Poll: Getting Out of the War Would Help Save Economy

We now have proof! Americans are not stupid.

They remember the big national debt created in the 1980s and the bad recession that ended with.

They also remember how in the 90s the debt was paid down and the country was heading for trillions of dollars of surplus and the economy started the longest boom in history. (This was broken only by Republican Alan Greenspan's egregious raising of interest rates for what was acknowledged by major economic thinkers as much too long a time as an important election year approached.)

They also remember how "staying the course" in Afghanistan broke the Russian economy, and the Vietnam war led to stagflation (which some important economic journalists are now accepting as having been started again.)

The worst of our debt under Bush and the most unnecessary has been the war on Iraq.  It has been shown to have been a mistake to go in and Americans are still unsure (even with all the Bush administration and Republican propaganda) whether we are doing any good staying there.  Even I'm amazed that nearly half of Americans never swallowed the koolaid of the immense propaganda campaign by the Republicans and military leaders who say that we need to stay in for the good of the Iraqi people and the world and that suddenly everything is now coming up roses in Iraq.  I guess they can smell the stink of news control as well as us old bloggers.

And I'm afraid we are correct and how ever many years the US chooses to use our money and military to prop up the Maliki regime will determine whether and when our economy will revive itself to the benefit of all Americans, instead of just the rich.  The American true Middle and Working class didn't really get help from whatever good times might have been ginned out of the Bush administration's last 'recovery'.

The party in power in Congress and our next president will determine how long we stay in Iraq and protect the contracts that US oil companies have achieved with the Iraqis. 

Unfortunately for us poor bloggers, the American public also does not like the idea of giving a rebate check to those Americans who do not pay income tax though they may pay the onerous social security tax which amounts to nearly 15% when the employer share (taken more invisibly from your paycheck) is added in.  Nor do they think that people on Social Security should get a rebate either.  

The poll called those people "poor", but  with earned income credit and child credits that the Compact for America Congress instituted, in many rural areas where cost of living and wages are less, that cuts right into  parts of the middle class.  In fact, 40 percent of Americans would be affected by a cut off of that rebate to those who don't pay 'income taxes'.  And, in fact, that is the way the Congress and Bush administration has chosen to go.  They are bringing on rebates which may help middle America save more and give spending money to the 'poor' but will increase federal debt. 

So we will soon see who is right -- the politicos or the people.

The Bush administration will not pull out of Iraq and may even invade Iran and make our national debt even worse, and is likely to necessitate a draft even if the war on Iran 'starts' with just bombing facilities.

What ever happened to "Trust the People"?

Excerpt AP report at MSNBC "Stimulus checks welcome, but AP poll reveals desire to cut war spending ":

The heck with Congress’ big stimulus bill. The way to get the country out of recession — and most people think we’re in one — is to get the country out of Iraq, according to an Associated Press-Ipsos poll.

Pulling out of the war ranked first among proposed remedies in the survey, followed by spending more on domestic programs, cutting taxes and, at the bottom end, giving rebates to poor people in hopes they’ll spend the economy into recovery.

tags: recession  economy  taxes  tax rebates  congress  iraq  war  national debt  

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