U.S. war costs in Iraq up: report

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Iraq war may not dominate U.S. news reports as the carnage drops, but a new report underscores the financial burden of persistent combat that is helping run up the government's credit card.

"Funding for U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and other activities in the war on terrorism expanded significantly in 2007," the Congressional Budget Office said in a report released on Wednesday.

War funding, which averaged about $93 billion a year from 2003 through 2005, rose to $120 billion in 2006 and $171 billion in 2007 and President George W. Bush has asked for $193 billion in 2008, the nonpartisan office wrote.

"It keeps going up, up and away," Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad said of the money spent in Iraq since U.S. troops invaded in 2003.

"We're seeing the war costs continue to spiral upward. It is the additional troops plus additional costs per troop plus the over-reliance on private contractors, which also explodes the costs," said Conrad, a North Dakota Democrat who opposed the war.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080123/ts_nm/iraq_usa_spending_dc

---

$11 Billion a month and rising.

For some reason the case isn't being made that the Iraq War is a major cause of our failing economy. The dollar is plunging because we are borrowing to pay for the war and the dollar is dropping. With the dollar dropping our country is being picked clean of everything by foreign countries and we are being hollowed out. America is a shell thanks to Bush and his Corporate friends and his oil company buddies who are making millions---no billions. There is no caviar in America for the middle class as it can't afford it.

Gee, our star-spangled, freckle-faced, all-American boys and girls aren't out there fightin' them terrorists all on their own? What's with these private contractors? Isn't the military good enough for the Republicans? The $193 billion request for 2008 is just the opening bid; you know for a fact it's going nowhere but up as soon as the surge numbers start to ebb.

Good thing there's absolutely nothing in the world that we could spend that $193 billion on, that would serve the country better. Nope, filling graves in Arlington is the best thing that money could possibly do.

2003 - $93BILLION
2004 - $93BILLION
2005 - $93BILLION
2006 - $120BILLION
2007 - $171BILLION
2008 - $193BILLION

The surge IS working! Truth is, besides all the contractor looting, I think the surge is based on bribing the entire country. That part will be permanent. These stats need a graph. That's more than double the cost from Shock and Awe to OMG.

our nations investments on his war.

to his cronies. Wait til the recession hits. Bush has bankrupted us morally and financially. Worst President Ever.

.
.
.

And they want to take on IRAN?

Which may stir up the dormant Chinese and Russian War Machines.

May give a whole new meaning to the phrase "suicide bombers" . .

That being,

that the USA commits suicide for it's whole country by bombing others . . .

hmmmmmmmm

In 2008>

The rhetoric which disgusts me is "the troops need the money" when the mother fuckers like Cheney are really the ones swilling at the trough.

No we need another six months to see if the last six months did what we said we wanted to be done the six months before that. we will report back in six months. in that time we will be able to tell you if in that six months can get out the report that will tell you if the six month report on the six month ...................

Go FU@& yourselves six ways from Sunday!! And report back in six months.

No more six months and NO MORE MONEY!!!!

Like I told my kids when they maxed my credit when they had "emergencies" at college. You can't have what I don't got.
And I like them a lot more than these BE TRAY US (oh my god she said that thing again!) followers. Even He knows this shit isn't making the USA or the region any more stable. But that was NOT HIS ORDER. HIS ORDER HAD ONLY TO DO WITH IRAQ. And that is how HE sleeps at night. Personally I think he may be rationalizing just a BIT. And I know THE NIGHTMARES WILL COME.

Sooner or later David they will come.

I hope it was all worth it for you.

Speaking for the mothers of sons in this country (and I know that may be presumptuous but hey, not so much as thinking you know how to build a democracy way across the world, through WAR and MISMANAGEMENT so) I say, BUSH Co, BE TRAY us, NO MORE! FU! Get out of our lives and may God have mercy on your souls. If I can, in any way i can i will find a way to prosecute each any every crime you committed while representing this country. Morally you are inexcusable. Ethically you are monstrous.

Grace is your only savior now. Not powerful friends, not guns or bullets or even bombs of any strength. Grace. You can't earn it, but you could try to be worthy of it.

Usually defense spending is spent for goods and services within the country, and thus has a stimulative effect on the economy.

But I'd bet that a high percentage of the Iraq War spending is spent on goods and services in the Middle East and Europe. These foreign defense expenditures worsen our balance of trade and are a drag on the economy.

I know it's high. I'll guess that it's half. Anyone done any research?

Source: Reuters

U.S. war costs in Iraq up-budget report

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Iraq war may not dominate U.S. news reports as the carnage drops, but a new report underscores the financial burden of persistent combat that is helping run up the government's credit card.

"Funding for U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and other activities in the war on terrorism expanded significantly in 2007," the Congressional Budget Office said in a report released on Wednesday.

War funding, which averaged about $93 billion a year from 2003 through 2005, rose to $120 billion in 2006 and $171 billion in 2007 and President George W. Bush has asked for $193 billion in 2008, the nonpartisan office wrote.

"It keeps going up, up and away," Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad said of the money spent in Iraq since U.S. troops invaded in 2003. "We're seeing the war costs continue to spiral upward. It is the additional troops plus additional costs per troop plus the over-reliance on private contractors, which also explodes the costs," said Conrad, a North Dakota Democrat who opposed the war.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN2365065420080124

I bet I could help ALOT of people!!!

Funny, but while getting myself out of debt and maybe a spa weekend away from the kids comes to mind...the rest I would probably invest in my community and fellow humans well being.No kidding!

It's been said for many years, that if we spent a fraction on humanitarian causes of what we spend on WAR, the planet would be a much better place to live.

I could go on and on about the effects of War on the planet and our colective psyche, but I am sure we all feel it ...every day. the pinch in the wallet, the cringe as the news passes over it, like a wound that we know is festering and will eventually cause our demise, but we just can't bring ourselves to get it looked at.
Prayer helps a little bit, and crying alot...

So I'll just list some facts:

• The US military burns 340,000 barrels of oil a day
  
• The $202,000,000 (1998 dollars) C-17
  
• The $330,000,000 F-22 Raptor with corrosion problems
  
• The $239,000,000 F-35 Lightening that can't fly above 40,000 ft.
  
• The $8,008,000,000 to put Tomahawk cruise missiles on four Ohio class subs
  
• The MV-22 Osprey
  
• The canceled Littoral Combat Ships
  
• The broken Deepwater program
  
• The endless chain of new UAVs
  
• The endless chain of precision
  
• Recruiting problems and bonuses
  
• The estimated $1,000 per day for 'security' contractors
  
• Halliburton, KBR, Bechtel, Parsons, BAE, Lockeed Martin, Boeing, et all
  
• If you accept the fact that the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan costs roughly $12,000,000,000 a week, we are spending $2,083,333.33 a minute there. (1,440 minutes per day, 5,760 minutes per week)
  

It's all in the Veterans forum --> http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=259

and that doesn't begin to include the newly accrued (due to the surge) VA costs.

that is supposed to be fighting them.

:rofl: