Hundreds of billions available for war, but not for us

Yesterday, the Senate voted 93-7 to approve a $636 billion budget for the Pentagon, including funds to continue President Obama's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Making war is a bipartisan affair, especially in the Senate (it's one of the few things that is).

To put the number in perspective, this amount would pay for all currently outstanding Federal student loans (roughly $416 billion) with plenty left over. Such debt relief would be a massive boost to the economy, by not only encouraging consumer spending, but also by helping to stem the current wave of bankruptcies and foreclosures.

But of course, one couldn't find five votes for that in the Senate, let alone 60 (or 93, for that matter). Blowing up people and things, nomatter the cost, is of paramount importance to the White House and Congress. Average Americans drowning in debt simply isn't.

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One thing you can do is tell your Senators to vote for the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, which would actually inch the country's education priorities in the right direction.