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The cost of war in plain English
JC Garrett
Online
Journal
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
The war in Iraq has now cost Americans countless dollars and
over 4,000 American lives. I say over 4,000 because the death
toll put out by the Bush administration does not include all the
American contractors that have died in the war.
There are studies that estimate the long-term costs as being
anywhere from one to six trillion dollars, and the general consensus
now -- even among the most optimistic Bush Believers -- is that
the least we will end up spending in Iraq will be more than one
trillion dollars. That's if we start pulling troops out tomorrow.
Already, not counting such expenses as continued health care for
wounded veterans, replacing worn-out equipment, or the increase
in oil prices from $30 per barrel in 2003 to $111 per barrel in
2008, the actual appropriations for the Iraq war are currently
more than $513 billion.
Leaving all future costs aside, and not counting those that have
already accrued but have been hidden away in secret intelligence
budgets and executive side-deals, let's talk about the $500 billion
that is on the books, the undeniable dollars that can't be covered
up or disputed by even the most thirsty of Bushie Kool-Aid drinkers.
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Most normal folks like you and me really don't comprehend just
how much money $500 billion is. When we hear experts tell us that
the money we have spent in Iraq would be enough to ensure healthcare
for millions of Americans, we get mad and shake our heads at the
stupidity of preemptive war with a country that never posed a
serious, credible threat to America. But we still don't fully
understand the massiveness of such a huge amount of cash. I will
attempt to put it in terms that don't require an advanced degree
in economics to get a clear grasp on just how much dough we have
wasted on this ill-advised foray into nation-building by force
of arms.
Iraq has a population of about 27 million people. If all 27 million
Iraqis were to each rob an American bank of $19,000-- that would
add up to $513 billion.
Of course, most Iraqis have no desire to rob any bank -- especially
one that they would have to cross an ocean to hold up. What Mr.
Bush has told us to fear is "al-Qaeda in Iraq," a dubious
term in that there was no al-Qaeda in Iraq until we invaded, and
the group is actually a home-grown club of extremists who just
decided to call themselves "al-Qaeda in Iraq". It was
the biggest gift they could have given to the Bush Administration.
Nevertheless, when cornered, administration officials and military
officers have reluctantly admitted that the number of terrorists
belonging to "al-Qaeda in Iraq" or any of its affiliate
groups has never been more than five or six thousand people. The
rest of the people killing each other are simply Iraqis of different
religious persuasions waging jihad amongst themselves in a bloody
civil war over long-held prejudices. And then there are those
Iraqis who have decided to kill Americans for the very compelling
reason that one or more of their family members were killed by
Americans. Most in this category simply want the American occupiers
to leave their country, and have no intention of "following
us home."
So just to make it fair, we will pretend that there are 10,000
"al-Qaeda" terrorists in Iraq, an exaggeration by any
estimate. All 10,000 terrorists could have each robbed an American
bank of $28,100 -- every single day of all five years of the war--
and that would add up to $513 billion. That's 1,825 consecutive
days with 10,000 terrorists stealing a combined total of $281
million every single day.
And that's just what they would have had to steal to match our
spending if not one more dollar was spent on this crazy war.
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INFOWARS:
BECAUSE THERE'S A WAR ON FOR YOUR MIND
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