Kucinich Challenges Linking Unemployment Benefits to War Spending: “War Spending will Cost 2 million Jobs”
by Congressman Dennis Kucinich
Washington, Dec 10, 2009
Following a speech on the floor of the House of Representatives, Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) today released the following statement:
“According to the Center for Economic and Policy Research, the sharp increase in war spending is taking up a greater portion of our Gross Domestic Product, which will cost the U.S. about two million jobs because such spending ‘is a direct drain on the economy, reducing efficiency, slowing growth and costing jobs.’ Contrary to popular assumptions, massive spending for war does not create jobs. It costs jobs. War spending is capital-intensive, not labor-intensive. War creates unemployment.
“The current plans to make extension of unemployment benefits contingent on Congress passing a war spending bill raises serious questions about basic decency and common sense.
“We are telling people that as long as we are at war, they will get their unemployment benefits. And, of course as long as we are at war, there will be more people unemployed.
“Instead of unemployment benefits, people need work. Instead of war, people need work. War drives up our deficit. War takes away money from job creation. War results in unemployment. War is a weapon of mass destruction.”
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Tax Bankers’ Bonuses
Kucinich to introduce legislation that would mirror international efforts
by Congressman Dennis Kucinich
Washington, Dec 10, 2009
Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) today released the following statement in response to news reports that Goldman Sachs has decided to alter its bonus payments:
“Today, Goldman Sachs bowed to public pressure and promised to suspend bonus payments to its top executives. It’s important to understand this in perspective. Goldman did this only in the face of deafening public criticism over bonus payments to bankers.
“Once the uproar subsides, executives throughout the financial services industry will return to the same practice of showering themselves with outrageous compensation packages and bonuses.
“We need to reform fundamentally our tax code so that we don’t have to rely on extraordinary public outcry to curb such excessive behavior.
“I offered a commonsense amendment to HR 4173, the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, that would have taxed the bonuses of executives at TARP recipients, as well as the profits reported by these institutions. My amendment simply acknowledged that without the extraordinary actions of the federal government, many of these institutions would have collapsed a long time ago, and it would have held to account those individuals that made the decisions and that led to the crisis.
“Unfortunately my amendment was not accepted by the Rules Committee. Soon I will be introducing legislation based on the amendment that I offered, that will pave the way for a more fair and just tax treatment of absurd bonuses in the financial industry.
“Leaders in Great Britain and France have recently announced proposals to tax the bonuses of financial executives–if the United States remains silent on the issue, we will in effect be leading the world in a ‘race to the bottom’ of international efforts to regulate the financial services industry.
see
Dennis Kucinich Circulating Privileged Resolutions to End Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan
Kucinich: Are we in Afghanistan to fight or to fund the Taliban?
Dandelion Salad 
There is one human left in Congress…
It’s a miracle.
But more than that, this man knows the law. Congress needst to stop the madness.
It’s unbearable.
Thank you Dennis,
Thank you Lo.
Thanks, Natureboy.
I am reading Greg Mortenson’s ”Three Cups of Tea”
In my heart, I know if the US would spent the money
on humanitarian aid, schools, medical clinics, infrastructure,
the Af-Pak region would have a better chance of becoming stabilized
than with all the money being spent on bombs, drones, land-mines and
1-million per soldier to escalate.