Whether you support or oppose the war in Iraq, a group of Helenans that I belong to believes it's time for individual communities to actively debate the matter. After all, the war touches each and every one of us, spiritually, emotionally and otherwise. And all American taxpayers (both present and future) are paying for it economically.

Nationally, we are close to having spent an estimated one trillion dollars in direct war expenditures. The $315.8 billion that Congress has appropriated for the occupation alone represents a cost to Montana taxpayers of over $495 million - nearly $15 million just from Helenans. But is this spending going to produce a peaceful Iraq, with a unified government?

The Government Accountability Office estimates that Iraq will need $56 billion more for reconstruction work through 2007. Iraq's oil industry still is not producing enough merely to keep the government solvent. Almost 80 percent of an $18.4 billion U.S. rebuilding package has been spent or targeted for projects; the remainder is expected to run out by the end of this year.

How long should we stay in Iraq? How do we want our tax dollars spent? How can we ensure that the spending is effective, with full and accurate accountability? How can we best support our troops and their families?

These questions should be important to all Helena citizens, apart from the many moral questions surrounding the wisdom of having entered into this war. Because all of us are helping to pay for this, we owe it to ourselves to discuss and debate these questions. And we owe it to our children, too, because the way things are going they are likely to help pay for it as well.

Those of us who are initiating this discussion, members of a group called "Helenans Support the Troops and Military Withdrawal," are asking the city council to adopt a resolution supporting our position on these issues. But we are equally if not more determined that our proposal should foster an honest and respectful discussion of these issues, one that invites all opinions and that honors the values of civil discourse and citizenship.

The question is not to argue the merits of having invaded Iraq, but rather the justification for staying there at enormous expense that forecloses other choices for America. Can American ground forces stop the sectarian violence in Iraq? Can the U.S. military change the dynamic in Iraq? Can we trust the same leaders who decided to invade, and who have been making all the strategic decisions so far, to improve their decision-making and management?

According to leading legislators on both sides of the political spectrum, as well as top generals, the lack of economic and political development in Iraq could hurt our military effort. General Abizaid recently wrote to Sen. John Warner's, R-Va., committee: "We needed significant more non-military personnel … with expertise in economic development, civil affairs, agriculture and law." Warner and other colleagues have expressed concern that without greater economic and political progress in Iraq the military campaign will fail. Is it time to remove U.S. forces and enlist the help of other nations to prevent further violence?

We can take steps to normalize American and world relations. Bridges need to be built between the United States and the international community. Citizen voices in every community and at every level are important as cities across the nation have demonstrated in asking their city councils to call for an end to the war. Political debate does not end in Washington. A public forum to discuss a City Resolution to Support U.S. Troops and Withdrawal from Iraq will be held at 7 p.m. on April 25 in the Carroll College Student Center. I hope people will attend and share their feelings about the war and our proposal to support the troops and end the occupation.

Diane Carlson Evans served as a captain in the Army Nurse Corps for six years, including one year in Vietnam, 1968-69.