Bliz Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 http://www.boingboing.net/2011/04/07/franken-wants-a-bala.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+boingboing%2FiBag+%28Boing+Boing%29 Senator Al Franken has proposed a "Pay for War" resolution that would require Congress to raise taxes and/or cut spending before authorizing new acts of war, so that American foreign adventures can't contribute to the national debt. "We have to ensure that Iraq and Afghanistan remain anomalies in American history," Franken said on the Senate floor Wednesday. "And that's what my resolution seeks to do. It will ensure that future wars don't make our deficit and debt problem worse. It will ensure that Congress and American citizens must face the financial sacrifice of going to war. And it will force us to decide whether a war is worth that sacrifice." "In the last ten years our wars have been paid for by borrowing," Franken said. "The Iraq War was accompanied by a massive tax cut. That failed fiscal experiment created the impression that war requires no financial sacrifice. We know that is just not true. The question is who will bear the financial sacrifice, the generation that has decided to go to war or its children and grandchildren?" Freedom isn't free Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stadium-Armory Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 Cute idea, but what if we're faced with something like WWII again? We went in to debt for that one and it was necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westbrook36 Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 I'm glad to see that Franken has woke up. Man, this Senator thing is hard! How do you guys ever stay awake for this crap? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimmySmith Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 What about the acts of war that Congress never votes on? Gotta love Al, a complete disappering act until it's time to propose a ridiculous act. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homercles82 Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 Cute idea, but what if we're faced with something like WWII again? We went in to debt for that one and it was necessary. Our tax rate on the rich in the US during WWII was 90%, which was a huge increase over the 1920's and 1930's. It didn't take a law to do it though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teller Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 Politics over lives! Woo!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pez Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 Franken does have a point.... Right now the U.S. is like a college student with a brand new credit card. Some use it wisely and conservatively... Others blow money like it is going out of style with no concern on how they will pay back the debt. I think something like a world war of course would probably deem some sort of exception (hard not to get involved in a war that involves more than half of the major world powers). But in terms of these micro wars that we keep getting ourselves into.... they are killing the national debt right now.. How about we at least get some other countries in as "mall cops" to offset our spending? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Predicto Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 Cute idea, but what if we're faced with something like WWII again? We went in to debt for that one and it was necessary. You are right, and I suspect that Franken is making a symbolic point. What about the acts of war that Congress never votes on?Gotta love Al, a complete disappering act until it's time to propose a ridiculous act. Not true, of course. Franken has been one of the most active junior senators. For good or ill, depending on your point of view, but he has been quite active, especially on healthcare and financial reform. http://www.newsweek.com/2010/07/05/al-franken-gets-serious.html http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/41085.html The idea that he has been invisible is a current conservative meme that is completely false. I'm not surprised to see you repeat it, but it's false. You would be better off saying that Franken is wrong (like conservative blogger Lew Rockwell does), rather than that he is invisible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hubbs Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 Politics over lives! Woo!!! You're suggesting that paying for a war will somehow cause more deaths in said war? How so? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan T. Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 The idea that he has been invisible is a current conservative meme that is completely false. I'm not surprised to see you repeat it, but it's false. You would be better off saying that Franken is wrong (like conservative blogger Lew Rockwell does), rather than that he is invisible. Franken has been camera shy by design. He consciously wanted to avoid trading in his celebrity for Senate camera time, and instead made a point of diving into the grunt work of legislating. I admire him for that. That's why this largely symbolic proposal seems out of character for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thiebear Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 I don't know about beforehand as you wouldnt know if it was a: 500million dollar no fly zone that lasts approx. 3 days. 2billion as tanks are killed on the ground. 500billion as a new congress needs installed 1trillion as neither side can agree and the new president is corrupt. or a Grenada that was 100$ plus travel. We should pay for the wars no different than medicare/medicaid/ss/perscriptions drugs/doctor pay/Obamacare/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ACW Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 This makes sense. And Rockwell's a libertarian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
@DCGoldPants Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 How about War Bonds? I imagine if those were issued after 9/11, people would have bought them up before American Flags made in China. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRSmith Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 Cute idea, but what if we're faced with something like WWII again? We went in to debt for that one and it was necessary. And taxes went up and people made sacrifices things were rationed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thiebear Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 War bonds with Telethons with Megan Fox and i guess anyone else that shows up would work wonders. We can at least pay off Lybia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Predicto Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 War bonds with Telethons with Megan Fox and i guess anyone else that shows up would work wonders.We can at least pay off Lybia. I'd donate good money to see Megan Fox's lybia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoony Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 I don't think its a bad idea at all. At least it gets folks talking about things before we start sending troops overseas. And by all means, if you want people to talk about an issue, associate it with a hike in taxes. ---------- Post added April-8th-2011 at 08:34 PM ---------- I don't think its a bad idea at all. At least it gets folks talking about things before we start sending troops overseas. And by all means, if you want people to talk about an issue, associate it with a hike in taxes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prosperity Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 terrible idea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ACW Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 I'd donate good money to see Megan Fox's lybia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AsburySkinsFan Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 I'd donate good money to see Megan Fox's lybia. Is that French for toe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimboDaMan Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 Actually, I like this idea. With the stipulation that declared acts of war - remember those? - can be financed the good old American way, by borrowing from the Chinese. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sly Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 Sounds like a pretty good idea to me. What a concept... the US government only being allowed to fund things they can afford! And how about holding our president's/king's feet to the fire when he bombs other countries without Congress approval. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRSmith Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 Sounds like a pretty good idea to me. What a concept... the US government only being allowed to fund things they can afford! And how about holding our president's/king's feet to the fire when he bombs other countries without Congress approval. Question what if congress says no and civillians are slaughtered or you end up with another situation like WWII where the president wanted to act early on to stop Hitler but the Republican congress said no Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sly Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 Question what if congress says no and civillians are slaughtered or you end up with another situation like WWII where the president wanted to act early on to stop Hitler but the Republican congress said no Because it's time for Congress to have adult conversations and make difficult decisions for the AMERICAN people, which is what they were elected to do. Civilians are slaughtered everyday all over the world and will be until the end of time. We can't be world police, especially now that our country can no longer afford it. Why didn't the US get involved with conflicts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Darfur, or Somalia? Why does the United States pick and choose which dictators to overthrow? Obama had a perfect opportunity to actually show real change in how our government is run, which ya know... is what he campaigned on. And what did he do? Launched cruise missiles without a Congressional declaration of war (arguably going against Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution) and spending billions of our money. "Yes we can," right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRSmith Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 Because it's time for Congress to have adult conversations and make difficult decisions for the AMERICAN people, which is what they were elected to do. Civilians are slaughtered everyday all over the world and will be until the end of time. We can't be world police, especially now that our country can no longer afford it.Why didn't the US get involved with conflicts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Darfur, or Somalia? Why does the United States pick and choose which dictators to overthrow? Obama had a perfect opportunity to actually show real change in how our government is run, which ya know... is what he campaigned on. And what did he do? Launched cruise missiles without a Congressional declaration of war (arguably going against Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution) and spending billions of our money. "Yes we can," right? America is an empire now, troops in bases/garrisons all over the world, and army larger than the next ten countries and no desire to cut it. Now if America launches an actual war then the uprising no longer belongs to the people of Lybia so they did what the French did for the US during the war of independance You want to do things cheaper, work on becoming more a part of the international community, Khaddify much like the Syrian leader and Osama should have been taken by an international police force and tried as criminals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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