The Christian Science Monitor May 15, 3:14 AM EDT
Highlight of war spending bill
Highlights of a House bill to pay for military and diplomatic
operations in Iraq and Afghanistan into next spring. The bill
would set aside $183.7 billion and provide an additional $62.9
billion over 10 years to extend unemployment benefits and
bolster the GI Bill. Lawmakers will cast separate votes on
three components: war money, Iraq war policy restrictions and
unrelated domestic add-ons.
The proposed spending would:
-Provide $163 billion for military operations in Iraq and
Afghanistan for the rest of this year and several months into
2009, when there is a new president.
-Extend unemployment benefits for workers whose benefits have
run out. The extension would cover up to 13 weeks nationwide
and an additional 13 weeks in states with unemployment rates
of 6 percent or greater, including Michigan, Alaska and
California. The cost is estimated at $11.1 billion over 10
years.
-Expand education for active-duty members of the armed forces
since Sept. 11, 2001. Under a formula related to years of
service, the measure aims to provide the equivalent of a four-
year education at a state university. The cost is estimated at
$52 billion over the next decade.
-Raise taxes by one-half of a percentage point on adjusted
gross incomes exceeding $500,000 for individuals and $1
million for married couples. This would raise $54 billion over
10 years and would finance the new benefit for veterans.
-Require the Pentagon to start withdrawing troops from Iraq
within 30 days after the bill becomes law, with a goal of
completing withdrawal of combat troops within 18 months.
-Require that U.S. reconstruction aid to Iraq to be matched
dollar-for-dollar by the Iraqi government.
-Require that a soldier spend no more than one year in Iraq
with at least one year at home. Marines could not be deployed
for longer than 210 days, with that same amount of time at
home. The president could waive this requirement.
-Require that the president negotiate an agreement with Iraq
to subsidize fuel costs of U.S. forces operating in Iraq.
-Prohibit permanent bases in Iraq.
-Require intelligence officials adhere to the Army field
manual for interrogations; this requirement essentially would
ban waterboarding. In this technique, a prisoner is strapped
down and his mouth is covered with plastic or cloth. Water
then is poured over his face. The prisoner quickly begins to
inhale water, causing the sensation of drowning.
-Block new Bush administration regulations that would cut
federal spending on Medicaid health care for the poor and
disabled by $13 billion over the next five years.
-Provide $5.8 billion to strengthen New Orleans levees, as
requested by the administration.
-Provide $4.6 billion for military construction projects, $2.2
billion over Bush's request, and include $210 million for
child-care centers and $956 million to build military
hospitals.
-Provide $1.9 billion, $745 million more than requested by
Bush, for international food aid, development assistance and
disaster relief.
http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/IRAQ_FUNDING_GLANCE
?SITE=MABOC&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-05-15-03-
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A government, of, by, and, for: Rich, Elite, Freemasons.
But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the
light:
for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
The light ****neth in darkness;
and the darkness comprehended it not.
The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be
single,
thy whole body shall be full of light.
But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of
darkness.
If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great
is that darkness!
Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead,
and Christ shall give thee light.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
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