Why would millennials follow baby boomer orders, now?
6. War on Terror
“Americans were told repeatedly by President Bush and Vice President Cheney that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. NONE were ever found.”
—John Olver (D), Congressman
Ø President Bush (R) waged a pre-emptive war against Iraq in 2003 on the basis of six claims that it possessed Weapons of Mass Destruction—all six claims were found to be false.
Ø Millennials have paid dearly with over 7000 lives lost and over 600,000 injured fighting America’s longest war (19 years)—fought, exclusively, by volunteers (true patriots) which enlisted en masse for what appears to be a never-ending war.
Ø According to Brown University, a cumulative total of over 480,000 people have died from the wars; more than 244,000 civilians have been killed (as a result of the fighting); and, an additional 10 million people have been displaced due to the violence.
Ø The Bush Administration said the war would be “self-financing” and only cost between $50 and $100 billion. According to Brown University’s Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, it cost $6 trillion—a cost Millennials must now pay.
Ø President Bush (R) funded the Afghanistan War and pre-emptive Iraqi War with “Off-Balance-Sheet” (i.e., cooking-the-books) EMERGENCY APPROPRIATIONS and OVERSEAS CONTINGENCY OPERATIONS spending bills along with tax cuts for the wealthy—essentially, bankrolling the wars entirely with debt (unprecedented in American history). This debt was financed in the form of purchases of U.S. Treasury bonds by U.S.-based entities (i.e., pension funds, state and local governments) along with China and Japan, thereby bequeathing this colossal war debt to millennials and generation Z.
Ø Cumulative interest costs alone, due to borrowing to pay for the wars, will ultimately rise to dwarf the $1.5 trillion of direct military spending from 2001-2013. Hidden costs (i.e., length of the war, healthcare and disability obligations and interest on the debt) will linger decades after the fighting ends. For example, WWI Veteran compensation didn’t peak until 1969; WWII compensation didn’t peak until 1986; and, Vietnam Veteran compensation is still rising.
Ø The Department of Veteran Affairs will be responsible for serving more than 4.3 million veterans (Afghanistan and Iraq) by 2039.
Ø Through 2012, the US spent over $17 billion on police training and civilian reconstruction projects in Iraq while America’s states and cities face harsh budget cuts and America’s infrastructure decays.
Ø The WWII Generation PAID IN FULL for the Korea War (tax rates as high as 92% for the wealthy) and the Vietnam War (tax rates as high as 77% for the wealthy). In fact, TAXES WERE RAISED during every American conflict since the Revolutionary War—especially, for the wealthy.
Ø In the first three months, WAR WITH IRAN would cost close to $2 trillion, according to the American Federation of Scientists.
Government spending is when the government spends money, including the military.
6. War on Terror
“Americans were told repeatedly by President Bush and Vice President Cheney that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. NONE were ever found.”
—John Olver (D), Congressman
Ø President Bush (R) waged a pre-emptive war against Iraq in 2003 on the basis of six claims that it possessed Weapons of Mass Destruction—all six claims were found to be false.
Ø Millennials have paid dearly with over 7000 lives lost and over 600,000 injured fighting America’s longest war (19 years)—fought, exclusively, by volunteers (true patriots) which enlisted en masse for what appears to be a never-ending war.
Ø According to Brown University, a cumulative total of over 480,000 people have died from the wars; more than 244,000 civilians have been killed (as a result of the fighting); and, an additional 10 million people have been displaced due to the violence.
Ø The Bush Administration said the war would be “self-financing” and only cost between $50 and $100 billion. According to Brown University’s Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, it cost $6 trillion—a cost Millennials must now pay.
Ø President Bush (R) funded the Afghanistan War and pre-emptive Iraqi War with “Off-Balance-Sheet” (i.e., cooking-the-books) EMERGENCY APPROPRIATIONS and OVERSEAS CONTINGENCY OPERATIONS spending bills along with tax cuts for the wealthy—essentially, bankrolling the wars entirely with debt (unprecedented in American history). This debt was financed in the form of purchases of U.S. Treasury bonds by U.S.-based entities (i.e., pension funds, state and local governments) along with China and Japan, thereby bequeathing this colossal war debt to millennials and generation Z.
Ø Cumulative interest costs alone, due to borrowing to pay for the wars, will ultimately rise to dwarf the $1.5 trillion of direct military spending from 2001-2013. Hidden costs (i.e., length of the war, healthcare and disability obligations and interest on the debt) will linger decades after the fighting ends. For example, WWI Veteran compensation didn’t peak until 1969; WWII compensation didn’t peak until 1986; and, Vietnam Veteran compensation is still rising.
Ø The Department of Veteran Affairs will be responsible for serving more than 4.3 million veterans (Afghanistan and Iraq) by 2039.
Ø Through 2012, the US spent over $17 billion on police training and civilian reconstruction projects in Iraq while America’s states and cities face harsh budget cuts and America’s infrastructure decays.
Ø The WWII Generation PAID IN FULL for the Korea War (tax rates as high as 92% for the wealthy) and the Vietnam War (tax rates as high as 77% for the wealthy). In fact, TAXES WERE RAISED during every American conflict since the Revolutionary War—especially, for the wealthy.
Ø In the first three months, WAR WITH IRAN would cost close to $2 trillion, according to the American Federation of Scientists.
Government spending is when the government spends money, including the military.
