Correction, with apologies...

I mentioned Tony met with our new presiding bishop, and I misspelled her name. I've corrected it in the blog, but want you to all know her name is spelled, +Katherine.

My whoops.

Things that make you go hmmmmmm... (warning... political rantings of pitterpat)

A week or so ago our Abbey forwarded this to me. As you can see there are some very interesting numbers being tossed about! Read on, then ask yourself....

What you could do with $400 billion

By Alice Wertheim, Richard Halicks

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 01/21/07

By July 2007, that's roughly how much the United States will have spent on the invasion, occupation and ongoing pacification of Iraq. (The total stands at roughly $360 billion now, by several estimates, and is expected to grow at a rate of $7 billion per month). Here are some other things that $400 billion would pay for:

A one-time bonus of $126,500 for every public school teacher in the United States

A $1,000 savings bond for every person in the United States, with $100 billion left over.

A 12-foot concrete wall, 2 feet thick and painted on both sides, along the whole border of the United States and Mexico, plus all the rest of the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii, 20 times over. (Razor wire and electric fencing extra; assembly required.)

Enough health insurance to cover 94.3 million people at the average annual premium cost for a health plan covering a single worker at $4,242; 46.6 million people are currently uninsured.

$23,158 for every student at any degree-granting institution for undergraduate or graduate education.

All the external debt of sub-Saharan Africa, which was $215.6 billion in 2005.

Public financing of all presidential elections for the next 1,333 years.

A common three-drug combination of anti-retroviral drugs for every HIV-positive person in the world —- for more than 66 years.

A new Toyota Prius hybrid car for every licensed driver in Georgia, two years in a row, with more than 3 million Priuses left over. (Count me in!)

If someone handed you one dollar every second, it would take 12,683 years to give you $400 billion.

Research by Alice Wertheim and Richard Halicks, staff

So, I have to ask:

How many generations will it take to pay off this debt? One wonders.

How many retired folks will continue to suffer over the expense of minimal to no insurance coverage, while we dump billions into a destructive and pointless disaster of massive proportions?

How many chronically ill people in this country could be assisted with billions of tax dollars?

How many young adults (and old adults, like me) could attend college with a portion of these billions?

How many soldiers will come home disabled mentally and physically, after thinking they've been fighting for our freedoms and liberties, only to find their efforts were part of a politically motivated nightmare? and, How much money will be provided to support them after this is all through? Most of us know there are tens of thousands of Veterans in our country suffering through inadequate medical care, psychological help, and financial assistance.

How many displaced homeowners along the gulf coast could have their houses replaced with the money spent in Iraq?

How many Native Americans could have adequate housing, medical care, and their honor restored, with only a small amount of that 7 billion a month?

How many millions could be put into medical research?

How many millions could be invested in alternative fuels to help our environmental dilemma?

How many single mothers could be provided with a home?

How many pregnant mothers could get the support and medical care they need to make good decisions about themselves and their unborn child?

Sorry to rant on.... as my hubby always tells me, "If you're looking for a perfect world, you've not found it". I guess it's time to take off my rose colored glasses and slide my soap box back under the computer... or better yet, lock it up, aye?

Signing off again,

Your local bleeding heart liberal. grin

umm.. my apologies President Bush... for my little cartoon. grin

PS: The views expressed by the author are the sole opinions of the author.... little ole me, PitterPat.