in Iraq, it goes to the spot market for sale and in Europe they pay spot market prices too. Then it’s shipped to its destination.

Then why the big price difference for oil between the U.S. and Europe? In Europe the government taxes gasoline more heavily than we do in the USA. The gas tax money goes to pay for public transport. That is why Europe has better roads, bridges, busses and trains than we do.

Anyhow I think its time to pull the plug on these wars. Wrap it up in Afghanistan and pull the troops out from Iraq in time for Christmas. I don’t think we need to leave a bunch of troops behind either. Get ‘em all out and do it now. As for a third front – forget it.

They say there will be chaos in Iraq if we leave. Clearly there is chaos if we stay. So pick your poison. My choice is to leave Iraq and do it now. Chaos can be managed much better with our troops home safe and sound. Once home we have much rebuilding to do, much house cleaning to accomplish, and much overhaul to perform. Our military is a mess and it must be repaired.