Archive for July 2nd, 2009
A Peek at the Humanitarian Side of War
July 2nd, 2009
If not for the efforts of the coalition forces in Iraq, does anyone feel the following would have ever come to fruition?
Most probably never were aware of the extensive humanitarian endeavors carried out by those with boots on the ground in Iraq. Why? Well I suppose it would not have sold newspapers or made for good commentary on the evening news.
Have you read about this?
In April 2009, American Airlines and Operation Iraqi Children partnered to transport 20 tons of supplies into Iraq. Two schools were visited in the Golden Hills area; over 700 school kits, Croc shoes, and clothing were distributed. Read more about this airlift.
The efforts by individuals and businesses to provide these children has been overwhelming. Civilians and troops alike have joined hands to provide a better life for those unable to help themselves.
Iraq celebrated this past Tuesday what is a form of independence.
Our troops vacating major cities and relinquishing control to the homeland forces is a good thing.
We were never meant to be invaders or occupiers (as some believed), only to set an entire population free from the oppressive dictatorship they had endured for centuries.
Through it all, the political decisions which may have been well placed but at times failed, the blinding heat and sandstorms, and the many negative accounts of their struggles to free a nation and turn it towards democracy, our troops and those of the coalition worked tirelessly to complete their mission.
When I see a an image such as the one below it speaks a thousand words.
It should be the hope of all in America that these children will one day remember the sacrifices of those who freed them from tyranny and allowed them their first taste of freedom.
For all the horrors which any war produces, if we just look a little deeper we can find the good.
As our own Independence Day approaches we should be thankful we continue to have men and women both here at home and across the globe who are willing to sacrifice so others might experience that which we have come to cherish.
Posted in 
Where will you and your family vacation this year?
July 2nd, 2009
Our tax dollars hard at work:
WASHINGTON — Spending by lawmakers on taxpayer-financed trips abroad has risen sharply in recent years, a Wall Street Journal analysis of travel records shows, involving everything from war-zone visits to trips to exotic spots such as the Galápagos Islands.
The spending on overseas travel is up almost tenfold since 1995, and has nearly tripled since 2001, according to the Journal analysis of 60,000 travel records. Hundreds of lawmakers traveled overseas in 2008 at a cost of about $13 million. That’s a 50% jump since Democrats took control of Congress two years ago.
The cost of so-called congressional delegations, known among lawmakers as “codels,” has risen nearly 70% since 2005, when an influence-peddling scandal led to a ban on travel funded by lobbyists, according to the data.
Lawmakers say that the trips are a good use of government funds because they allow members of Congress and their staff members to learn more about the world, inspect U.S. assets abroad and forge better working relationships with each other. The travel, for example, includes official visits to American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Journal analysis, based on information published in the Congressional Record, also shows that taxpayer-funded travel is a big and growing perk for lawmakers and their families. Some members of Congress have complained in recent months about chief executives of bailed-out banks, insurance companies and car makers who sponsored corporate trips to resorts or used corporate jets for their own travel.
Although complete travel records aren’t yet available for 2009, it appears that such costs continue to rise. The Journal analysis shows that the government has picked up the tab for travel to destinations such as Jamaica, the Virgin Islands and Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.
Lawmakers frequently bring along spouses on congressional trips. If they take commercial flights, they have to buy tickets for spouses. If they fly on government planes — as they usually do — their spouses can fly free.
[emphasis-admin]
The country is bankrupt but congressional members along with their families and aides are traveling on the taxpayer dime so they can see the world and bond?
This must be the true definition of tax and spend.
