Daily Archives: October 27, 2010

Wars Started by Republicans Including Vietnam

Eisenhower, Republican, started the Vietnam war and spent a huge amount of money (for the time) on covert operations…it just takes a little research to shoot down most of the Republican myths on the internet.  I would use the word “lie” instead of “misstatement” but I do not think they know better so it is not an overt lie…

 November 1, 1955 — President Eisenhower deploys the Military Assistance Advisory Group to train the ARVN (South Vietnamese Army). This marks the official beginning of American involvement in the war as recognized by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Role_of_the_United_States_in_the_Vietnam_War

Here are more wars started by Republicans (I am not implying all were wrong)…

American Civil War: Abraham Lincoln, Republican; First fought to preserve the Union(the right to secede is still debated to this day) later to end slavery.

Korea(1876); Ulysses S. Grant, Republican; Called Choson at the time, the country attacked and destroyed an American Navy Vessel. The war was fought with similar motives as Perry’s visit with Japan.

Spanish-American War and Phillipine Insurrection: William McKinley, Republican; American Naval Ship Maine sent to monitor alleged mistreatment of the civilians of Cuba and protect American economic interests. The ship was destroyed and the press (the real instigators of the war)of the time placed the now doubtful blame on the Spanish. US fought the war to free Cuba. McKinley announced that giving the Filipinos Independence outright would be like simply handing them over the Germans or Japanese(because of the geographic position) and harm American economic Interests.

Nicaragua: Calvin Coolidge, Republican; Like Haiti the objective was stabilization.

Grenada: Ronald Reagan, Republican; When a Communist government took over the country, it persecuted the American college students studying there.

Panama, Persian Gulf War Operation Restoring Freedom: George HW Bush, Republican; Noriega, leader of Panama was charged with drug traffickingand through Noriega’s power, Panama would declare war(Though retaining the Canal is alleged to be the real motive). Persian Gulf War was fought to Liberate Kuwait from Iraq and protect Saudi Arabia from an Invasion(also to protect oil interests). Troops were sent to Somalia to assist in the feeding the hungry after guerrillas shot up UN aid convoys.

Afghanistan and Iraq: George W. Bush, Republican; Invasion of Afghanistan was the result of the Taliban ruled government’s refusal to hand over Osama bin Laden. Iraq’s invasion is still under debate.

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is…Put Up or Shut Up

While it is popular to say the US is a “nanny state” or the we need to drastically cut the size of the Federal Government, I suggest that is pure rhetoric and manipulation unless you are willing to base your opinions on real numbers.  Here are the numbers:

http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=1258

If by nanny state you mean safety net programs, they make up 14% on the 2010 budget.  This is what safety net programs are:

These programs include: the refundable portion of the earned-income and child tax credits, which assist low- and moderate-income working families through the tax code; programs that provide cash payments to eligible individuals or households, including Supplemental Security Income for the elderly or disabled poor and unemployment insurance; various forms of in-kind assistance for low-income families and individuals, including food stamps, school meals, low-income housing assistance, child-care assistance, and assistance in meeting home energy bills; and various other programs such as those that aid abused and neglected children.

If you mean social security it was 20% of the 2010 budget.

If you mean Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program) was 21% of the 2010 budget.

Defense and Security was 20% of the 2010 budget.

Interest on debt was 6% of the 2010 budget.

Interest on debt was 19% of the 2010 budget.

Other is:

■7% – Benefits for federal retirees and veterans: This subcategory combines the veterans’ benefits and services function (700) and the federal employee retirement and disability subfunction (602, which is part of the income security function).

■3% – Education: The education subcategory combines three subfunctions of the education, training, employment, and social services function: elementary, secondary, and vocational education; higher education; and research and general educational aids (subfunctions 501, 502, and 503 respectively).

■2% – Scientific and medical research : This subcategory consists of the general science, space, and technology function (250), and the health research and training subfunction (552).

■3% – Transportation : This subcategory consists of the entire transportation function (400).

■1% – Non-security international: This subcategory consists of the international affairs function (150) except for international security assistance, which is included with defense, above.

■4% – All other: This subcategory consists of all other federal expenditures.

This is where the rubber meets the road.  Talk is cheap…extremist’s self-righteous indignation is manipulative…manipulation ends when reason begins…

So now that you know what it is, tell me how would you make radical changes?  Give specific percentages please.