Making War More, Collecting Taxes Less

AS INFORMED AMERICANS KNOW, the big issue in Congress right now is whether to send military assistance to Israel, and if so what and how much. The consensus is to send away, billions of dollars worth. Already American military forces, including air and navel, have repositioned nearer to Israel in a self proclaimed show of support for the theocratic republic. Aguably, Israel needs absolutely no assistance whatsoever "defending itself" against anything the Palestinians or for that matter the Islamic anti-Israeli world can throw at it, and any assistance to Israel, military, financial, or whatever, is intended to achieve the ulterior motive of purchasing Israel's continued alliance with the U.S., and giving the U.S. more involvement in and influence over events in the Middle East, thanks to corporate American interests, particulalry those of big oil. You somehow sense, merely from watching teh nightly news, that Israel could tie both hands behind its back and still bestow a massive defeat and massive, horrible destruction upon not only Hamas, but the Palestinian people in general, both in the Gaza strip, and eerywhere else. You almost get eht impresion that Israel is a nuclear armed super power, in need of no assistance of any sort from the United States, nor anyone else. What is needed is massive humanitarian assistance for the Palestinians, the basics, food, water, fuel, electiriciay, clothing, housing, and land, much more land. What is needed is a two state solution, a national homeland not only for Israel, but for Pelestine as well. This two state solution should have been implemented in 1948, at the same time as the birth of the Isreali theocratic republic, What is needed for peace in the middle east is not more military might for Israel, but rather, more consideration for the needs of Palestine. Much more in need of military and financial assistance is Ukraine. In the U.S. House of Representatives the Republicans are chomping at the bit to send assistance to Israel, but far less enthusiastic about sending more of it to Ukraine, which has already received a great deal of assistance from the U.S. and Europe in its defensive war against Russia. Russia must not be allowed to win this war,regardless of cost. Congressional Republicans also want to cut the Internal Revenue Service by the exact same amount of money which is sent to Israel, presumably to enhance the right wing's belief in its alleged virtue of fiscal responsibility, in the name of balancing the budget. In fact, conservatives have no better sense of financial responsibility than progressives. However, as Mitt Romney points out, decreasing funding for the IRS will not contribute to the financial health of the United States, but wiill instead have the opposite effect. Far right wing extremist Republicans, with whom Congress is overflowing, persist in their antipathy towards their own government, and towards their government's duty to fund the nation and regulate and govern the country. The intelligent, proper course of action is to fully fund the IRS, increase income tax collection from America's wealthy, fund mmilitary assistance to the Ukraine, but not to Israel. There is mot likely not a Republican in America who would agree to this, simply because it makes sense, but does not further the twisted far right wing anti-government pro Russia agenda of the G.O.P. and the Trump movement. The only solution continues to be the destruction of the Republican far right, and especially of the Trump movement,which, with any luck, wlll take place at the ballot box, and will proceed steadily in the near future.