Barney Frank: Get out of Iraq and use the $$ for Jobs.

[cal04]

by TomP
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/10/5/789894/-Barney-Frank:-Get-out-of-Iraq-and-use-the-$$-for-Jobs.

Barney Frank rocks. It is good to hear a real progressive as the unemployment rate goes up and no one in the adminstration seems to have any new ideas other than "wait it out." Let's get the f.. out if Iraq and use the money to create jobs:

Frank said the administration should remove troops from Iraq in six months instead of the end of 2011 and redirect the savings to create jobs.

"The thing to do now would be to withdraw the tens of billions we’re putting into Iraq and reprogram that into job creation efforts in the U.S.," Frank said.

Bloomberg
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aj.Q11Pul8WI


And another good idea from Barney

His second good idea? Use the TARP money paid back to help people losing homes:

Funds from the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program should be loaned to Americans without jobs and at risk of losing their homes, Frank said today in a telephone interview. Frank has said the program will be extended beyond its December expiration for foreclosure relief and to help community banks.

"We have a new wave of foreclosures coming not from people who got loans that they shouldn’t have gotten, but people who got loans that they clearly could afford but prolonged unemployment has put them in a tough situation," said Frank, a Massachusetts Democrat.

Bloomberg
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aj.Q11Pul8WI

We can get the money to turn this around. We just need the will to rebuild America.

Leave Iraq, spend money at home.

A second economic stimulus package is something "people are going to be looking at," Frank said.

10% official unemployment is unacceptable.

[kestrel91316]

1. Well, jobs, healthcare, and renewable energy........

Point being, we cannot afford to fight wars of foreign aggression.

[joeycola]

2. Hey barney=you are late to this idea but I would welcome you SHOUTING

IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS!!

[timeforpeace]

3. What could go wrong? Barney's ideas are always great.

[Quantess]

4. Absolutely. I agree completely.

[Hubert Flottz]

5. K&R

[quiet.american]

6. Works for me. nt

[gordianot]

7. Snap! This is what needs to be done.

One downside, once we are gone the same old mess Civil War in Iraq will reappear proving the so called "Surge Solution" was an illusion. We cannot police the world.

[DrDan]

8. couple of years ago, I crunched the expected $1 trillion expense of the Iraq war

and determined we could use that money to build 50 high schools per state - and fully staff each school for 30 years. Or rebuild each bridge on the needs-repair list and still build and staff many many high schools. (this is what I remember - I need to revive those numbers to make sure).

That's back in the old days - when we thought the cost would be at $1 trillion. I believe it will surpass that considerably.