The financial cost of U.S. involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan
As reported by The Raw Story, the U.S. is hemorhaging money into it’s Middle East adventures. The numbers are staggering:
The United States is spending about $8,000 per man, woman and child in the country to pursue wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to new estimates that show the wars will cost about $2.4 trillion over the next decade.
More than one-fourth of the money spent in Iraq and Afghanistan — $705 billion — will go to paying interest on the wars’ costs, which are being funded with borrowed dollars, according to an estimate to be released Wednesday by the Congressional Budget Office. Iraq accounts for about 80 percent of the costs with a $1.9 trillion tab, including $564 million in interest, a House budget committee staff director told USA Today, which reported the numbers Wednesday morning.
“The number is so big, it boggles the mind,” Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) told the newspaper.
The CBO previously estimated the war’s costs at $1.6 trillion, which did not include interest payments or Bush’s latest request for an extra $46 billion in war funding.
Back home, bridges are crumbling, students have trouble getting student loans and we allegedly can’t afford to have universal health coverage for children. Therefore, more than ever, Iraq is a domestic issue.
- How much money have we spent to fight the so-called “war” in Iraq?
- The Iraq invasion has cost more than one trillion dollars. How much is one trillion?
- Bush: No need to look for fraud in Afghanistan or Iraq!
- The daily cost of the Iraq occupation: $720 million
- Go see “Body of War,” in order to viscerally feel the injustice of the U.S. involvement in Iraq
To put the cost in perspective, consider the cost of the wildfires currently raging in southern California. According to this article (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071025/ap_on_re_us/california_wildfires), the fires have burned more than 750 square MILES, destroyed 1,500 homes, destroyed a third of the state’s avacado crop, and caused the evacuation of more than 500,000 people — the largest mass evacuation in California history. The fire is being called the biggest disaster that southern California has ever seen. And what is the cost for this huge catastrophe? About $1-2 billion. If every state in America had a similar disaster, the total cost would be about what Bush plans to spend *this year alone* in Iraq.
Here are some alternative ways to spend the money we’re currently spending in Iraq. http://atheisttoolbox.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3966&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=