“The New York Times noted that the cost of the war [to America, around $500bn so far] would have paid for universal healthcare in the US, nursery education for all three and four-year-olds in the country, immunisation for children round the world against a host of diseases, and still leave about half of the money left over.”

Bush’s proposed 2008 budget gives 20% of the total to the Pentagon ($624.6bn up from $600.3bn). How does he intend to pay for this? By making America’s desperately poor even poorer, and reducing aid for the elderly. The budget proposes reducing spending on 141 domestic programmes, including cutting $78bn from Medicaid and Medicare (healthcare for the poor and elderly) over five years. Bush notes, however, that the books can be balanced without raising taxes. Tell that to America’s poor, Mr Bush… The Guardian article here.

Posted Tuesday, February 6th, 2007 @ 3:09 pm
Filed in community and social, politics

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Further reading

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