Quote:
Originally Posted by Villages Kahuna
Can we afford to do what's suggested? If we have a finite amount of money, should we choose to expel the Taliban, rebuild the country and educate it's children instead of spending the money domestically on things like improving American healthcare, education, the environment, etc.?
If we choose to do both, is the increase in the annual deficits and national debt that will result an OK result?
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Afghanistan, and te evil going on inside its borders, is an international concern. To ignore it or "do it on the cheap" opens the door for another 9/11, as we ignored it before and the resulting cost has been brutal. To ignore it again could be catastrophic.
Health care and education are state issues, no matter how much the fed wants to stick its nose into it and blackmail the states by threatening to cut off money for unrelated items unless the state(s) bend to fed will. Of course, we can always amend the Constitution and rescind the 10t Amendment. Then we wouldn't even need state government at all.
I hate to say it again, but Pres. Clinton was right. It IS the economy! That's issue #1. When the economy rolls merrily along, there are ample funds for whatever is the cause
du jour. There is no debt of consequence when the economy booms, so juggling the budget and begging foreigners to lend us money so we can give it away are not considerations.
When we have to trade national security for other issues, due to cost, that should be billboard-size notice unless the economy gets fixed, EVERYTHING is at risk.