By Liane Casten

According to the New York Times (4-27-02), the Bush administration, in developing a potential approach to toppling President Saddam Hussein of Iraq, is concentrating its attention on a major air campaign and ground invasion. Initial estimates include the use of 70,000 to 250,000 troops. Senior administration, Pentagon, and military officials say, however, that consensus has emerged that there is little chance for a military coup to unseat Hussein from within, even with the US exerting economic and military pressure and providing covert assistance.

The New York Times reports, “The conflict in the Middle East has widened a rift within the administration over whether military action can be undertaken without inflaming Arab states and prompting anti-American violence throughout the region. In his public speeches, President Bush still sounds as intent as ever about ousting Mr. Hussein, making it clear that he will not let the Middle East crisis obscure his goal. But he has not issued any order for the Pentagon to mobilize its forces, and today there is no official ‘war plan.’”

With the US trashing of Colombia and the our continued support of the violence there, with plans to invade Iraq coming down the pipeline either around election time or later in 2003, we must ask, “Who will pay for all these costly incursions?”

Easy answer: the US taxpayer. It’s all in the budget for the year 2003. The National Priorities Project of Northhampton, MA has outlined the breakdown of our budgetary priorities (see sidebar below).

In order to achieve this stunning number, Bush has increased Defense by 11%, with a heavy emphasis on “Star Wars” and incursions into countries across the globe. Most every other category is down significantly.
What are the consequences of all this for our present economy? The government’s need to finance its war on terrorism will take investment capital out of the private market at a time when it is dearly needed to help strengthen the economy in the mid-term. The move will dampen the recovery that has emerged of late and will hit mortgages and long-term financing in particular.

Action for New Priorities reports, “The Bush budget responds to corporate greed, not human need. It sacrifices the poor, children, elderly, ordinary taxpayers and our very future for the rich, Bush’s corporate friends, and an overblown military budget. The ‘Education President’ proposes 0% increase for education. The ‘Compassionate Conservative’ President will take away $9 billion from hospitals, 15% from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, 6% from public housing subsidies. But he gives the very rich, and corporations, an additional $591 million tax cut!”

The recession and anti-terrorism campaign have both affected the government’s bottom line in many ways. First, the recession has reduced government revenues; April tax receipts were down 30 percent in 2002 from a year earlier. Second, after months of bickering, Congress and US President George W. Bush finally agreed on a $43 billion economic stimulus package in March, funded mostly on borrowed assets. Finally, defense and security increases combined have added $85 billion to government outlays.

Bush’s $397 billion military budget, with its $48 billion increase over last year, is mostly for corporate giveaways like “Star Wars,” and programs that have nothing to do with fighting international terrorism.

Yet, Bush seems determined to continue military incursions. War will be President Bush’s legacy; war will be President Bush’s passion. And war will carry the hope that Bush and his followers in-violence will create such a march for guns and blood, that the whole crew of those who want to trash our human priorities will be re-elected for the next terms in office.

How the pie is cut:

Military	53%
Education, training, employment and social services	9%
Health	6%
Administration of Justice	4%
Home security	6%
Natural resources and environment	4%
Veterans benefits and services	3%
International affairs	3%
General science, space and technology	3%
Transportation	3%
General government	2%
Community and regional development	2%
Other	2%