Sixteen billion dollars a month facilitates the two wars that the US is involve in; the Iraq War and the Afghan War. 16 billion dollars a month.
Even though the United States seem to have disposable cash in the form of War Funds they don’t seem too keen on distributing that charity at home.
Thirteen cash strapped STATES have began to scale back and limit efforts that provides life-saving medicines and treatments to patients living with HIV. That is more than 8 300 people who are on some form of waiting list to receive antiretroviral drugs to treat HIV and AIDS and or the side effects that contribute to a plethora of other illness such as mental health conditions and opportunistic infections and complications i.e, pneumonia, herpes, Kaposi’s sarcoma, lymphoma and many others.
AIDS Drug Assistance Programs, or ADAPs pay for HIV medications for low income persons and families ensuring that they receive the treatment necessary for their particular illness. This fund usually covers those patients who are not insured and have limited coverage that fails to include the cost of the drug. About 174 000 people are covered by this program. Since the recession the number of unemployed people and those who have lost their coverage continually rely on such services and add extra strain on those funding. What’s most amazing is that instead of continually facilitating these types of agencies the federal government diverts all its funds to the seemingly more important wars.
What’s more important is that oil companies and the riches companies still get subsidies even though their profits are in the billions. For example General Electric (GE) claimed 14 billiondollars in world wide profits, with a 5 billion profit in the US alone. What did the company pay in Taxes? NOTHING!! Whats more they got 3 billion in tax Benefits.
Many do not realize but the cost of treatment and early care with HIV and AIDS patients with antiretroviral drugs allow them to generally manage their disease; allowing them to continue working and reduce the long term cost and strain on the health care system. With research suggesting that persons undergoing treatment immediately after being diagnosed are less likely to spread the disease, one would think that this would be enough incentive to fund these programs. At the end of the day, any one of us or a member of our families may become infected, what then? Do we become a statistic or do we fight OUR own WAR for adequate and compassionate health care? Which would you rather? Your hard earned taxes contributing to your Health or contributing to, not one, not two, but three Wars.
Seems to me the Third War has begun; and this War is against the Tax payers, with the Government arming itself to defending the richest 1% of business and persons against… wait for it, YOU!
According to the Center for Defense Information, the estimated cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will reach $1.29 trillion by the end of fiscal year 2011.
Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/25/business/economy/25tax.html