I'll let you answer that question, but ask yourself where and what is that $162 billon dollars going to be spent on in this continuation of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan over the next year? Ask how many lives will this money save, and how many will it destroy, maim or cause to be killed in the course of this gross allotted figure? Ask yourself who's going to benefit from the spending of this amount of money, then ask this government to break down the figures of what this amount of money is going for. Asking will help make your government accountable.

Let's not be unfair, also ask how this $48 billion dollars of anti-AIDS funding is going to be spent, too. Afterwards, compare dollar fo rdollar how many this will possibly educate, thus saving lives dollar for dollar compared to those who will not be saved in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now ask how much money has this country spent on the Iraq war and Afghanistan over the last five years compared to anti-AIDS funding forthe same amount of time.One report says that $800 billion dollars has been spent over the last five years for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN2648734820080627 Another report says that the Iraq war will cost us $3 trillion dollars. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/07/AR2008030702846_pf.htmlNow when it comes to lives that have been lost this is just one website of figures:3,990: American troops who have died in Iraq since the start of the war. [icasualties.org, 3/17/08]29,395: Number of U.S. service members that have been wounded in hostile actionsince the start of U.S. military operations in Iraq. [AP, 3/11/08]8,000: Number of Iraqi military and police killed since June 2003. [Brookings Institute, Iraq Index, March 13, 2008]82,000-89,000: Estimate of Iraqi civilians casualties from violence since the beginning of the Iraq War. [Iraq Body Count]http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/19/iraq-casualties-iraq-cos_n_92303.htmlThese figures are truly appalling and devastating to say the least.Now let's see how many people have died over the past five years as a result of the AIDS virus. If you look at one website, http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/library/PRBpubs/prb0208-e.htmt that alone tells of an estimated 2.9 million people who died in 2006 from AIDS or complications of the HIV virus.How many billions have the United States spent over the last five years to fight AIDS? http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/health/jan-june03/combating_2-10.htmlWell, try $15 billion which was the proposal in 2003.Now look at the figures andthink about human lives without looking at race or gender, then ask yourselfabout the term humanitarian. One more question, this one being if you calculate the lives lost or stolen by the number of deaths from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and then do the same for the Anti-AIDS funding worldwide, and after that ask yourself if this great country fits in when talking about humanitarianism?Lastly ask yourself who youare going to vote for this November? Will it be those of the same mind as the present administration or will you vote to save the lives of the Americanpeople and people worldwide?I am very much interested in writing; one might say that it is my fondest passion, as I have written a non-fiction book that I am in the process of getting published.

I have lived and worked in New York City for just about 36 years. I write because it can be a very powerful way of spreading ideas, news and touching the human spirit. It can make one laugh, cry, smile or it can enrage others when it presents truths thus enlightening people. Writing is like a photograph from the author's mind put into words.