The cost of the Iraw and Afghan Wars may be $2.4 TRILLION.

Parent Cafe
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<p>I really don’t want to read how we can’t help kids, fund social security and have universal health care because obviously we can.</p>

<p>We would rather p*** away money on wars, and the military establishment which includes many private companies feeding at the public trough.</p>

<p><a href=“http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071024/pl_nm/iraq_usa_funding_dc[/url]”>http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071024/pl_nm/iraq_usa_funding_dc&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>By the way, was $2.4 Trillion the price we were quoted before we started?</p>

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<p>Which is one reason I favor a law (or constitutional amendment) that all wars should be funded in full by a special war tax that kicks in upon commencement of hostilities and is continues until the money is paid for. </p>

<p>I figure if the country truly needs to fight a war, the people will be happy to pay the money. On the other hand a war tax would strongly discourage military misadventures.</p>

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<p>and how much where we told it would be…and how would it be paid…</p>

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<p>Gosh…we could have paid for an end to global warming, or air conditioners for everyone, and had some left over for condoms for 11-year-olds. :)</p>

<p>War is good for industry, and good for the dead. ;)</p>

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<p>Well, from 2003:</p>

<p>Q: Mr. Secretary, on Iraq, how much money do you think the Department of Defense would need to pay for a war with Iraq?</p>

<p>Rumsfeld: Well, the Office of Management and Budget, has come up come up with a number that’s something under $50 billion for the cost. How much of that would be the U.S. burden, and how much would be other countries, is an open question.</p>

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<p>There are other quotes from the administration saying effectively that the entire cost could come from Iraq’s oil revenue.</p>

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<p>“Rumsfeld: Well, the Office of Management and Budget, has come up come up with a number that’s something under $50 billion for the cost. How much of that would be the U.S. burden, and how much would be other countries, is an open question.”</p>

<p>One of the largest rounding errors of all time.</p>

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<p>“How much of that would be the U.S. burden, and how much would be other countries, is an open question.”</p>

<p>Hey you guys, don’t you remember the “Coalition of the Willing”? Don’t worry: Tonga will bail us out.</p>

<p>On May 10, 2007, 144 Iraqi Parliamentary lawmakers signed onto a legislative petition calling on the United States to set a timetable for withdrawal. On June 3, 2007, the Iraqi Parliament voted 85 to 59 to require the Iraqi government to consult with Parliament before requesting additional extensions of the UN Security Council Mandate for Coalition operations in Iraq. The current UN mandate expires in December 2007.</p>

<p>To date, the United States has not requested an extension of the UN mandate.</p>

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<p>I wonder how many of the other costs are being figured into that 2.4 trillion number. I remember doing a bit of research into this about 2 years ago, and started figuring in the long term health-care costs for wounded veterans, treatment for PTSD, impact over time on oil prices and the stability of oil prices, depreciation of military hardware, and the number I eventually came up with came out even a few trillion more.</p>

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<p>We are still paying a lot of $$$$$ for Vietnam.</p>

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<p>Bush’s strategy to “win” the war on terror is to bankrupt this country so it won’t be WORTH terrorizing. </p>

<p>Sadly, this strategy may even work.</p>

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<p>The mistakes made in the housing lending market probably have had more direct impact on the economy than the war. As Mini alluded to, war is good for some industries and this one will create many jobs at home as we care for the injured and rebuild the military supplies and weapons.</p>

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<p>Well, there’s a concept.</p>

<p>Start a war and occupation, so that you can create jobs caring for all the injured. </p>

<p>That is just the sickest logic.</p>

<p>Of course, I think it is sick that we as taxpayers are funding Blackwater contractors making $33K a week. Our “all volunteer military” is enhanced (I use that term loosely) by a private military that costs us about $1222 a day PER contractor. And there are at least 30,000 of them in Iraq.</p>

<p>What a sorry mess.</p>

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<p>"Well, there’s a concept.</p>

<p>Start a war and occupation, so that you can create jobs caring for all the injured. </p>

<p>That is just the sickest logic."
Totally agree! barrons- do you have any concept of what you just said?? My God. What warped thinking!</p>

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<p>barrons,
point taken. But housing lending market notwithstanding, the administration’s blowing through the federal surplus/spending a trillion dollars on a war with no end in sight/giving tax cuts to the wealthiest hasn’t exactly helpled our economy. I’d say it’s had at least a wee bit of an effect.</p>

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<p>It was not my idea and I never said it was a good way to go. This is just the way it shook out. Facts are facts.
The wealthy tent to get tax cuts because they pay in the most by far. I’d favor a small increase on incomes over $500K or so to help pay down the debt. But our economy is still pretty solid. Our area is booming.</p>

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<p>Economy isn’t doing so well, I was reading about SIV (Standard Investment Vehicles?) in BusinessWeek and how they’re on shaky ground due to subprime meltdown. </p>

<p>subprime: tens of billions in writedowns
SIV: worth an estimated 345 billion</p>

<p>If things mess up even further, our economies doomed =P</p>

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<p>“what price is freedom”, “freedom isn’t free”, “patroit’s sacrifice”, “comfort to the enemy”, “either yur with us, or agin us”, </p>

<p>BANG, draw mister.</p>

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<p>I wish to apologize for the above post that stopped this thread.</p>

<p>I want to emphasize that until we confront the realities of differences, we may well end up like Anthen/Sparta, Rome, England, Ancient China, and Spain.</p>

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<p>A few billion here, a few billion there…pretty soon you’re talking real money…:(</p>