Why aren’t there any timetables on the War on Poverty or the War on Drugs?
The Democrat-led House last night narrowly passed a $124 billion war-funding bill with a timetable to pull out troops from Iraq, voting hours after top U.S. military commanders made a personal appeal to congressional leaders not to meddle in war strategy.
That’s a nice roundabout way of losing the war. Just put a timetable on it.
"This briefing reinforced our view that solution in Iraq is a political solution," said House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer, adding that an imminent U.S. troop withdrawal would pressure Iraqis to mend their country. "Our belief that we must hold the Iraqis accountable for achieving real progress and establish a timetable for responsible deployment of American forces was also reinforced," the Maryland Democrat said. "General Petraeus specifically indicated that he is relating to the Iraqis that expectation of the American public."
Just for a moment, let’s pretend that I am willing to abandon all the promises the American government has made to Iraq on behalf of the American people. Let’s imagine I accept that wars can be fought on timetables.
Here is my list of demands:
- It is my view that the War on Drugs can only be won by treatment programs and education. We must hold the government accountable for achieving real progress and establish a timetable for disbanding the Office of National Drug Control Policy, since it has been completely ineffective for its 20 year reign of terror over addicted Americans and their families. We’ve given the drug czar his chance. This war is lost.
- It is my view that the War on Poverty is hopeless. We need an immediate timetable to dismantle the hugely wasteful Department of Housing and Urban Development. Instead of giving uneducated, lazy Americans prime urban real estate without conditions, I propose that we create two national work camps, one in Nevada and one in Texas. Any homeless American who would like a one way ticket to one of these camps will be given a bus ride at taxpayer expense. Everyone in the camps will be assigned a job. During free time, educational opportunities will be available. The camps will have basic facilities providing shelter from the elements and basic nutrition and health care. Recreational activities will be limited to those which are educational.
- The timetable for dismantling these two wars against the taxpayers of America is two years from today.
Put that in your pipe and smoke it.