Editor,

I was watching the news last night and heard the president promise to send Afghanistan ten billion dollars in aid. Now this is above everything else they're already receiving from us. Ten billion dollars would go a long way in helping the American taxpayers here at home with rising fuel costs, medical care, and other problems we have to cope with. I just don't understand where the money is coming from. We already have a huge deficit to contend with.

I think other countries should bear some of the burden for foreign aid. Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, and a few more of the "neutral" countries who boast about how little they spend on military expenditures should spend some of that pacifist money helping other countries, instead of the U.S. always trying to feed the world. What about Saudi Arabia and some of those wealthy oil producing countries. Why don't they start forking over some of that money? I guess it makes the Communist Chinese happy, they can loan us more money.

I've been reading various articles on the cost of the Iraq War from the beginning to now and the figure that comes up more often than others is over five hundred billion dollars. Here in Triadelphia District, we've been trying to get a road built from Man to Logan. It hasn't been easy. It seems like we have to plead for every dollar to advance the construction. There are also bridges in the Town of Man that need replaced and a badly needed hospital that sits idle. My point: Just in our little part of the county there are many things that need attention instead of sending money overseas. I'm sure it's the same all over this country.

It amazes me how the president of this country could take a budget surplus and create such a deficit, making our country financially weak and depending on Communist China to carry the interest on our debt.

I try to think of all the positive things five hundred billion dollars could have done for the U.S. From research and development on alternative fuels to medical research, health care, improvements to bridges, roads, schools, water and sewer lines, education, retraining laid off workers, veterans retraining, wind and solar power research and development, building new less- polluting power plants, new tires for my jeep, and rebuilding our military that money could have gone a long way for our country instead of fattening the wallets of companies like "No Bid Halliburton".

I've been hearing John McCain talk about "pork barrel spending", but how in the world can even one "pork barrel project" (benefiting Americans) compare with five hundred billion dollars, most of which is benefiting people in other countries? I was in Vietnam and saw first-hand how a lot of our aid money ended up in the hands of the Viet Cong. I wouldn't be at all surprised if a lot of the money going to Iraq ended up in the hands of the wrong people over there too.

I heard this morning on NBC News that North Korea has blown up one of its cooling towers associated with producing nuclear weapons. Well, it worked because our fearless leaders in Washington are sending them millions of dollars and millions of tons of wheat and grain. (That's probably why your Rice Krispies are costing more). I'll bet Kim Jung II, that funny looking little dictator of North Korea with the funny looking jump suit and weird hairdo is laughing his rear end off at us. Every time he needs money or food he acts like he's stopping his nuclear weapons program ... and we fall for it!! I wish he'd cut out the middle-man and go straight to China and get his money that's where we're getting it! I know they want to believe he's telling the truth and doesn't want nuclear weapons - hello - He's a Communist dictator!

Now, the president has signed legislation funding the wars into next year at one hundred, sixty-two billion dollars. More loans from China to pay for it. Do you remember that old Tennessee Ernie Ford song, Sixteen Tons? Part of that song goes ... "I owe my soul to the company store" In our case ... China better learn to speak Chinese Ding Hao! (Haven't got a clue what it means)

Thank you,

Mike Robinson

Accoville