Candice S. Miller: “our entire Nation honors the brave men and women in our armed services who have sacrificed so greatly in the effort to…”

“our entire Nation honors the brave men and women in our armed services who have sacrificed so greatly in the effort to bring freedom and liberty to the people of Iraq, and we also recognize the sacrifice of the American taxpayers, who have shouldered the financial burden of this effort to protect America. It is now time for Iraq to stand up and shoulder the burden of protecting their own freedoms, and it is long past time for Iraq to start paying its own way. With the cost of oil, and the money that Iraq is making on their oil, they need to be paying, at a minimum, entirely for their own reconstruction. As we continue to transition from American forces to Iraqi security forces, we also need to quickly transition from the American taxpayer footing the entire bill to the now free country of Iraq paying to protect their own freedom and rebuilding their own country. Americans understand that freedom is not free, and the Iraqi people need to understand that securing their own freedom will require their own investment.”