Cost of Iraq war could surpass $1 trillion

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11880954/

One thing is certain about the Iraq war: It has cost a lot more than advertised. In fact, the tab grows by at least $200 million each and every day.

In the months leading up to the launch of the war three years ago, few Bush administration officials were willing to comment publicly on the potential costs to the United States. After all, no cost would have been too high if the United States faced an imminent threat from an Iraq armed with weapons of mass destruction, the war's stated justification.

In fact, the economic ramifications are rarely included in the debate over whether to go to war, although some economists argue it is quite possible and useful to assess potential costs and benefits.

<snip>

Scott Wallsten, a resident scholar at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, put the direct cost to the United States at $212 billion as of last September and estimates a "global cost" of $500 billion to date with another $500 billion possible, with most of the total borne by the United States.

White House economic adviser Lawrence Lindsey was the exception to the rule, offering an "upper bound" estimate of $100 billion to $200 billion in a September 2002 interview with The Wall Street Journal. That figure raised eyebrows at the time, although Lindsey argued the cost was small, adding, "The successful prosecution of the war would be good for the economy.”


Back in 2002, the White House was quick to distance itself from Lindsey's view. Mitch Daniels, director of the White House budget office, quickly called the estimate "very, very high." Lindsey himself was dismissed in a shake-up of the White House economic team later that year, and in January 2003, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said the budget office had come up with "a number that's something under $50 billion." He and other officials expressed optimism that Iraq itself would help shoulder the cost once the world market was reopened to its rich supply of oil.

FROM THE ARTICLE

A trillion here, a trillion there, pretty soon you're talking about real money!

Just think what that money could do for the American People. Probably fund free health care for decades.

I'm about ready to get out of this insane fucking country. I don't want to be part of the New Roman Empire.

The war criminals were less obvious then

and the sheep were smarter

Every time they pass an Iraq/Afghanistan funding mechanism, you've just pissed health care for everyone down the drain. With enough left over to fund alt. energy to the tune of 15-20 billion.


:crazy:

I remember Paul Wolfowitz - plain as day - assuring us that this war would 'pay for itself'.

He wouldn't lie, would he?

(Well, if he DID lie, someone must have poisoned that comb he sucks on.)

.....they gave him a job at the World Bank. :sarcasm:

One trillion dollars would go a long way towards better prescription drug benefits for our seniors.

My daughter's community college, at 12 units, is approx. $1000 per semester ....

$1,000,000,000,000.00 / $1,000.00 = 1,000,000,000 Student-Semesters

1,000,000,000 Student-Semesters / 4 Semesters per Two Year Degree = 250,000,000 Associate's Degrees

250,000,000 / 2 = 125,000,000 Baccalaurate Degrees (Math Approximate; point made ..)


This is the purest definition of obscenity ....

Shameful ......

our tax $ are denied our own infrastructure and our own needy. Our standard of living decreases as global corporatist roll in wealth. That's what corporate globalists wanted from W and that's what they got.

W made a compact with the rabid right wingers and corporate globalists and he's compensated them fully.

He will limit our freedoms, he will limit our money used for own needs, and yet build the coffers of the corporate war-mongering globalists. To add insult to injury, he will chastise us for wishing to spend our $ here.

He should be impeached.

Any shortfall after those two companies are sold can be made up by taking the personal fortunes of anyone in the White House or Congress who pushed for the war. :evilgrin:

:applause: I especially like the part about "taking the personal fortunes of anyone in the White House or Congress who pushed for the war." I agree, :evilgrin:

Since they're wasting all of our money over there

I'm sure the checks wil start coming in soon.

Estimated cost of containment for next 33 years in 2003: $380 billion.

War in Iraq versus Containment: Weighing the Costs - pdf

'Nuff said.

what in the hell is congress doing about this? nothing


remind me, in which country do I live?

March 17, 2006

One thing is certain about the Iraq war: It has cost a lot more than advertised. In fact, the tab grows by at least $200 million each and every day.

In the months leading up to the launch of the war three years ago, few Bush administration officials were willing to comment publicly on the potential costs to the United States. After all, no cost would have been too high if the United States faced an imminent threat from an Iraq armed with weapons of mass destruction, the war's stated justification.

In fact, the economic ramifications are rarely included in the debate over whether to go to war, although some economists argue it is quite possible and useful to assess potential costs and benefits.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11880954/from/RSS/

$1 Trillon and we're stilling losing the war. You know how much good we could have done with $1 Trillon? In the meantime, gas is going back up to $3.00/gal and the threat of terrorism has increased rather then decreased has a result of Bush's folly.

I dunno, about FOUR YEARS AGO :grr:

A new study by Columbia University economist Joseph E. Stiglitz, who won the Nobel Prize in economics in 2001, and Harvard lecturer Linda Bilmes concludes that the total costs of the Iraq war could top the $2 trillion mark. (That's 12 zero's 000-000-000-000).

Martin Wolf of the Financial Times argues that the costs to date are even higher.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0110/dailyUpdate.html

Economic analysis here:

http://www2.gsb.columbia.edu/faculty/jstiglitz/Cost_of_War_in_Iraq.pdf

that bush's war WILL cost in excess of $1 Trillion. Imagine what that money could have done for the people of our OWN country? The entire Gulf Coast could be totally rebuilt, New Orleans protected against CAT 5 hurricanes and there would still be enough left over to bring our public schools up to snuff throughout the country WITHOUT raising taxes!

bush's war: a total waste of money and countless lives. All because he's owned and operated by Corporate America. What a shit-stain that man is! :grr:

"After all, no cost would have been too high if the United States faced an imminent threat from an Iraq armed with weapons of mass destruction, the war's stated justification."

Really? No cost would have been too high? Should we just let them take all our money and freedoms if there is some perceived threat?

:grr:

to grow in the next 10 years as people exposed to DU start having major health problems and start to die. Probably one of the reasons they keep cutting VA benefits.

That is why we have to make the elections this fall a referendum on whether Americans want:

1) More corruption and incompetence.

2) Additional ill-planned, unnecessary and expensive foreign wars.

3) A much bigger national debt.

4) Poor homeland security (PORTS DEAL!)

If the GOP keeps control, that is what we will get.

But people need to know that they have the power return us to traditional American priorities like protecting America and making a better future for our kids.

1. Those gay guys should Not marry each other.

2. Those tramps shouldn’t get abortions for those fetuses they are carrying
Because they committed a sin they should suffer

3. I want to keep my shotgun because nutty schumer will take it away– the idiot

it will never get to $1 trillion dollars. Our creditors are getting tired of extending loans to us. Foreign countries lent us the money to invade Iraq.

The day will come when a) they don't want to lend us any more money or b) they can't lend us any more dough.

Take your pick. I personally think option b) will be the one that ends the U.S. plans for World Domination, á La PNAC.

And the snarky look that * gave him immediately following his explanation...

From the NYTimes, 6 months ago

...for everything else, there's ChinaCard.

in mind... :puke: $1 TRILLION :puke:

I remember Vietnam....I wish others did.

...than what they originally told Ted Kopel.

To quote from the movie "This is Spinal Tap" "...Well that's just nit-picking, isn't it?":crazy: :headbang:

http://echidneofthesnakes.blogspot.com/ ~~Saturday, March 18, 2006 The French Riots

It's a different world over there. Here we seem to accept anything the administration doles out and if we don't, well, who would know about it, given the obedient media. In France people go out and demonstrate:

Huge crowds of students, trade unionists and left-wingers took to the streets across France on Saturday to put pressure on the conservative government to cancel a new law they fear will undermine job security for young workers...

Many parents accompanied their children in the march, where banners declared "No to throw-away youths" and "Tired Of Being Squeezed Lemons."

In the United States lots of workers can be thrown away like used Kleenex, of course, or at least squeezed very dry like lemons....

The rationale for the French government's policy is to make the young more employable by taking away the risk that an untried worker might not prove satisfactory and that the firm might then be stuck with that person. But the new policy would make it difficult for the young to plan for their own futures or to decide to have children, say. They are left with the risk of being fired, even if the firing has nothing to do with their own competence at the job, and if I were one of those young people I'd postpone marriage and children until I'm past the vulnerable age limit. So all this could backfire on the French conservative policy of having more white babies and stuff.

Even AOL has the protests on their front page and great photos of the thousands that turned out all over the world and in America. Of course in the Good Ol' USA, protesters risk Tulerm... poisoning.

The Mix

Perspectives, insight and news from AlterNet

A week of protests to mark three years in Iraq
Posted by Jan Frel on March 17, 2006

March 15 to 22 marks a nationwide week of protest to mark the third anniversary of the Iraq War, coordinated by United for Peace and Justice.

If you want to join in, check out the UFPJ directory. I'm attending the protests in Los Angeles this Saturday (starting at the corners of Hollywood & Vine). Apparently, the Oscar-winning director of "Crash" will be in the crowd. More importantly, so will tens of thousands of others...

From AFP: <http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=2175565&mesg_id=2175565>

If you do a search here, you'll find several other posts from earlier in the day, but I think more US protests are scheduled for tomorrow.

Another problem is, NONE of the so-called "news" channels are covering the protest right now, here in the US. They have all switched to BS feature stories!

Let's see:

CNN has Larry King "Live" with Donald Trump...

CNBC has Suzi Orman...:puke:

Fox looks like they are working on a new "breaking news" story about some missing or murdered white girl...

MSNBC has some hour+ show about some Jet Crash in Peru...

Even CNN/International just switched to a bogus "CNN Presents" show about how a FUTURE (2009) terrorist attack on Saudi Arabian Oil Refineries will screw up the US economy, after a future Hurricane "Steve" hit's Huston, Texas.

I haven't gone though all the US News wire stories yet, but I bet they are no better.

Don't blame us, the MSM is keeping most of America ignorant again.

so much evil, so much money. How many lives are represented by one trillion dollars? Not the direct lives lost in war with bullets and bombs, but the indirect cost in human life of such inhumane spending. A trillion dollars would go along way towards creating a very nice health care system. Can anyone imagine what a world would be like where that money is spent on humane needs? What sleaze inhabits this government is beyond imagination.

Every man woman and child could have had a PERSONAL big screen TV, computer and Internet access for every kid, every elder, every baby, multiples per household -- everyone.

Instead we got a war.

One trillion is just over $3400 per American.