Letter: Administration’s priorities a mess

Friday, Sept. 7, 2007 | 7:29 a.m.

When George Bush was running for president in 2000 he told us he didn't believe in "nation building." We didn't realize at the time that he was referring to the United States.

The more I look at the current state of affairs , the more I am convinced that the U. S. government has lost all sense of priorities.

Recent news reports indicate that we are spending $12 billion a month in Iraq. Twelve billion dollars a month is $395 million per day or $16,447,000 per hour or $274,117 per minute.

By way of comparison , the U.S. government spends about $5 billion a year on cancer research. That's what we spend in Iraq in less than 13 days.

Imagine if we spent that kind of money on rebuilding New Orleans or replacing bridges before they fall instead of military weapons to destroy cities and bridges.

Imagine if we dedicated that kind of money and effort to building renewable energy facilities and reduced our dependence on foreign oil. Would who controls what street or neighborhood in Baghdad be a vital security interest of the United States? Not hardly!

It is way past time for our government to get its priorities straight and use the resources of this country to benefit the citizens of this country.

Jim Weber, Mesquite