Cost of the Iraq War

P1234567890 · Posted: Sat Mar 15, 2008 9:24 pm Post subject: Cost of the Iraq War

The Economist (not a left-wing Communist publication by any stretch of the imagination) has done an analysis on the real cost of the Iraq war. They say that it will cost every American household $25,000 when all is said and done.

Wow.

http://www.economist.com/books/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10843030

45degreeN · Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 5:41 am Post subject:

In my case though I have managed to avoid any federal taxes over the last five years, does that mean I dont pay anything toward the war?

theseldomscene · Banned Joined: 17 Mar 2005 Posts: 7817

congrats on the tax avoidance...i hope... Smile

FFT · Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 9:26 am Post subject:

45degreeN · Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 10:27 am Post subject:

Truth be told I get extra money at tax time due to earned income credits far beyond the fact that I don't owe any taxes. This last February I got nearly $2500 with zero tax liability (not even withholding.)

My reportable income was far below the poverty line unlike many of the rest of the people here. My wife is on disability and I'm hardly making more than that.

I am a prime example of redistributed income. Just what those conservatives hate so much.

So I guess I didn't pay anything towards this war, does that mean I am not allowed to say anything about it?

P1234567890 · Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 10:57 am Post subject:

Pondering · Lion King Joined: 15 Sep 2005 Posts: 1283

Pondering · Lion King Joined: 15 Sep 2005 Posts: 1283

In ref to the OP, I wonder how they did their computation...for example, the Government pays for personnel (pay and entitlements), equipment and training whether we're at "war" or not....so how does the "cost for Iraq" compare to "cost if we weren't in Iraq"....

nearly 50% of federal expenidtures goes towards Social Security, medicare/medicaid, welfare (food stamps, Section 8 housing, housing, and unemployment compensation)...I think somewhere between 12-20% goes towards "defense".....

when Congress stops appropriating millions of dollars to go towards Woodstock memorials, then I'll think we're in a cash crunch and need to defund the war....gimme a break.

45degreeN · Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 5:17 pm Post subject:

The things I wonder about are indirect costs of the war such as the cost of fire fighters to replace the guard who normally work those fires. The employers doing without certain workers who are guard members and must be gone for long periods of time.

Everyone here knows that the Fed spends more on 'defense' than the rest of the world spends on defense combined. That makes no sense at all to me, there's got to be some things there we don't need. Unless it is truly a welfare plan for the middle class and the military needs are irrelevant. That old bugaboo called the military industrial complex that Eisenhower told us about in 1960

Pondering · Lion King Joined: 15 Sep 2005 Posts: 1283

P1234567890 · Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 4:59 am Post subject:

P1234567890 · Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 5:03 am Post subject:

45degreeN · Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 6:15 am Post subject:

The official budget can be downloaded at the following url
www.gpoaccess.gov/usbudget/fy09/browse.html it is a huge document of course and not written to be read straight through. Frankly it is written in a way that someone who is naive would accept things that are not true simply because it is not meant as a clear and concise thing but a political document, full of obfuscations and hidden agendas. (no I have not in fact read it clear through myself)

The problem is that based upon preconceived notions one can choose to interpret it many ways. Some people report that the defense department spends only about 25% of the budget, and their hidden agenda is that it is not enough, others report that the total outlays for all military spending is bout 60%. So much depends upon the definitions of terms used which of course are not included in those reports (otherwise their agendas would not be hidden very well).

Other items such as our nuclear spending (nuclear missiles and such) is within the department of energy not defense. The money we spend on the war itself is not within the budget at all and hence not reported there. Other items for example the state department gives away many military items to other countries and they are within the Sate department budget not defense.

According to www.globalissues.org the
US spends 48% of all world wide defense spending $711B
China is #2 at $121.9 B
Russia is #3 at $70B
out of a total of 1.4727 Trillion each year.

Clearly as long as we insist upon being the world's policeman we can expect to spend far more than other countries. It is a political decision that can be changed though.

lone-traveler · Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 6:23 am Post subject:

spending on defense..
I just thought this was funny. My daughter and I was talking the other day..and the government is handing out rebates to "defend" the economy against defeat.
She told me she heard on the news that it cost the government 46 million dollars to print the notifications of the coming refund..

spent 46 million dollars just to say..spend it..LOL..

sorry didn't mean to de-rail..just wanted to share.. Wink

hugs
lone

P1234567890 · Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 6:31 am Post subject: