Another Example of F*cked Up Priorities

Last week, the Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute released a report on how Colorado continues to fall behind other states in key areas of public investment. (cclponline.org)

The report shows that, among the 50 states, Colorado ranks:

--49th in covering the uninsured and low-income families under Medicaid
--39th in improving our state highways per capita
--48th in per-capital investment on higher education
--34th in per-capita investment in public elementary and secondary schools

Also released last week was a study by the National Priorities Project which showed how Colorado taxpayers will pay $2.1 billion for the cost of the Iraq War in FY 2007. (nationalpriorities.org)

For the same amount of tax dollars, the study found that the following could have been provided:

--42,840 Public Safety Officers our first line of defense against terrorism or
--760,006 Children with Health Care or
--257 New Elementary Schools or
--391,561 Scholarships for University Students or
--11,138 Affordable Housing Units or
--2,772,721 Homes with Renewable Electricity

This report does not report the tax of human lives: Colorado's sons and daughters from who have been killed serving in Iraq. This afternoon, another memorial service is taking place in Colorado Springs for two more Colorado soldiers who were recently killed in Iraq.

The Bush adminstration and right-wing members of Congress, while claiming they are against taxes, are spending your tax dollars on Iraq with devastating trade-offs here at home.

It's time to call the Iraq war what it is: a massive tax on each American family, taxpayer and child.

It's also time to stop it.