The flow of blood may be ebbing, but the flood of money into the Iraq war is steadily rising, new analyses show. In 2008, its sixth year, the war will cost approximately $12 billion a month, triple the "burn" rate of its earliest years, Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph E. Stiglitz and co-author Linda J. Bilmes report in a new book.
Beyond 2008, working with "best-case" and "realistic-moderate" scenarios, they project the Iraq and Afghan wars, including long-term U.S. military occupations of those countries, will cost the U.S. budget between $1.7 trillion and $2.7 trillion — or more — by 2017.
Interest on money borrowed to pay those costs could alone add $816 billion to that bottom line, they say.
When the numbers get this big I always feel a little light headed. Just think of all the good that could be done with this money. And what are we getting back from our investment?
Better relations with the Middle East? NO!
Better national security? NO!
More affordable oil? HELL NO!
I think that even if the Democrats use this argument alone to try and bring and end to the war that it will be enough. Whether you are for, or against the war, you must now see that we simply cannot afford it anymore.
I just don't see how John McCain and the Republicans can fight the numbers.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Don't feed the trolls!
It just goes directly to their thighs.