The Iraq war is costing US taxpayers $500,000 a minute.

[ViolaLee]

Does anyone here have $500,000? I don't. But that's how much the Iraq war is costing us PER MINUTE (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/21/AR2007092102074_pf.html).

For what?

To make us safe?

:ponder:

Not to mention the cost of around 100 US troops per month and even more coming home wounded, missing arms and legs and brains.

End the war now. Bring the troops home now.

[lawless168]

What war was ever cheap?

[Cobra]

Waste of money sure but then most government progects are. Tho the debt ticker at the bottom of this site annoys me more than the whole idea.

[tony mitra]

Half a billion a minute?

I did a quick mental math. 1/2 billion per minute translates to 30 billion and hour, or 720 billion a day. That is almost three quarter of a trillion, in one day. By that rate, it would be almost 270 trillion a year !!

Given that the entire size of the US economy is perhaps under 40 trillion, this figure would make America go completely bankrupt in three months or less.

I'd say the figure is absurdly high.

There are folks that give better figures, which state that the Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid constitutes a larger chunk of the national debt. Regarding the war, the actual hidden cost goes into the military industrial complex, of which the Iraq war plays a very very small part.

One example - the US marines, I am told, have an air wing which has more fighter planes that regular air force of most other nations. That is not all. The Navy too, has an airforce which comprises of thousands of planes and is more powerful than most other national airforce.

Again, that is not all. The US also has a regular airforce. So, in essence, the US enjoys three full airforces, each crying for more money and more arms and more equipment constantly, with very powerful lobbies working behind it.

Also, there are these huge number of overseas military bases. While I do not know the total number of soldiers posts around the globe, I do know that the 160,000 strong force in Iraq is a drop in the bucket compared to the soldiers already posted everywhere, in all continents of the planet.

The American tax payer must pay for all that, unless the US can get someone else to pay for it. It does get some support from Saudi Arabia. China and Japan hold a lot of the US debt. I know the Iraqi Govt will pay for some of the expenditures in Iraq through their oil deals. I do not know if others help out.

But half a billion a minute in Iraq ? Thats gross !! :innocent:

[April15]

Does anyone here have $500,000? I don't. But that's how much the Iraq war is costing us PER MINUTE (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/21/AR2007092102074_pf.html).

For what?

To make us safe?

:ponder:

Not to mention the cost of around 100 US troops per month and even more coming home wounded, missing arms and legs and brains.

End the war now. Bring the troops home now.

I feel safer just knowing the US is in Iraq! Osama bin forgotten is where? The Taliban is in Afghanistan and growing?

[lily]

Again, that is not all. The US also has a regular airforce. So, in essence, the US enjoys three full airforces, each crying for more money and more arms and more equipment constantly, with very powerful lobbies working behind it.

Well.......I'm no military strategist, but I think we can do with a couple less fancy aircraft and more armour and equipment for the soldiers on the ground. It's too bad everything ins lumped into one big package and the money goes to who ever has the biggest lobby. Yet every time military spending comes up, if congress even peeps about it.......then you are not supporting the troops on the ground.

[tony mitra]

Hi Lily

Think about it this way. The army, navy, marine and airforce are called the defense forces. The name implies that these forces should be defending the US mainland. Instead, they are posted all over the world in remote places whose name you might not even recognize.

Sooo, what to do about defending the home base? Why, you create another department, called Homeland security. But wait, I thought you already had the FBI, and the coast guard and the police and the state paramilitary. Ahh.. thats not going to be enough. We are now talking about the global threat similar to the second world war, except that the second world war was short lived. This one is going to be forever. :shame:

How was your weekend ? I got completely housebound except for a short trip to a park and a dinner invitation next door, because it has been raining non stop for two days now.

Cheers.:thumbsup:

[ViolaLee]

Half a billion a minute?
...

$500,000 is a half a million.

[tony mitra]

Viola

Ohh shoot. I was a thousand times off. Goes to how I am lousy in mental math.

270 Billion a year? Hmm.. thats possible.

I stand corrected, and apologies offered for the mistake.
:)