Why is it we don't have $10 billion to expand early childhood education, yet we burn $10B/mo in Iraq

[flpoljunkie]

Excerpt from NYT article today entitled, 'Obama Team Weighs What to Take On in First Months.' Why is it our government is perfectly willing to borrow endless billions for war, but not for investment in our own country's future?

Beyond ‘No Child Left Behind’

“A truly historic commitment to education — a real commitment — will require new resources and new reforms.”

MAY 28, MAPLETON, COLO.

Mr. Obama’s education plan outlined some $8 billion for recruiting, performance pay and other initiatives that represent his approach to updating the education law known as No Child Left Behind. But his plan also offered grand proposals for every level of education, including a $4,000 tuition tax credit that would make college more affordable for millions of students and a $10 billion expansion of early childhood programs.

The challenge will be how to finance all these proposals when budgets are extremely tight, experts said.

Mr. Obama’s $10 billion proposal to expand early childhood education would probably produce tremendous savings to the nation later, but experts said he would find it extremely challenging to finance under current financial conditions.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/09/us/politics/09promises.html?hp=&pagewanted=all

[mmonk]

1. Because those that have profited from adventures in Iraq have convinced

many that such adventures are necessary and anything to help and improve the lives of citizens is not.

[flpoljunkie]

3. Yes, a matter of priorities and the influence of lobbyists on Congress.

President Obama will need our support to expand early childhood education and other programs that invest in our people, and in rebuilding our infrastructure--roads, bridges, schools. Otherwise, it won't happen.

Doris Keans is just now said of President-elect Obama on Meet the Press, 'Don't give up on those progressive goals!' And, that Obama has a chance to education the public to move step-by-step toward achieving those goals.

We have your back, and you will have our support, President Obama.

[Wapsie B]

2. We really need to re-think this idea of cutting social programs

to fund projects on the right. You go to small towns in this country you'll see many new jails. Not to say that some of them didn't need replacing. But it's interesting we have money for those things. But god help you if you want to fully fund state social workers or the mental health system.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

4. Unlike 'defense', early childhood education has no powerful profiteers to spend

some of their thousands of billions on buying senators and Congresspeople.

Thus TRILLIONS of pure waste continues unabated--on scientifically impossible "Star Wars", on "winning" an occupation with a largely privatized "war" effort that facilitates ethnic cleansing, on maintaining dozens of unnecessary military bases in Europe and Asia as well as throughout the US, on paying high prices for equipment that has not been requested for any particular mission objective, etc.

The Department of Defense is a swamp of trillions of dollars of largely Republican influence peddling. IMO the only hope of cutting it back is appointing someone like Colin Powell as Secretary of Defense. Just the way only Richard Nixon could open relations with China, only someone like Powell can take a sharp scalpel to the bloated "defense" budget.

Only a Republican like Powell possibly could withstand the howls of outrage that would ensue upon any attempt to cut back military waste. Cutbacks have to have sign-off from someone whose military credentials are unassailable by the Republican "defense" money machine.

[MattBaggins]

5. We don't have 10bn/month to burn in Iraq

We are writing bad checks. It is worse than you suggest. We are taking our children's education money; both past and future, and spending it hand over fist for Haliburton.

[flpoljunkie]

7. That's exactly right, yet we borrow the money for war, but not for investment in our own future.

[ben_thayer]

6. Educated slaves are counter-productive N/T

:grr:

[L0oniX]

8. You could also ask why we can spend 700 billion a year on the military but we can't supply ...

single payer health care. They call it a defense budget but isn't it really an offense budget being that we attack first and ask questions later? We need to put a stop to the military industrial corporations and that's the bottom line. They are are the real enemies of the people and this country. You could also ask why other countries can supply public supported higher education but we won't. It really comes down to spending money on the military and policing the world. We need to stop the imperialism. We need to put a stop to that. We need to take care of our own for a change. We need to care about each other for a change. We need a better balance of socialism and capitalism. What does it say about us that we don't support our children's health and that we would rather let these military industrial corporations get our tax money. WTH is wrong with us? Would you spend your pay check on guns rather than food for your children? Would you buy ammo rather than pay for your children to have health care? This country and its people are fucked up in the head!

[flpoljunkie]

9. Yes, we could! But it won't change, if we do not become engaged in our own democracy.

[Occam Bandage]

10. We don't have $10B/mo to burn in Iraq, either. nt

[seaker]

11. I don't know.

It has been a mystery to me. After all, everyone has been a child, so we should all relate.

[seaker]

12. obtw

We don't have the coin to spend in Iraq

[TankLV]

13. WE HAVE THE MONEY. WE ALWAYS DO.

I don't EVER want to hear the repukes and media whores say "we don't have the money" crap ever again!

We always seem to have the money for whatever THEY want or deem "important" - not too long ago, just before this last one, they said "that was it - we CERTAINLY now can't have any money for "wasteful social programs", and they say it now, JUST BEFORE THE NEXT TIME when they want "star wars" or ANOTHER WAR or TAX CUTS, etc, etc, etc...