Instead of using billions of taxpayer dollars to wage the grueling, unpopular war in Iraq or giving tax cuts to the wealthiest in the country, the Bush administration should use that money to fund the recovery effort in New Orleans and the rest of the Gulf Coast.President Bush has vowed that New Orleans will rise again.
Yet, experts are predicting that the recovery effort in the Gulf Coast will coast at least $200 billion. Instead of cutting important domestic programs that help people, such as Medicare, the Bush administration should use money from the soaring military budget to fund the recovery effort.Currently, the war in Iraq is the country’s most expensive endeavor. The war has already cost over $200 billion, according to analysis done by the National Priorities Project and www.costofwar.com.
The analysis goes on to say that Congress approved $54 billion for the war in April 2003, $70 billion in November 2003, $21 billion for the fiscal year of 2005, and $58 billion in April 2005. If the Bush administration ended the war, more money could be used to fund the recovery effort for the Gulf Coast and lives of soldiers could be spared.
The Bush administration should also stop giving tax cuts to the wealthiest people in the country. Since the administration took office in 2001, Congress has passed tax and spending legislation totaling $1.7 trillion, according to a report in the New York Times on Sept. 19. The report goes on to say that people who make more than $200,000 a year, the wealthiest three percent in the country, have gained nearly $300 billion in tax cuts.
Why is it necessary for the elite in the country to make billions on tax cuts when poverty is a serious issue in New Orleans and other parts of the country? The billions given to the elite in tax cuts could be used to build schools, supply food and water, and provide education to people who need it living in the Gulf Coast.
To rebuild New Orleans, the Bush administration should also cut back on programs that aren’t necessary. For instance, NASA wants to return to the moon by 2018. Though such an adventure may be educational and could help the United States learn more about outer space, returning to the moon would costposted on www.MSNBC.com on Sept. 19. Since the United States is already struggling to find money for the recovery effort in the Gulf Coast, money should not be given to unnecessary programs like returning to the moon.
President Bush claims that it will be possible to rebuild the Gulf Coast, but he has not outlined an economic plan for recovery. Instead of cutting domestic programs, Bush should find a way to bring the troops home from Iraq so the government can stop spending billions on bloodshed and war. The president should also stop giving tax cuts to people that don’t need it, and the government should not waste money on unimportant programs like returning to the moon.
Brian Fanelli is a senior majoring in comparative literature with minors in creative writing and journalism.