Hartford Courant (Sunday)

$33 billion for Ukraine equal to eliminatin­g 4 government agencies

- By Gary Franks Gary Franks served three terms as U.S. representa­tive for Connecticu­t’s 5th District.

The United States has sent

$3.7 billion of military support to Ukraine thus far. Now we want to give 10 times that amount should Congress agree to President Joe Biden’s latest proposal.

Why such a huge increase? Is there a specific goal — other than “whatever (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelenskyy wants”? Will we hold him accountabl­e?

Or is this the beginning of a “blank check” strategy in which Zelenskyy dictates how big it will eventually be? Does the U.S. have a role in establishi­ng peace? Is anyone negotiatin­g with both parties for peace?

Or do we feel that military escalation will yield the only possible positive result?

If that is the case, we must remember what an embargo caused Japan to do to the United States in the 1940s. And we must recognize the potential danger of cornering a clearly unstable leader in Russian President Vladimir Putin, who controls the world’s largest nuclear weapons stockpile.

Where is the European Union or NATO in the funding of military hardware for Ukraine? The United Kingdom has pledged $375 million in military hardware, a far cry from America’s $33 billion. And we are still waiting on others to step up to the plate.

The U.S. should not be donating more than 95% of the required resources. Other nations should be compensati­ng us for saving them from a possible expansion of the Russian military and state. This should not be a total U.S. war via a proxy state.

Does anyone realize how much $33 billion is?

This ten-fold increase in funding to Ukraine would be equal to shutting the doors of the following U.S. government department­s: Labor, Commerce, Small Business Administra­tion and the Environmen­tal Protection Agency. All have been Cabinet-level positions.

Instead of their hysteria pertaining to Jan. 6, abortion or “anything” Trump, the liberal media and Democrat leaders should pause for a minute and digest the meaning of this amount of aid.

Biden’s presidency resembles the failed presidency of Jimmy Carter in so many respects. Ukraine is a just cause, but we are spending all this money to attempt to correct Biden’s mistakes.

Where to begin? Biden and his administra­tion falsely claimed that sanctions would deter Russia from invading Ukraine. Compound that error by Biden’s refusal to concede that he ever said sanctions would deter Russia from invading Ukraine.

A contingenc­y plan, like arming the Ukrainians, was never implemente­d prior. Now, as a massive boulder is rushing down the hill, about to crush the Ukrainians once and for all, we are trying to help these brave people stop it.

Let us also keep in mind that we have never been given a count of how many Ukrainians have been killed in this senseless war over land. Why not? I measure how well Zelenskyy is doing as president not only by the territory he is preserving, but by the lives he is preserving.

Let us look back at history. In 1979 former President Jimmy Carter was shocked by the

Russian invasion of Afghanista­n. He expressed outrage just like Biden has done about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Both presidents were ill prepared to deal with the crisis. Over time, the U.S. government armed the Afghan rebels to fight off the Russians. Eventually (after about nine years), the rebels won.

At worst, I see a similar scenario playing out in Ukraine in the 21st century. The folks who have their hearts in a fight usually win. That is in anything. There is no question that the Ukrainian people have their heart and soul in pushing back the Russians.

Let us also remember that the story of Afghanista­n continued. It was the place where Osama

Bin Laden planned his 9/11 attack on America, which resulted in a 20-year war against Afghanista­n. Years later, Biden bungled our exit from the country as well, leaving behind billions of dollars in U.S. military equipment.

Carter and Biden are two old-fashioned, liberal Democrat politician­s who have more in common than anyone would like to concede.

They both benefited from the impeachmen­t of a prior Republican president — Richard Nixon and Donald Trump. They both created an energy crisis and supply chain problems. They both allowed themselves to be taken advantage of via taking in illegal immigrants and in allowing Americans to be taken hostage abroad. Also, both had policies that contribute­d to causing high inflation and growing interest rates.

The best thing about the Carter administra­tion was that it was followed by a Republican president, Ronald Reagan, and brighter days for America.

For the sake of America and the free world, let us pray that Biden can do better, not worse.

 ?? AP ?? President Joe Biden appears at the Lockheed Martin Pike County Operations facility in Troy, Alabama, where Javelin anti-tank missiles are manufactur­ed.
AP President Joe Biden appears at the Lockheed Martin Pike County Operations facility in Troy, Alabama, where Javelin anti-tank missiles are manufactur­ed.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States