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September 4, 2007

Whitehouse, community groups want end to war/ Photo

Journal photo / Bill Murphy
U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (left) joins members of Ocean State Action this morning calling for an immediate end to the war in Iraq at a press conference at the State House.

U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse joined a coalition of community groups this morning calling for an immediate end to the Iraq war and a redistribution of the $10 billion being spent there each month toward domestic programs.

Whitehouse joined members of Ocean State Action on the steps of the State House to announce the release of a report, prepared by the USAction Education Fund, which breaks down the cost of the war to each state.

The reports shows that the war has so far cost $456 billion and that Rhode Island’s share of what Whitehouse called "the Bush administration’s misplaced priorities" amounted to $1.8 billion.

That money, Ocean State Action asserted, could provide healthcare to 799,661 uninsured children -- or 39 times over the number of uninsured children in Rhode Island.

The report, filled with cost comparisons of what the war money could be used for, also says that the cost of restoring Rhode Island federal kindergarten through grade 12 education funding -- about $18.8 million -- equates to about 82 minutes of Iraq war spending.

-- Journal staff writer Tom Mooney

Posted by Jack Perry  at 11:13 AM | Permalink

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