How Charlie Rangel Can End the Iraq War in Ten Minutes
Even though Americans oppose the war in Iraq by nearly 2:1, the Iraq Study Group rejected a timeline for bringing our troops home. That's no surprise since the ISG didn't include - or even interview - anyone opposed to the war.
But where the ISG failed, Charlie Rangel could easily succeed - in about ten minutes.
A few weeks ago, Rangel tried to short-circuit the war by proposing a draft. The basic strategy was sound: the rich and powerful don't care about the Iraqi disaster because their kids aren't dying there. If their kids had to face a draft, the rich and powerful would pull the plug on the war immediately.
While Rangel's strategy was sound, his tactic was fatally flawed because in reality the rich and powerful would always find ways to keep their kids out of combat, just as they did during Vietnam. (Just run down the Republican Chickenhawk list for all the examples you need.) Moreover, Rangel could never have rounded up the votes to pass a draft bill because young Americans would rise up en masse to defeat anyone who voted for it.
But here's a simple tactic that would impact the rich and powerful directly and exclusively, with no collateral damage to the middle class and the poor. Moreover, every Democrat could safely vote for it because their voters would support it enthusiastically.
Enact a wealth surtax to pay all of the costs of the Iraq War.
The immediate cost of the Iraq War will soon reach $378 billion. All of that money has been borrowed, further screwing the young American soldiers who manage to survive the war and will have to pay for it for the rest of their taxpaying lives. The war could have been paid by current taxpayers out of the $6 trillion projected surplus that George Bush inherited from Bill Clinton, but Bush's first act after stealing the White House was a $1.35 trillion tax giveaway to the rich donors who funded his campaign.
When Charlie Rangel becomes Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee on January 4, he could immediately introduce a wealth surtax bill to pay off that $378 billion immediately. It's no big deal - just 28% of the tax windfall enjoyed by the rich after the 2001 tax cut, even less when inflation is factored in.
And then he could extend that surtax to cover all future costs of the Iraq War for as long as a single American soldier is stationed there.
Rangel could get his bill through the Ways and Means Committee in about 10 minutes. How many nanoseconds would it take for the rich and powerful to demand the immediate return of every American soldier? I'd wager about 2.
Hey Charlie - you can do this!
- Bob Fertik's blog
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mr rangel
That ! i cannot say exactly what i want about him ,but he is as out of order as bush in his comments about mr kennedy and citgo gas ,and i`m black too,and rangel is out to lunch,and yeah i said it too BUSH IS THE DEVIL if he aint SATAN,now i said it too............rangel retire,thats what you do retire.now !
We THE PEOPLE demand a return of our soldiers NOW
, draft or no draft, surtax or no surtax... time to stop talking in "study groups"..."think tanks" are what got our soldiers into this Iraq mess in the first place.
Conclusion : Bring 'em home NOW !
The Draft? Mr. Rangel, are you speaking for the Democrats?
Surely I'm not hearing something that is actually a creative idea coming out of the far left of the Democratic party? Someone knock me upside the head. That idea is actually what I have been talking about since 9/11. And guess what, I'm conservative (Republican, but not of this platform) and I sincerely support the idea of a draft for men and women to serve in the Armed Forces for a minumum of 2 years. Everyone. No exception. No deferrments for college. No Senator's sons and daughters getting any special treatment. EVERYONE! And I have kids that are of draft age. So don't go there. It's time that the American people realize that it's not Bush who started this War. He may be wrong about Iraq, but he was dead on about retribution on Al-Qeida . If we are ever to be a true "UNITED" States of America again, we need to "UNITE" with our armed forces in this battle. The brave men and women that are volunteers now are getting battle weary. That is a fact. They have been exploited due to the shear numbers it is requiring to cover the entire world. Terrorism is not just in Iraq. It is world wide and our military is stretched way too thin. I am for a draft, Mr. Rangel. Are you man enough to follow through with this idea and get the American people behind you? Or will you continue to "arm-chair quarterback" from your cushy chair in the halls of Congress? I would really like to hear a debate on the floor of congress about this issue. I think we would see what kind of backbone both sides of the aisle really have and their true colors would come out.
We'll see.....
pmgc, You say that you are not hearing any creative...
ideas coming from the left? Where have you been hiding over the past 6 years? Like to give us the source of your comment about no ideas coming from the left.
The Universal Training Act of 2000 was written by a couple of your people. It is not the proposal made by Rangel. Instead, the Universal Training Act calls for mandatory service for all males, females can volunteer, service to be for a year and pay much reduced from that earned by 'regular' troops. That was the brainchild of Kurt Weldon(R-Chickenhawk)and Nick Smith(R).
The Repugnants will not approve any draft bill in which women are to be drafted. They will also not vote for a draft bill because then the youth of America will again take to the streets--and Repugnants know this to be true.
You say that Bush didn't start this war. Where in the world did you ever get this idea? Of course he started this action in Iraq. He pulled troops from Afghanistan where they were looking for bin Laden and sent them to Iraq. Why did he do that? So his family and Cheney's family and other wealthy Repugnants could rake in the money/oil/perks. Well documented by this time in all respects. Bush went before the Congress and lied. He lied about WMDs, He lied to the Congress, he lied to the UN, he lied to the people of the world. He clearly stated that he would work with the UN until he was left with no other options. And then, he rapidly went to war on a country that had no connection to 9-11.
Al-Quaida was in Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were not in Iraq. Bush most certainly did embroil us in this insane war...and he took us there with lies.
You do understand, don't you, that there are 38 younger Bush's of service age at this time? Not one has volunteered to serve in any capacity. Everything Bush has done to take us in this insane direction, is carefully laid out on page 51 of the PNAC document. A fantasy world dreamed up by the Repugnants amongst us. Grover Norquist, one of the Bush advisors, stated years ago that if they managed to take power, that they would spend the goverment in debt so far, and shrink goverment, that you could throw it into a bathtub and drown it. Another advisor(Perle, Wolfowitz, Rummy, all claimed that the Iraq attack would be a cakewalk for our troops. You probably don't remember this.
Do you remember the Mission Accomplished Photo Op aboard the carrier two or three years ago? Why, just the other day, Bush the younger(and dumber)said that the mission needed to be accomplished. Deju vu!
I am afraid that the country and the world has had quite enough of your smarmy bunch.
What ideas have the Repugnants acted upon, other that lying, cheating, stealing, and mass murdering of the innocents of Iraq?
A mind once expanded can never return to its original dimensions.
Anne Hathaway: 1556-1623
The greatest derangement of the mind is to believe in something because one wishes it to be so.
Louis Pasteur
Creative ideas
Bush had some. Sometimes thinking hurts.
Conservative. A statesman who is enamored of existing evils, as distinguished from a Liberal, who wishes to replace them with others.
~Ambrose Bierce, 1842-1914, American Author, Editor, Journalist.
AMERICAN LIBERALISM FOR CONSERVATIVE FOLKS:
-93% of top Scientists do not believe in God. Does that make them Liberal?
-99.99% of Scientists believe in Evolution. Does that make them Liberal?
Regardless, they remain critically important contributers to our civilization and Conservatives have rejected both their results and the culture of hard work it takes to gain real knowledge.
-Nobel Prize winning Economists recently pronounced how Conservatives are wrong on Economics.
-Scientists recently published that the Data is in and Conservatives are wrong on Econmomics.
(Links if you like.)
It is true that both liberal and conservative folks can come together on many issues. It is also true that talking head Conservatives are brain dead. (The same is true of the Far Left -not true American Liberals).
We must get beyond what is comfortable. Here is a start: http://www.democrats.com/node/7018
We can no longer tolerate the ME ME ME of Conservatism. America needs defending from BOTH poor and rich bums.
-----------------------------------------------
E.G.
-paying our troops below market wages so that Conservatives can continue to live as welfare whores is beyond the pale.
-Allowing the majority of professions to fall behind upper tier professions while that same majority continues to INCREASE in productivity allows for the rich man's Socialism: Aristocracy. Is it American for entire family lines to never have to work a day in their lives? Further, this removes capitol from potential economic powerhouses born THROUGHOUT the population not just down the womb of the Hilton's.
-Etc.
PLEASE NOTE THAT I DO NOT ARGUE FROM THE POSITION OF A LIBERAL HEART.
First off I believe that our
First off I believe that our country has done fine with a volunteer military up until this point and there is no need for draft. Instead of making congressmen believe that their kids could go to war, we make sure our government has an honest and open debate before going to war. Before Iraq Congress coward in the corner and let Bush do as he pleased. In my opinion anytime when American lives are at stake, every option should be looked at before starting a war. Also I don't know if any of you have kids or grandchildren, how would you feel if a draft was reinstated and your child was drafted?