According to the front page article in today's NY Times, "Spending on Balkans Opens Door to Other Tests of Budget's Limits" (Stevenson, 4/24), we learn that "both parties in Congress have quickly agreed that the costs of the Balkans conflict should be an exception (to pledges not to dip into the Federal budget surplus."
Given that the "door (has been opened) to spending some of this year's anticipated surplus of $111 BN to pay for air strikes and relief aid", and, "all of the current fiscal year's surplus comes from excess Social Security revenues, money that both parties have argued should be preserved at all costs to help deal with the retirement system's long-term financial problems", what values can we press upon our elected officials in their decision process?
Do we value spending millions of dollars to kill innocents at the expense of our futures? What values should we convey to Congress about this use of Social Security funds?
How do we feel about our surplus being quickly eroded to kill people?
