Congress authorizes war funds (cost of $506.9 B + $189.4 B). Approved 90-3 by the Senate.

[Solar_Power]

Ds bend over yet again for a Lame Duck President.

[fascisthunter]

1. Where is the Money Coming from? China+Interest?

They are breaking this country's back.

[MH1]

35. Cost per average family: $6,342.68

Per washingtonwatch.com, from CBO report:

http://www.washingtonwatch.com/bills/show/110_HR_1585.html

(note - washingtonwatch.com is run by someone from the Cato Institute, - but it's a useful site anyway).

[Solar_Power]

38. The average household does not pay that much in Federal taxes in 1 yr

Wow.

[bvar22]

41. That's why they put it on the Credit Card.

Now your children and their children will get to pay it off WITH INTEREST!
Halliburton and the other War Profiteers get their money today.

The Republicans and the Vichy Democrats have raised taxes ON YOUR CHILDREN!
(Talk about Taxation without Representation!)


"There are forces within the Democratic Party who want us to sound like kinder, gentler Republicans. I want us to compete for that great mass of voters that want a party that will stand up for working Americans, family farmers, and people who haven't felt the benefits of the economic upturn."---Paul Wellstone

[MH1]

36. Link to the CBO report (pdf)

http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/82xx/doc8210/hr1585.pdf

[Solar_Power]

50. Thanks for the link

[Double T]

2. No need to be a Democrat any longer...............

Dems act like rethugs and bow to total and complete insanity. The time has come to form a new political party of the people.

[progressivebydesign]

8. Yeah, that's what brought us george bush. thanks tons! n/t

[TheWatcher]

10. No, a Stolen Election brought you George Bush

Oh, I know, it's all a conspiracy, nothing's real, question nothing, blind belief and faith in party, and all that stuff.....

But seriously.....

[Toots]

30. Bush* does not authorize spending

Congress does that. Congress has total control over the purse strings of America's treasury.....This is how our Democratically controlled Congress chooses to spend our money...

[Double T]

20. So WE should just continue THIS business as usual??

WE should ALL be looking for a FEW great leaders and the two Democratic frontrunner's are NOT it!

[leftchick]

31. apparently

two sides of the same coin is good enough for some. :eyes:

[fascisthunter]

37. that's a lie

only complicit fools use as an excuse.

[bvar22]

42. No.

The uninformed voters who continue to vote for someone simply because they have a "D" behind their name brought us George Bush.

"Centrism" brought us George Bush.
The DLC brought us George Bush.



"There are forces within the Democratic Party who want us to sound like kinder, gentler Republicans. I want us to compete for that great mass of voters that want a party that will stand up for working Americans, family farmers, and people who haven't felt the benefits of the economic upturn."---Paul Wellstone

[grilled onions]

3. It's Beyond Sad

All that $$$, all those programs,a ll those people that it could help.So many citizens are so much against this and yet our voices are not heard at all.

[Solar_Power]

4. Can someone explain to me how this can happen?

What am I missing?

[Selatius]

5. It has been made politically unpopular to cut military spending for any reason.

After the Cold War ended, there was cover to cut out a lot of needless military pork, and spending came down to 230 to 250 billion a year under Clinton, yet in my opinion it was still far in excess of anything else seen in the world at the time. Russia was spending at best 50 to 70 billion a year given the state of their economy, and they were the second biggest spenders in the world in that period.

Also, the military-industrial complex has its army of parasitic lobbyists penetrating both sides of the political aisle. War is very profitable.

You should go here and read this pamphlet:

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Smedley_Butler

[TheWatcher]

11. That Both Parties do not represent The People?

Perhaps that.

[Hippo_Tron]

17. Selatius explained it well, but IMO there's another factor

Basically congress isn't willing to make any tough political decisions. They don't want the liability and so they're waiting for a Dem President to come in January 2009 and make all of the decisions for them.

[Just-plain-Kathy]

6. I am no longer a proud democrat. ...It's breaking my heart. ...n/t

[progressivebydesign]

7. I think I'd have voted the same as long as our troops are still stuck there!

Refusing to fund the war at this point, would NOT bring the troops home. It would create more problems.. until they're home safely, I think you have to continue funding it. It's total bullshit, and we should NOT still be there, but we are there. There are too many things wrong with this war, and too many stolen dollars, borrowing from China, insufficient equipment, lack of treatment for the wounded, etc. etc. etc. Nothing would be accomplished by refusing to release more funds. I hate it I hate it.. but none of those things are going to be solved by refusing the funds. The only way those things are going to be solved is by electing a Democrat who will end the fucking war once and for all.

[AndyTiedye]

9. Then the War Will Go On Forever

[TheWatcher]

12. And which Democrat would that be?

[RiverStone]

14. Then what was all that anti-war rhetoric..

that put the Dems in power last November? All those promises that with Dems in the majority, they would end Shrub's fucking illegal war. Many were elected on an anti-war platform and what I can't fathom is that the votes today are more lopsided in Shrub's favor to keep the war going and going and going then they were even 6 months ago.

I've ranted to the point where I've lost my voice (even in cyberspace) - it feels as if those in power are utterly detached from the electorate. An electorate that want this war to end by a 3 to 1 margin.

[B Calm]

18. Take it from a veteran, the only thing they are funding is the war profiteers..

[EFerrari]

24. I wish someone would just say that ON CAMERA.

but that would get too close to exposing the profound corruption of our Federal government. "Funding the troops" -- my granny.

[rockybelt]

29. Please refresh my memory

How did the Viet Nam war get stopped?

[bvar22]

43. War Enabling Nonsense.

Congress CAN and HAS ended WARS by cutting off the funds.

http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/uscongress/a/congendswar.htm

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

13. "Smart" politics. Be "against" the war but keep funding it. Good Germans.

[Solar_Power]

48. And let people continue to die for no reason

[leftofthedial]

15. I am now an ex-Democrat

[orleans]

16. do we all know

IF THIS IS EMERGENCY FUNDING THERE WILL NEVER BE AN AUDIT OR ACCOUNTING OF THIS MONEY. ONCE AGAIN! AS USUAL!

what fucking assholes!

Bush's Budget Wins May Cost Him
Victories Over Democrats Could Increase Debt and Impede His Own Agenda

By Jonathan Weisman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, December 15, 2007; Page A01

As Congress stumbles toward Christmas, President Bush is scoring victory after victory over his Democratic adversaries. He has beaten back domestic spending increases, thwarted an expansion of children's health insurance coverage, defeated tax hikes, won funding for the war in Iraq and pushed Democrats toward shattering their pledge not to add to the federal deficit with new tax cuts or rises in mandatory spending.

But the cost of those wins could be high, both for the federal debt and for the president's own priorities.

Bush's steadfast stand against Democratic spending, coupled with his equally resolute opposition to tax increases, could raise the federal debt this fiscal year by nearly $240 billion. As Democrats struggle to meet his demands, they are jettisoning renewable-energy and conservation incentives that Bush championed, and they may ax some of his most cherished programs.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/14/AR2007121402212.html

[and-justice-for-all]

19. It is total bullshit....

Just because if they told shrub to "fuck off, not more cash" the troops would still be funded. there would just not be any more funds allocated to the warmongering then what they received previously. The budget would remain the same and the troops would still be funded.

DEMs are nothing more then wolves in sheeps clothing.

[Perry Logan]

21. If Congress were still Republican, our wounded vets would still be lying around in their own urine.

And nobody would know about it.

[bananas]

22. We have to spend it there, so they don't spend it here.

No, it doesn't make sense.

[MadHound]

23. And once again the Dems fail to fulfill the mandate handed to them by the people a year ago.

Sad, fucking sad. And frankly none, absolutely zero of those who have voted for this continued funding deserve to be in the office they hold. Act accordingly.

[Vinca]

25. What the hell is wrong with Harry Reid?

I'm beyond disgusted with this guy. He talks tough, then he does exactly what Shrub wants. They might as well pass a blanket bill that they agree to anything and everything Bush wants from now until he decides to leave office. If they're giving in because they're hot to get home for the holidays, they'd better stay home.

[B Calm]

28. He's a big fucking pussy!

[spanone]

26. 90 to 3....well they certainly got their point across

:sarcasm: FUCK THEM ONE AND ALL DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS ALIKE

[a kennedy]

33. Who were the 3 that voted against it???

[MH1]

34. Byrd, Feingold, Sanders; prez candidates conveniently skipped.

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00433

[Fiendish Thingy]

46. the cowardice of our would be Presidents in the Senate continues...

first missing the Mukasey vote, where one vote would have made the difference (in cloture);
now missing the Iraq funding vote;
next, will they skip the telcom immunity vote too?

You call this leadership?

[ileus]

27. If only they had divided it among the citizens...

[in_cog_ni_to]

32. OK...can DemocraticUnderground change to ProgressiveUnderground now?

:grr:

[Fiendish Thingy]

45. or, as I've suggested many times, from DU to dU

from Democratic (party) Underground
to
democratic (principles) Underground

c'mon Skinner, what's it going to take?

[creeksneakers2]

39. No permanent bases in Iraq and no US control of oil

Section 1222

(Sec. 1222) Amends the Warner Act to make permanent the prohibition on the establishment of permanent military installations in Iraq or U.S. control over oil resources of Iraq.

http://www.washingtonwatch.com/bills/show/110_HR_1585.html

[creeksneakers2]

40. Outrageous

We only need to spend a tiny fraction of that.

[bvar22]

44. Its WRONG.

Its just plain WRONG!

Any sitting Senators who skipped this vote will NEVER have mine.

I was giving Obama and Biden a second look. Not now.



"There are forces within the Democratic Party who want us to sound like kinder, gentler Republicans. I want us to compete for that great mass of voters that want a party that will stand up for working Americans, family farmers, and people who haven't felt the benefits of the economic upturn."---Paul Wellstone

[GreenPartyVoter]

47. Can I just say

:mad: :puke: :crazy: :silly: :wtf: :argh: :freak: :hurts: :spank: :wow: :grr: :nuke: :banghead: :rant:

[Solar_Power]

49. My thoughts exactly