In the dysfunctional world of politics, games are played that no normal person would think makes sense. Right now, one of those games is being played out in astonishing fashion: Congress is being told that if it wants money for teachers, Haiti reconstruction and other good social needs, it has to vote for billions of dollars more to kill people in Afghanistan. Obscene does not begin to describe this game.

With a h/p to Howie Klein:

The president who vowed he would never use the disastrous Bush Regime budget tricks that went into funding wars with unaccountable, borrowing-against-future generations "supplementals," is offering reluctant Democrats a deal: give me the endless billions the Pentagon wants for more pointless war and you can tack on money to bolster local governments so they can prevent teachers, policemen and firemen from being laid off.

The sickness–no, the insanity–of this kind of game is almost hard to fathom but it is a perfect window into the perverted set of priorities that have been the basis for government policy.

We wasted $2-$3 trillion on an immoral war in Iraq (I’m putting aside, for a moment, the tragic loss of human life) and have shoveled hundreds of billions more into repeating a similar tragedy in Afghanistan–all of which has created a huge hole in our budget (I am putting aside the false cries about threats of "the deficit" for the moment).

In the accounting world of the bean counters in Washington, led by deficit hawks of both parties, we, then, say, "oh, no, no money left for teachers, health care" and more…and throw the burden on to the states which are being crushed by an economic crisis created…by some of the very elite thinkers who looted the economy.

But, never fear–you want your teachers? Your aid to states? Your aid to the people of Haiti? Fine, you can have that–if you vote for tens of billions of dollars more for continuing an immoral war.

I am sorry. This is the definition of insanity. It is the definition of cynical political games that are bankrupting our country.

We should not stand for this.

Let’s have an honest debate. Two bills. One that allows people to vote NO on more war (a vote that I would proudly take and lead the fight on). And another vote that allows legislators to say YES to the things that build communities and, in the case of Haiti, show what our country can do right in the world.