On August 31, the Obama administration announced that the war in Iraq is ending, and the troops are being withdrawn. Then last week, the National Bureau of Economic Research declared that the recession ended in 2009. What could be more ridiculous? Iraqis are still dying, soldiers are still being sent to kill and be killed. At the same time thousands of people are being thrown out of work. Millions are unemployed, without adequate food, housing, or health care. No matter what they call it, there’s a war going on against the people of Iraq and an economic war against ordinary people in the United States, all for the profit of a handful of wealthy corporations.
The War at Home
- One in seven people lives below the poverty line, or on $22,000 a year for a family of four.
- The number of people living in poverty increased by four million since last year to 43.7 million, the highest number since the government started counting 50 years ago. verty.
- More than 50 million people are living without health care, five million more than last year.
- There are 49 million families who went hungry for some time during the last year
- There will be an expected 1.2 million home foreclosures in 2010.
- One in five children, 15.5 million children, are living in poverty.
- Ten percent of children, or 7.5 million children have no health insurance.
- Meanwhile Corporate profits have increased by 37 percent or $72 billion this year.
The War in Iraq
- Over a million Iraqis have died from direct violence, disease or hunger since 2003 – about three percent of Iraq’s population
- Since January 2010, 235 American soldiers have died in the U.S. occupation
- Since January 2010, there have been 250 so-called military contractors, mercenaries hired by the American Government, killed in Iraq.
- 50,000 regular troops, and 4,500 special forces troops and 95,000 contractors remain in Iraq.
- Over a trillion U.S. tax dollars have been spent on the war since 2003.
The claims of the Obama administration, that the recession and the war are over, are nothing but cheap lies. What do they take us for? These claims just show the absolute contempt that the politicians and their corporate masters feel for ordinary people. No matter what they say, the reality couldn’t be clearer. The war in Iraq will not be over until the U.S. withdraws all of its troops and private contractors from Iraq. And it is ridiculous to talk about economic recovery while people are living in poverty, and children go hungry. We should not accept their lies.
