We just can't afford another conservative

The soon to be enacted economic stimulus bill puts into better perspective the staggering cost of the war in Iraq.

The cost of the approximately $160 million to $204 million in checks that will be issued as part of the package will be less than the cost of the war in Iraq for 2008.

Who would have imagined that when the Bush administration began beating the drums for war with Iraq, that the final cost of the decision will easily top a trillion dollars and may even reach $2 trillion. And don't forget the U.S. troops and Iraqi citizens killed.

A sobering reminder about the economic stimulus package is that the money for the rebate checks will be money borrowed in many cases from foreign countries. When President Bush leaves office, he will have had eight years of budget deficits averaging over $250 billion a year. Which explains, in part, why the national debt is now over $9.1 trillion.

And as a fond farewell to taxpayers, President Bush has submitted his final budget, which includes a deficit of over $400 billion. When the cost of the war is added, the budget deficit for the next fiscal year will be over $500 billion.

The country cannot afford another conservative Republican president.

Victor Darst

West Dundee