US Institute for Peace

[SirSaxa]

In their zeal to slash and burn govt. spending whenever and wherever, the House Republicans want to eliminate the US Institute for Peace. The Institute was established in 1984 when Ronald Reagan signed a bill to establish it.

Marine 4 Star General Anthony Zinni (ret.), former Head of US Central Command -- the Area that includes Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq -- wrote an OpEd piece in the NY Times (shudder!) today supporting retention of the Institute for the many, concrete steps it has taken to support the efforts of the US Military and State Dept. in Iraq, AFG, and elsewhere.

We all know the US Budget has to be restructured for long term Fiscal stability. The primary steps need to be reforms to entitlements and taxes. But these short-sighted machete tactics of House Republicans is akin to "throwing the baby out with the bathwater".

Peace-Building That Pays Off

Excerpts
In voting last month to eliminate financing for the United States Institute of Peace, members of the House of Representatives did not do their research. You will find the institute’s competent work behind practically every American success in Iraq and Afghanistan...

Congress would be hard-pressed to find an agency that does more with less. The institute’s entire budget would not pay for the Afghan war for three hours, is less than the cost of a fighter plane, and wouldn’t sustain even 40 American troops in Afghanistan for a year. Within the budget, peace-building is financed as part of national security programs, and is recognized as an important adjunct to conventional defense spending and diplomacy....

The idea that eliminating the United States Institute of Peace would benefit taxpayers is extremely shortsighted and ill informed. America deserves better from Congress than eliminating something that saves American lives and taxpayer dollars.

[jerseyhoya34]

Saxa, I think it is clear from the history of this century that we can only find peace through long, bloody war. The USIP money could be better spent on bombs, missiles, and prisons that endear us to the world and make America a shining city on a hill.

Chalk this one up as another Rovian parable in the ongoing efforts to make our federal government limited to the point of failure and to reinvigorate the job antigrowth strategy of the 2007-2008 period.

[rosslynhoya]

That's a good point SirSaxa. However, it's more important to note that neither Hitler nor even Stalin tried to eliminate the U.S. Institute of Peace. The current GOP members of the House of Representatives are obviously worse than both combined.

[jerseyhoya34]

This is a jobs issue more than anything. Why the House Republicans think now is the time for their gimmicky little ideas is beyond me.

[Boz]

Argue for keeping the USIP all you want, but let's not mischaracterize this please.

1. The idea for eliminating this funding was proposed on a bipartisan basis, by Reps. Jason Chaffetz and Anthony Weiner.

Last I checked Weiner was not part of the Tea Party. In addition, 40 House Democrats have called for eliminating the funding. So, it's not just those evil, mean, nasty Rethuglicans.

2. Eliminating public funding for the USIP does not necessarily equal eliminating the USIP. According to Weiner and Chaffetz, the organization does quite well with raising private funds and could very well continue on absent public funds. Maybe in a somewhat diminished capacity? Perhaps.

3. The Senate will likely not go along with this, so there will be probably some compromise where the USIP continues to get funding, but not the nearly DOUBLE amount they have requested from last year's funding.


Or, we could ignore all that and just yell a lot.

[jerseyhoya34]

Weiner is fairly hawkish, though, on matters of foreign policy - issues on which the Tea Party does not generally take a position. So, count me as less than surprised that Weiner would seek to defund USIP. If it is good policy, folks should have the stones to stand behind it rather than hide behind the idea that other folks agree with them.

The excuse given here says a little too much. Virtually everything that is defunded could continue on through some other funding source. The key question is will it happen. In fairness, you seem to hedge considerably on that point. From a business point of view, it would make no sense not to cut jobs at a think tank after significant funding cuts are made.

I think we'd be better served by rolling back tax cuts and giveaways so their beneficiaries can earn their money the hard way.

[hoyainspirit]

Mar 8, 2011 12:33:18 GMT -5 rosslynhoya said:

That's a good point SirSaxa. However, it's more important to note that neither Hitler nor even Stalin tried to eliminate the U.S. Institute of Peace. The current GOP members of the House of Representatives are obviously worse than both combined.

What?

[rosslynhoya]

Mar 8, 2011 13:45:35 GMT -5 hoyainspirit said:

Mar 8, 2011 12:33:18 GMT -5 rosslynhoya said:

That's a good point SirSaxa. However, it's more important to note that neither Hitler nor even Stalin tried to eliminate the U.S. Institute of Peace. The current GOP members of the House of Representatives are obviously worse than both combined.

What?

Engaging people in adult conversations on the web is stupid. There's no reason to discuss issues on their merits at all when you can reduce everything to the prism of partisanship.

My side rules!!! Your side drools!!!

[kchoya]

Mar 8, 2011 13:24:00 GMT -5 @jerseyhoya34 said:

Weiner is fairly hawkish, though, on matters of foreign policy - issues on which the Tea Party does not generally take a position. So, count me as less than surprised that Weiner would seek to defund USIP. If it is good policy, folks should have the stones to stand behind it rather than hide behind the idea that other folks agree with them.

The excuse given here says a little too much. Virtually everything that is defunded could continue on through some other funding source. The key question is will it happen. In fairness, you seem to hedge considerably on that point. From a business point of view, it would make no sense not to cut jobs at a think tank after significant funding cuts are made.

I think we'd be better served by rolling back tax cuts and giveaways so their beneficiaries can earn their money the hard way.

Now I've heard everything. You're trying to justify your original point by claiming Anthony Weiner is not the crazed, lunatic liberal he really is?

[hoyainspirit]

Mar 8, 2011 13:48:53 GMT -5 rosslynhoya said:

Mar 8, 2011 13:45:35 GMT -5 hoyainspirit said:

What?

Engaging people in adult conversations on the web is stupid. There's no reason to discuss issues on their merits at all when you can reduce everything to the prism of partisanship.

My side rules!!! Your side drools!!!

OK. If you say so.

[kchoya]

Mar 8, 2011 14:25:23 GMT -5 hoyainspirit said:

Mar 8, 2011 13:48:53 GMT -5 rosslynhoya said:

Engaging people in adult conversations on the web is stupid. There's no reason to discuss issues on their merits at all when you can reduce everything to the prism of partisanship.

My side rules!!! Your side drools!!!

OK. If you say so.

Clearly not getting it...

[hoyainspirit]

Mar 8, 2011 14:34:06 GMT -5 kchoya said:

Mar 8, 2011 14:25:23 GMT -5 hoyainspirit said:

OK. If you say so.

Clearly not getting it...

I do. The sarcasm just falls flat on me.

[SFHoya99]

I actually don't get it. Is Rosslyn trying to say that unless a topic is of importance of genocidal slaughter, there's not a lot of point in talking about it? Nothing about saxa's post was over the top.

[jerseyhoya34]

Mar 8, 2011 14:22:12 GMT -5 kchoya said:

Mar 8, 2011 13:24:00 GMT -5 @jerseyhoya34 said:

Weiner is fairly hawkish, though, on matters of foreign policy - issues on which the Tea Party does not generally take a position. So, count me as less than surprised that Weiner would seek to defund USIP. If it is good policy, folks should have the stones to stand behind it rather than hide behind the idea that other folks agree with them.

The excuse given here says a little too much. Virtually everything that is defunded could continue on through some other funding source. The key question is will it happen. In fairness, you seem to hedge considerably on that point. From a business point of view, it would make no sense not to cut jobs at a think tank after significant funding cuts are made.

I think we'd be better served by rolling back tax cuts and giveaways so their beneficiaries can earn their money the hard way.

Now I've heard everything. You're trying to justify your original point by claiming Anthony Weiner is not the crazed, lunatic liberal he really is?

On balance, Weiner is liberal, but he is also other things, a hawk being one of those things. So, no, I am not saying Weiner is not a liberal.

[Boz]

I realize that I, like most conservatives, am a dribbling simpleton, but I'm not sure I get what Weiner being a hawk has to do with it at all. (Unless you mean deficit hawk, but Weiner's not really that.)

On the contrary, I think being a hawk would mean one would be more likely to support a think tank like this, to help manage the increased engagement across the globe that hawks generally advocate.

Is it because the word "Peace" is in the name? We all know that hawks hate peace.

Pieces? Yes. Peace? No way.

I am confident that I will get an explanation though. Just be sure to send it tonight, since I'm not allowed to argue tomorrow. ;D


(also, what about the other 40 Democrats who are backing Weiner?)

[jerseyhoya34]

Half of the post seems to be satire. Good stuff. ;D

As to the rest, I don't know about the other Democrats, but recent history has shown that Congressional Democrats rarely vote in a block. It does not make policy any better necessarily, as the Bush years showed. Fortunately, I've never had to vote in an election between a Congressional Blue Dog and a Republican so it is not something I give much attention. Vote for one, namely the Blue Dog, and you get some mealy-mouthed talk of independence, and vote for the other to get fail.

[SSHoya]

As a professional "peacekeeper" I recommend Zinni's article.

saveusip.blogspot.com/2011/03/gen-zinni-in-nyt-usip-behind.html