Political Cortex: Brain Food for the Body Politic

The reality is, our Republican controlled Congress and the Exceutive Branch have some really messed up priorities. They are proposing to spend 44 Billion dollars in 2007 on these programs, I learned of it thru this e mail from the Stockhold International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)

"Total Federal Funding for Biological Weapons Prevention and Defense Will

Reach $44 Billion in FY2007 Washington, DC (June 21, 2006) A new analysis released today by the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation finds that the United States government has spent or allocated over $36 billion among 11 federal departments and agencies to address the threat of biological weapons. For Fiscal Year 2007 (FY2007), the Federal government is proposing an additional $8 billion in bioweapons-related spending, approximately $120 million (or 1.5%) more than the amount that Congress appropriated for FY2006. Non-defense spending would increase by approximately $370 million, or 6.3%, to $6.3 billion.

Biological weapons related funding has and continues to focus primarily on research, development, and acquisition of medical countermeasures and protective equipment, (over $26 billion through FY2007) enhancing medical surveillance and environmental detection of biological weapons agents (likely over $3 billion), and improving state, local, and hospital preparedness (over $7.5 billion).  Only 2% of all federal bioweapons-related funding has been devoted to efforts to prevent the development, acquisition, and use of biological weapons by states and terrorists and other non-state actors.  Stronger prevention efforts, including a commitment to broad cooperative international action, are essential for improving our nation's security.

A complete analysis of Federal funding for biological weapons prevention and defense activities, prepared by Center staff members Stephanie Chang and Alan Pearson, can be found here.

Then we pull up the Veterans Affairs Budget for 2007 to compare the amount of funding for healthcare for veterans.

"For the first time, a reasonable starting point was offered by the President to fund the VA health care system.  For FY 2007, the Administration has requested $31.5 billion for veterans' health care, a $2.8 billion increase over the FY 2006 appropriation.  Although this is a significant step forward, we still have some concerns about proposals contained within the request. The Independent Budget for FY 2007 recommends approximately $32.4 billion for veterans' health care, an increase of $3.7 billion over the FY 2006 appropriation and about $900 million over the Administration's request.  The medical care recommendation is comprised of three accounts--Medical Services, Medical Administration, and Medical Facilities--with the bulk of the funding going to Medical Services."

Hmmmmm  31.5 Billion for all healthcare costs for veterans, hospitals, nurses, Doctors, prosthetics, bandages, housekeeping  etc  

We can afford 13.5 Billion more dollars for an illegal weapons program than we can for the men and women of this nation that have been harmed as part of their active service to this nation.

Congress can not appropriate enough money to destroy the wepaon stockpiles on time to comply with the treaty, they can't take care of disabled veterans, but they can find 44.5 billion for a weapons program that was outlawed more than three decades ago, why?

We can spend money helping the Soviets to destroy their aging stockpiles of chemcial and biological weapons.

Is it just me looking at the voting records of the republican officials that vote down every proposal by DAV, American Legion, PVA, Vietnam Veterans of America etc. due to cost, yet they can fund the war and DOD, but when it comes time to care for the wars after math, oops we can't afford that, you veterans just have to sacrifice, there is only so much money, we have sacrificed, with body parts, blood, our long term health, premature deaths, life in a wheel chair etc, we didn't complain, we served our nation, it was just the way the cards played.

But the budget is a choice, and your choices are wrong, there is no way to justify these programs while sticking it to disabled veterans. My doctor told me I needed a heart defiblirator a year and half ago, the surgeons can't schedule it, there appears to be no funding at the VA Hospital for my defiblirator, why? Livermore Labs needs to play with nuclear biological weapons? Is that the priority why I can't get my chance at a longer life?