21,000 New Troops in Afghanistan....This is an OUTRAGE!!

I voted for Obama yet I am appalled at how few people who voted for him know about his latest military efforts in Afghanistan.  His latest move to send 4,000 new troops after already having sent 17,000 combat troops last month is an outrage and a slap on the face to all who voted for him because they wanted the US out of the Middle East.  I have looked everywhere online and not one place I am able to read SPECIFICS about why the heck we are there!  What ARE we doing there? 

One fact I did read on DemocracyNow.org was that on Thursday, "National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair estimated some two-thirds of pro-Taliban groups are motivated by basic concerns such as inadequate water supplies or access to education." Can someone tell me what 17,000 COMBAT soldiers will do there to alleviate this situation?   

In the NY Times I read they are being sent to help focus "the overall American mission more explicitly around efforts to root out Al Qaeda." and Defense Secretary, Robert Gates states how he thinks that, "Our long-term objective still would be to see a flourishing democracy in Afghanistan.” 

I'm FOR democracy just as any other American...but our country is in crisis....and we do not need to spend our money on external priorities.  And "According to the Center for Defense Information, the estimated cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will reach $864 BILLION by the end of fiscal year 2009".  This year (2009) we will spend about $33 billion more than last year's $140 billion. Do you have any idea how helpful this money could do in our country?

A site I like to visit often is called http://www.nationalpriorities.org/costofwar_home

It takes the cost of our war in Iraq and gives you what the tradeoffs would be in your community. Try it...it's fun AND VERY SCARY.   I did and here is what I found out this dizzying info: "Taxpayers in New York will pay $58.9 billion for total Iraq war spending approved to date. For the same amount of money, the following could have been provided: 10,854,125 People with Health Care for One Year" When I read this I see how all our country's problems could easily be solved if our politician really wanted to fix them......

I voted for Obama for change, not status quo......I am an American Citizen who is struggling with health care for my own family and I feel it's not right to prioritize in democratizing a country over the welfare of our own citizens. 

I will e-mail President Obama tonight about this.....you too can at his online e-mail contact at www.whitehouse.gov.