Posted on 06/20/2005 6:27:48 PM PDT by narby
This is the Bush Administration’s biggest strategic mistake– a failure to tap the reservoir of American willingness 9/11 produced. One afternoon in December 2001 my mother –after reading a column of mine in her local paper– called me long-distance. She told me she remembered being a teenager in 1942 and tossing a tin can on a wagon that rolled past the train station in her small Texas hometown. (Plainview– one reason I know Lanc-Corporal Solis’ hometown– it’s my parents birthplace.) Mom said she knew that the can she tossed didn’t add much to the war effort, but she felt that in some, small, token perhaps but very real way, that she was contributing to the battle being waged by our soldiers. “The Bush Administration is going to make a terrible mistake if it does not let the American people get involved in this war. Austin, we need a war bond drive. This matters, because this is what it will take.”
She was right then, and she’s right now.
(Excerpt) Read more at austinbay.net ...
Perhaps the best thing is to ask Americans to help build things in Iraq. Schools and such. Yes, we're already sending lots of tax money, but if a liberal can be coaxed into giving 10 bucks for a school building in town X in Iraq, they will have a litteral investment there and will support the war for life.
I agree!!
Here ya go, Mom.
http:///www.anysoldier.com
ill buy a war bond
Oops. Let me try that again.
Here ya go, Mom
http://anysoldier.com/index.cfm
Her point is that it's necessary for the whole population to have an investment in what's going on there. If Americans are just fed a daily diet of car bombs, they'll get sick of it like the Michael Jackson trial and will support any pol who promises to get that stuff off TV.
But ask, no, demand, that everyone of good character give just a little bit, then they won't tolerate the car bombs on TV and will insist that TV show them the school they help build.
This isn't a war for the hearts and minds of Iraqi's. Its a war for the hearts and minds of Americans. And right now, the results aren't clear.
An excellent point. We better win that war.
Sorry but I have to disagree: instead of $10 for a school those same $10 would be much better - and more usefully - spent on, say, 0.223 ammo, or, better still, on .50 BMG ammo since there were isolated reports on the .50 BMG shortages. And what is the point of building a school if the sense of gratitude is unknown there?
Maybe we should start a letter writing campaign to Congress??
This should have been done long ago but never too late. I'll buy.
We should release the frozen contributions by illegal aliens who duplicate social security numbers to work illegally and then the contributions are later flagged as unresolved and thrown into a bank account. I believe this honey pot is around 420 Billion and growing. Use this fund to pay for the war and/or to fund whatever is required to seal the Mexican border.
I actually wrote a letter to PRESIDENT Bush 5 months ago, when the spending bill for the war was coming up and the mouths were running about the cost. I suggested allowing the people to get involved by purchasing war bonds. I expressed my desire to contribute in this way and felt that many others would as well.
No, the issue was not addressed in the form letter I received.
With the congressional elections around the corner, it probably is a good time petition congress.
Savage has been saying this for a year. I suppose next austin will start each blog with "Hello Infidels"!!!!
The government doesn't need the power to borrow more money right now. If anything, they need to be reined in. Also, there isn't a shortage of people willing to lend money to the US government, as shown by the 10-year bond's rate floating around 4%.
The Chinese and Japanese would buy most of them just like they've already been buying almost all our 'war bonds' these past few years...... A bond is a bond is a bond (so to speak).
More importantly, if this were something more than a purely symbolic measure it would be a very deflationary move in today's economy. The real purpose of war bonds was to remove money from circulation in an economy where rationing goods during full employment raised the prospect of hyperinflation.
I guess my reply isn't very romantic, but if the goal is to raise money the best way is to strike a few tax breaks from the IRS code. If the goal is to engage the American people in the war, then bring back the draft.
PS. On second thought, an even better way to raise money is to strike some pork from the budget, but I think that's even less likely in Washington these days than is striking some tax breaks. LOL
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