Statement From Mayor Raul Martinez

Posted: Mar 25, 2008

4000 Brave Soldiers Dead and Lincoln Diaz-Balart Still Shows No Leadership

Today we learned that the death toll of brave U.S. soldiers reached 4000. This ill-conceived war and its horrible execution has become an American tragedy.

In 2003, I attended the funeral of Corporal Armando Ariel Gonzalez, a brave US Marine from Hialeah that lost his life fighting in the Iraq war. The discussion of the War ceased being philosophical and became very real. Who will care and provide for their children and their families?

Today my thoughts and prayers go out to the brave soldiers who have made the ultimate sacrifice and to their families who are suffering the tragic loss.

The immense and unnecessary burden the war in Iraq has placed on our soldiers, their families, our country’s fiscal and economic condition and our standing in the world must end if we are to move forward as a nation and a leader in the free world.

Yet, even as the poorly planned and misguided war now enters its sixth year, and the American death toll has reached 4000, Lincoln Diaz-Balart continues to be a reliable rubber stamp for George Bush’s failed stay-the-course approach and consistently blocks a responsible new direction for the war.

The war has already cost the taxpayers of our district $1.1 billion alone, which could be invested in real priorities here at home. Once elected to Congress, I will do what Lincoln refuses to do –support a responsible redeployment our troops, force the Iraqi government to take responsibility for the security of their own country, and rebuild our military.

Background

• So far Congress has appropriated $526 Billion to fund the war in Iraq. [Congressional Research Service; 2/22/08 ]


• The total cost of the war is estimated to top $3 trillion. [Washington Post; 3/9/08]


• According to the National Priorities Project, the war in Iraq has so far cost the taxpayers of Florida’s 21st Congressional district, $1.1 billion, which could otherwise be invested in providing people with affordable health care, building new schools, and investing in renewable electricity [http://www.nationalpriorities.org/tradeoffs].