These numbers reflect only the Iraq war, not the massive pentagon budget or the war with Afghanistan. They also do not take into account the devastating loss of life to our military personnel or the Iraqi people.
Taxpayers in the United States have paid $522.5 billion for the Iraq War thus far. For the same amount of money, the following could have been provided:
153,995,332 People with Health Care OR
540,922,142 Homes with Renewable Electricity OR
11,285,097 Public Safety Officers OR
8,960,343 Music and Arts Teachers OR
80,782,313 Scholarships for University Students OR
38,313 New Elementary Schools OR
4,064,478 Affordable Housing Units OR
230,292,880 Children with Health Care OR
71,703,033 Head Start Places for Children OR
8,583,162 Elementary School Teachers OR
7,549,214 Port Container Inspectors
Taxpayers in Colorado have paid $8 billion for the Iraq War thus far. For the same amount of money, the following could have been provided:
2,431,472 People with Health Care OR
10,528,681 Homes with Renewable Electricity OR
162,180 Public Safety Officers OR
141,620 Music and Arts Teachers OR
1,415,446 Scholarships for University Students OR
940 New Elementary Schools OR
42,293 Affordable Housing Units OR
3,027,752 Children with Health Care OR
1,160,448 Head Start Places for Children OR
141,871 Elementary School Teachers OR
147,402 Port Container Inspectors
Taxpayers in Colorado Springs, Colorado have paid $640 million for the Iraq War thus far. For the same amount of money, the following could have been provided:
194,837 People with Health Care OR
843,679 Homes with Renewable Electricity OR
12,996 Public Safety Officers OR
11,348 Music and Arts Teachers OR
113,422 Scholarships for University Students OR
75 New Elementary Schools OR
3,389 Affordable Housing Units OR
242,618 Children with Health Care OR
92,988 Head Start Places for Children OR
11,368 Elementary School Teachers OR
11,812 Port Container Inspectors
How is it possible that we are still losing jobs in this country. World War II was the catalyst that brought us out of the Great Depression. There should be a massive upswing in employment created by the demand for wartime goods and services. Where is this money going?
This war is not about protecting America. It is about moving vast amounts of money into corporate hands before the collapse of the American economy.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Iraqi War Cost
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5 comments:
The cost is even higher if you factor in the ongoing cost of treating and caring for all of the wounded and maimed veterans over the next 10, 20, or 30 years. With healthcare costs skyrocketing as they are, the cost of caring for our veterans will keep going up, up, up.
The difference between WWII and today is that during WWII, we pulled together and met the needs of the military within our own borders. Think Rosie the Riveter....
Now, we are probably getting most of the supplies from countries other than ourselves. Why should the way the military acquires things be any different than what we are purchasing at the local grocery store of Wal-Mart?
Amen to what Johnzilla said. The costs of treating those brave folks who carry out this country's ill-considered policies are not factored in... and they should be.
The real difference between the economic impacts of WWII and this war are not only that the supplies are coming from other countries, but so is the financing. In WWII, the war was financed with savings bonds, meaning that the debt and interest was paid to American small and large investors. Mr. Bush decided to finance this war with debt owed primarily to other countries, so the interest costs we'll be paying will wind up in the hands of China and the oil-rich countries of the Middle East.
Great blog entry to bring all this to light... thanks.
"This war is not about protecting America. It is about moving vast amounts of money into corporate hands before the collapse of the American economy."
I disagree. A collapse of the economy benefits no one and will negatively affect the people getting rich off this war.
I definitely believe the war is about Peak Oil: Cheney and Bush invaded Iraq to ensure a supply of oil. They can't say that because invading a country solely for its resources is illegal under UN law.
You conspiracy theorist crack me up! We went to war in Iraq because everyone thought he had WMDs and clearly he was stupid enough to use them. Was everyone wrong? Probably or may the Russians really did remove them before the attack. They delayed in the UN so they could clean out the evidence in Iraq. I expect Obama to directly or indirectly attack Iran for the same reason. Probably indirectly because he really doesn't want to attack. Iran will either attack Israel or attack Iraq and there is the provocation and the excuse.
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