-Caveat Lector- U.S. plan to pay government workers in Iraq is affront to taxpayers, Libertarians say
WASHINGTON, DC -- A plan to put one out of every 10 Iraqis on the U.S. government's payroll is a case of nation-building gone haywire, Libertarians say. "Hold onto your wallets, because the U.S. government is going on a hiring binge -- in Iraq," said Geoffrey Neale, chairman of the Libertarian Party. "If George Bush has his way, Iraqis will soon be free from Saddam Hussein but hopelessly dependent on Uncle Sam." Part of the U.S. government's blueprint for occupying and rebuilding Iraq, unveiled at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing this week, is paying the salaries of at least 2 million government workers, including soldiers, teachers, police officers, hospital workers and bureaucrats. The hope is that making the Iraqis accountable to the U.S. would help deliver "a measure of normalcy and stability" after the fall of dictator Saddam Hussein. In a nation of 23 million people, that means roughly one out of every 10 Iraqis would be getting a paycheck from the U.S. taxpayer, Neale observed. But even Americans who support the war probably had no intention of creating a massive warfare-to-work program overseas, Libertarians note. "People who accused Bill Clinton of nation-building for handing out food in Somalia should be appalled that Bush is handing out 2 million jobs in Iraq," he said. "It's bad enough when politicians put Americans on the dole with make-work programs, but creating massive workfare programs halfway around the world is nation-building gone haywire." One question Americans should ask is where such programs will end, Neale said. "If providing jobs for Iraqis is America's responsibility, why not provide them unemployment benefits, Social Security checks, health insurance, paid vacations, and 401-k retirement plans?" he asked. "And if Bush goes to war against other 'axis of evil' states, could Americans soon be paying the salaries of millions of Iranians and North Koreans? "Those questions are no more absurd than the notion of a U.S. president hanging up 'help wanted' signs in Iraq and forcing Americans to sign their paychecks." Americans should also consider the possibility that the Iraqi jobs initiative will be just another welfare program in disguise, Neale said. "When the U.S. government briefly shut down during a Congressional budget dispute in 1995, 98 percent of the employees in some agencies were deemed 'non-essential' and told not to bother coming to work," he noted. "If that percentage holds true in Iraq, 1,960,000 of the 2 million Iraqis will be non-essential government workers. It's hard to think of anything more outrageous than forcing hard-working Americans to pay 1,960,000 Iraqis not to work." If Bush wants to promote stability in Iraq, Libertarians have a better solution, Neale said: Don't destabilize it with a bombing campaign in the first place. <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http://archive.jab.org/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http://archive.jab.org/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
