Politics In Iowa...Our Pigs Don't Fly... They Drive

What the group is basically saying...their statement with the pig and piglet trailer is...the budget for the pentagon is 450 billion?....education is 34 billion...and fighting world hunger is 10 billion.

What is wrong with that picture?

And that's why there are kids in "schools" without windows, desks, chairs and supplies.

One of the recent four people chosen to have dinner with Barack Obama was a girl who grew up on welfare in CA and is now helping out in the D.C. schools. She wrote a note saying that there is not enough spending on education. She said that the school has busted windows and not enough supplies yet they are expected to score as well as schools with plentiful supplies and *gasp* WINDOWS!

Lainie you should check out the link I posted. They have some very good ideas.

I appologize for the quality of pic but I took this with my cell phone.

mike I bet you would be good at it.

While the congressional overspending is ridiculous, throwing money at the educational system is not the answer.

Increased spending has not translated into 'smarter' kids, higher graduation rates, or increased college enrollment.

The answer starts in the home. And the gov't can't (and shouldn't!) fix social ills.

Chandra but did you like the pig pics?

Thanks mike.

Chandra I agree that throwing money at the schools isnt the answer but this is just showing where our governments priorities are at.

340 billion for the pentagon
10 billion for fighting world hunger and AIDS.

I did look at your link Lori.... I love all the graphs and I especially love the Pentagon Spending toll when you load the page. : )

Honestly, an increase in education spending would help to reduce many of the "social ills," C A. If we can keep kids in school, they are not in the streets. If we can keep kids involved and engaged in education they are more likely to be interested in their futures. We need to educate the youth so that the social ills would not be an epidemic as they are now.

I agree Lainie.

For the record I am not a member of this organization I like many of their ideas though.

That money counter makes my head spin. It also makes me sick.

Me too Olga.

I've always believed in the basic sensibility of Iowan's. And since so many born and reared there now live in other states, perhaps there is hope for the future.

Thanks you from a born and reared Iowan Cheryl.

I agree that a lot of the money that goes to the pentagon is totally wasted. But it is hard for politicians to cut "military" funding during a war, never mind that it isn't even money going to the actual war...we pay for that separately. Thanks for the link.
(Former Iowan)

Thanks Shari

Hey, guess what they want to spend our tax money on here, this week? All new air conditioned school buses. Pfft

Crazy Moggy.

This little piggie went to market; this little piggie stayed home. This little piggie had roast beef; this little piggie had none. Pork barrel piggies cry, "We! We! We!" all the way home.

Air conditioned buses?

I'll see your 'Pfft', Moggy and raise you a "BWAH?"!

LOL! Lori...so sorry, yes the pics were great!! I gave you a 10!

Thanks Chandra.

Thats what went through my head when I saw it too Lisa

Michael may be coming to an your town soon. The pics dont show it real well but this think is bright bright pink....so you cant miss it.

Love the pics. and I agree the Pentagon is full of pork!

LOL Dan thanks.

This was in Iowa City over the summer. I saw it. I've seen it before that as well.

Pretty cool isnt it Michael?

They do need to put more money into education. The problem is, if the federal government starts forking over cash, the federal government wants to poke their noses into the schools, which, imo, should be controled at the state level.

No child left behind, no child gets ahead. --failed federal "education program"

Like the pics, Lori.

Jamie some very good points...I am kind of proud of my pics...usually I dont take very good ones especially with my cell phone but these turned out better than I expected.

Problems such as AIDS,world hunger,-and a broken educational system-,are for the most part self-inflicted. In order for these ills to be fixed,the cultures that drive these maladies has to change. You can't keep throwing money at it. As far as military spending is concerned,when you're in the middle of a war,a certain amount of money has to be spent to maintain our armed forces in the field. Be glad you don't have to ration anything like our parents and grandparents did sixty-plus years ago.

Its not the Fed's job to do ANYTHING with education. That is a state/local responsibility. How much has the Ed Dept's budget increased over the last 6 years? Far more than inflation, add in all the state budgets and you have trillions in money accomplishing virtually nothing. Neither should the Feds do anything about infrastructure...let the states prioritze and spend their own funds. New Orleans and Boston's "public works" fiasico's should be enough warning about government waste!

The Pentagon may be spending alot of money but its still far less than what is spent on non Constitutional entiltement programs. Also look at what often is placed inside DOD budgets, a good percentage is often totally non military related.

Also who said we have a responsibilty to spend more tax payer dollars on overseas welfare projects? The American taxpayers eems to be everyone's version of the goose that laid golden eggs!

Ah, war mongers. Since when is the top liability of the American tax payers to wage war? It sure isn't my top priority. Never will be. Here's where your tax dollars are going folks. Compare US to the rest of the world. We're a war state. Sickening. And I have NO say in what the tens of thousands of dollars I pay in taxes goes to. Apparently, about half of it goes to kill other human beings.

Govt. Spending US

Don't let the door hit you in the butt on your way out,Jamie.

I'm concerned about the priorities, but I'm even more concerned about the way money within a category is spent. Is federal and state money for education really helping, or is a lot of it just going to fund poorly thought-out federal programs? Are attempts to fight world hunger actually helping or are they just pushing local farmers further into poverty by depressing food prices? Is spending for defense really buying us stuff that makes the US more secure?

BTW: Hi Lori. It's been a while since I've run across one of your articles. Glad to see that you're still around.

Thanks Dale I have been really busy....nice to see you too.

Jamie you used a chart "estimation" by the Quakers to buttress an agrument? The Quakers are not exactly unbiased in this nor do they parse the budget to see what is covered under DOD auspices (humanitarian assistance for one, never mind mandated medical research like breast cancer etc)

Did you note its not simply current defense spending BUT PAST wars too we are paying on? We still have not paid off WW2 never mind Viet Nam.

The rest of the world often gives out false budgets esp. nations like China, Iran etc. Too many nations in the world simply depend on us (W. Europe, Canada, much of the industrialised world). I would agree with you we spend more than we should but at least defense is Constitutionally mandated and so far the Constitution has not been fully repealed. Education is not mentioned at all neither is about 85% of our present government for that matter.

Nice of you to get in that war monger shot. I disagree thus I must be demonized...