Americans could be living well if not for war

ARKANSAS' NEEDS VERSUS THE WARS‏
From: Omnicenter Communications (omninews@listserv.uark.edu) on behalf of Dick Bennett (jbennet@uark.edu)
Sent: Sat 2/27/10 4:32 PM
To: OMNINEWS@LISTSERV.UARK.EDU
OMNI NEWSLETTER CONTINUING SERIES ON ARKANSAS’ TRUE NEEDS, 2009, BUILDING A CULTURE OF JUSTICE for PEACE, Compiled by Dick Bennett





Can we afford all of our needs? YES, IF OUR LEADERS HAD NOT INVADED TWO COUNTRIES, AND NOW ATTACKING TWO MORE, AND ARMING FOR MORE.



Your Afghanistan War Bill

$57,077.60. That’s what US public is paying per minute.



As of today the tradeoff calculator page (Trade-Offs Page) estimates:

Taxpayers in Arkansas will pay $9.8 billion for total Iraq and Afghanistan war spending since 2001. For the same amount of money, the following could have been provided:



8,189,196 - Homes with Renewable Electricity for One Year 6,480,823 - People with Health Care for One Year OR

280,718 - Public Safety Officers for One year OR

191,933 - Music and Arts Teachers for One Year OR

1,687,424 - Scholarships for University Students for One Year OR

1,765,867 - Students receiving Pell Grants of $5550 OR

145,659 - Affordable Housing Units OR

5,433,315 - Children with Health Care for One Year OR

1,654,941 - Head Start Places for Children for One Year OR

205,086 - Elementary School Teachers for One Year OR



Here is a shortened link to that estimate for Arkansas.

http://bit.ly/arkansaswardebt

Notes and Sources for the Trade-Offs Page

http://www.nationalpriorities.org/content/notes-and-sources-tradeoffs



The name of the organization is the National Priorities Project.

http://www.nationalpriorities.org



The tradeoff calculator is at the following address.

http://www.nationalpriorities.org/tradeoffs

(thanks to Chris D)



USA COULD BE MADE THE BEST NATION IN THE WORLD BY MONEY SPENT ON IRAQ WAR

Rob Simpson, What We Could Have Done with the Money: 50 Ways to Spend the Trillion Dollars We’ve Spent on Iraq. 2008.



And I’m expect you are familiar with Stiglitz and Bilmes’ The Three Trillion Dollar War, the title of which is an understatement of what the costs will eventually be for these two unjustified and illegal wars.



ADG = Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

NAT = Northwest Arkansas Times

TMN = The Morning News



(Of course, the following list offers only a sampling.)



CHILD OBESITY

“State Plans Child Obesity Figh” by Carolyn Park ADG (1-17-10)



ANIMAL WELL BEING

“Animal Shelter Needs Our Help” Editorial by Jennifer Shreve NAT 10-17-09



CRIME

“Too Many Arkansas Women are Losing Their Lives: Arkansas ranks fourth in the rate of women murdered by men.

Guest Editorial in Benton County Daily Record (10-9-09)



DEBT RELIEF

“Mortgages In Arrears up; State Ranks 26th” by Democrat Gazette Staff ADG 8-21-09



DISABLED

“State Needs Money for Disabled” by Scott F. Davis NAT {11-24-09}



ECOLOGY

“Leave Something for Tomorrow’s Bounty” John Brummett TMN (1-4-09)



FAMILY

“Prison Numbers Evidence Of Broken Society” Editorial by Tom McMahon TMN 4-7-09 “Our most important Support System—the family, is much weaker than it was decades ago.”



HEALTH CARE

“Arkansas 14th Highest Uninsured Rate” From Gallup. 20.1 percent of the state's population is uninsured, 14th highest rate in America. And you still want to listen to the insurance companies' lies?



HEALTH CARE QUALITY

“U.S. Care Rankings Put Arkansas at 48” By Matthew S.L. Cate ADG (10-8-10)



BABY HEALTH

“Infant Mortality Still Too High” Editorial by Meredith Oakly ADG (8-5-09)





CHILDREN’S HEALTH

“State Director Warns of Medicaid Crunch: ARkids Growth Under Review” Seth Bromeley ADG (1-15-10)



WOMEN’S HEALTH

“Breast Screening Funding Gap Hurts” By Seth Blomeley ADG 1-7-10



HUNGER

“Number of Hungry Rising In Arkansas” By Noel E. Oman (ADG 2-15-10)



PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

“Jonesboro Bus Service Puts Brakes on Spending” by Kenneth Heard ADG 2-22-10



QUALITY OF LIFE

“Arkansas Ranks 46th In The Nation Overall In a New Survey on Well-Being.” ADG



RURAL AREAS

“Rural Hospitals in State Losing Ground: Funding Sources Can’t Keep Up With Rising Cost, Bad Debt” By Toby Manthey ADG (1-26-09)



SCHOOLS

“Beebe Oversees Cuts for Health, Schools” by Seth Blomely ADG 1-18-10



SUBSTANCE ABUSE SOLUTIONS

“Substance-abuse Program Falls Prey to Budget Trims” by Amy Upshaw ADG (2-14-10)



UNEMPLOYMENT

“Prolonged Aid to Unemployed is Drying Up” by Erik Eckholm

ADG (8-2-09)



YOUTH

“System for Troubled Youth Needs Complete Overhaul” by Amy Upshaw ADG (1-10-09)



--
Dick Bennett
jbennet