Why not add the 80 billion for Iraq to the budget?

[Streetdoc270]

We should press our Senators and the White House to stop playing politics with the numbers on the cost of the Iraq Occupation and just add it to the budget. We also need to understand that Government cannot exist without our money, so it is foolish to make the tax cuts permanent at a time when we are facing record deficits and a crisis to Medicaid (not SS).

Also if SS currently has an 80 billion dollar surplus why can't we take that money and place it in a 'lockbox' (like Gore wanted) with the lockbox being bonds or other certificated of deposit? That way the system can stay solvent on its own when the number of beneficaries increase.

[proudbluestater]

1. I heard on Democracy Now, part of this is to build

permanent bases in Iraq. I think we should start writing our representatives and telling them to vote NO freaking way for ANY more money. It's not like the money gets to the troops anyway.

[Oreo]

2. No win situation

Dems vote no to the money and all the robots and sheep are assured (in their minds) that the Dems are anti-US.

[Robbien]

3. This is not the Iraq budget. The $80 is a special request for new Brigades

Pentagon Wants New U.S. Army Brigades
http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?F=619614&C=america

The Pentagon wants to build three new U.S. Army brigades and to train and equip Iraqi forces with $75 billion requested Jan. 25, while funding deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, a top U.S. defense official said.

President George W. Bush asked Congress for $80 billion in emergency funds in fiscal 2005 earlier Jan. 25. All but $5 billion would go to the Defense Department.

<snip>

He said the request departed from past practice, however, by adding funding to the army’s program to overhaul its division-based force structure and replace it with a more deployable, combat-ready force built around brigades.

The Army has been stretched to the limit by the demand for troops in Iraq. It is banking on the reorganization to increase the number of brigades from 33 to 44 without expanding the overall size of the service.

“What the supplemental allows for is for the Army to fund the three new modular brigades,” he said.