Bush: We Built Too Many Houses

Something short and sweet this morning. While perusing the headlines, I came across this CNN article, with the headline “Poll: 71 percent think Iraq spending hurts economy”.

This is like saying 7 out of 10 Americans can count. If we’re borrowing money at the rate of billions per month to occupy Iraq, that’s billions we don’t have to spend on climate change or education or health care or investment firm bailouts.

But the quote of the day from Bush is this: “I think actually the spending in the war might help with jobs … because we’re buying equipment and people are working. I think this economy is down because we built too many houses and the economy’s adjusting.”

His comment is proof that conservative economic policy is being implemented in accordance with their ideology. Military action helps the economy. People are working (never mind the Dept. of Labor report last week that showed hundreds of thousands have stopped looking for a job). The biggest problem with our economy? Too many houses were built. I noticed he said nothing about how his tax cuts are still working.

From the article: “A White House spokesman said the war had cost the U.S. $406.2 billion through December 2007. The spokesman said the economists “throw everything in the kitchen sink” into the study, including costs like interest on the national debt, and called the projection “exaggerated.”"

If they really feel this way, I’m sure our foreign creditors will have no problem simply ignoring the interest we owe them. By the same measure, will banks forgive the interest Americans owe on their houses? How about credit cards - can we ignore the interest on them too? Of course the amount owed is less when interest isn’t considered, you idiot.