Thursday, October 7, is the ninth anniversary of the beginning of U.S. combat operations in Afghanistan. That makes nine years too long and too much money spent on both the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.Retiring University of Kentucky President Lee Todd has often spoken of and tried to work against what he has called the “Kentucky uglies,” Kentucky's health and poverty issues.
According to CostofWar.com of the National Priorities Project, taxpayers in Kentucky will pay $1.3 billion for proposed total Iraq and Afghanistan war spending in the fiscal year of 2011.
That amount of money could provide much low-income health care for 216,000 people for one year or for 540,500 children for one year.
If we think of education as a way out of poverty, we can look, too, at those figures. The $1.3 billion would provide for 161,160 scholarships for university students for one year or 235,880 students receiving Pell Grants of $5550 or 187,400 Head Start slots for children for one year or 22,830 elementary school teachers for one year.
To help get rid of the Kentucky uglies we need to get rid of our ugly wars.
According to icasualities.org, Kentucky has now lost 70 military members in Iraq and 29 in Afghanistan.
It is time to end these wars and bring our money and our troops home.
Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Please sign CODEPINK's petition to the members of Congress to Bring Our War $$ Home.
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