As I reviewed with you before, the chart is not only a bit dated, but also makes very severe assumptions regarding existing tax structures. In addition, the CBO creates "long term" projections to 2080, which I put zero stock in (they assume a 3% interest rate between 2020 and 2084, for example.) My reference is to the longer term being beyond one year, as troop withdrawals take at least that long. Further, the chart overstates the numbers. Direct from the CBO: "If current laws were to remain unchanged, the budget deficit would drop markedly as a percentage of GDP in the next few years, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects, and federal debt held by the public would stabilize at about 67 percent of GDP for the next decade.1 Those baseline projections, however, understate the budget deficits that would arise if policies that are in effect now or have been in effect recently were extended, instead of implementing what current laws specify for future years. Specifically, if most provisions of the tax cuts enacted in 2001 and 2003 were extended rather than allowed to expire as scheduled, if provisions designed to limit the reach of the alternative minimum tax (AMT) were also extended, and if annual appropriations kept pace with the growth of GDP, by 2020 the budget deficit would be growing steadily. In that case, debt held by the public would reach almost 90 percent of GDP in 2020."
He didn't, he only pulled some of them out. There are lots still there... Most of who he pulled out simply went to Afghanistan. He just moved troops around in the same war... War should be OVER, and troops should be redeployed on the Mexican boarder.
In that case what was the left wings problem with McCain wanting to stay in Iraq then? Were they worried about the short term deficit? LOL So? The republicans aren't in power. The dems can do pretty much anything they want. I don't see how you figure that. I said he should have pulled out LAST year AND should have pulled out even more troops than he has. He did neither. ...along with tons of other insane spending, you sound as if you would have us believe the partial pullout in Iraq is the biggest reason the democrats budget deficit is so humongous.
That is factually incorrect. Here's an easy to understand graph. http://probonostats.wordpress.com/2010/05/28/u-s-troop-levels-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-2001-2010/ Moving troops costs a lot of money.
Partial? The last combat troops left Iraq weeks ago, back in August. As for the Republicans not being in power, the Democrats cannot do pretty much anything they want. The Senate Republicans, just as one of many examples, successfully filibustered the DISCLOSE act which required foreign funding to be identified. Senate Republicans blocked a Democratic bill on Tuesday to end tax deductions enjoyed by companies that close their U.S. plants and move overseas. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2821013620100928 In July Republicans unanimously blocked the small business lending bill. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38469644/ns/business-small_business/
You know anyone who has been to Iraq lately? It so happens I do. My brother-in-law returned just last month from his second Iraq tour. He's a COMBAT medic. According to him the remaining troops are doing EXACTLY the same thing they were doing before the <s>pullout</s> reduction. A another ET member who also knows a recently returning serviceman from Iraq corroborated this. Apparently neither the WH or the media are being completely honest about whats going on there. But by all means if you have been or know a serviceman that has since last month, please, update us mere mortals.
Combat medics aren't combat troops unless they're in combat, and your friend/relative/Internet persona came back on schedule. Or why this would reduce costs of moving troops who have clearly left?
<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8VlXfs1K04g?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8VlXfs1K04g?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>