The Cost Of War
According to a recent CBS news poll (http://www.politicalgateway.com/news/read.html?id=6371), Bush’s popularity is at an all-time low (as low as Nixon’s after Watergate and shortly before his resignation) .
The poll also shows that 63% of all Americans do not believe the war in Iraq is worth the cost.
Keep in mind, it’s not truly 63% of all Americans – it’s 63% of those polled – even though, of course, all pollsters believe they can extrapolate from the small grain of sand they are examining the true shape of the beach. (And actually, geologists and oceanographers CAN infer the shape of the beach by examining some of the grains of sand.)
Nonetheless, if the data is reflective of the whole, most of us do not believe the cost of this war is worth it.
What else could we be doing with this money?
The War In Iraq Costs: $247,599,088,431
Instead, we could have provided 12,003,058 students with four-year scholarships at public universities.
The War In Iraq Costs: $247,599,170,202
Instead, we could have hired 4,290,923 additional public school teachers for one year.
What is the cost of this war to YOUR community? To the public services and programs dear to your heart?
Check this out: http://nationalpriorities.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=182
The poll also shows that 63% of all Americans do not believe the war in Iraq is worth the cost.
Keep in mind, it’s not truly 63% of all Americans – it’s 63% of those polled – even though, of course, all pollsters believe they can extrapolate from the small grain of sand they are examining the true shape of the beach. (And actually, geologists and oceanographers CAN infer the shape of the beach by examining some of the grains of sand.)
Nonetheless, if the data is reflective of the whole, most of us do not believe the cost of this war is worth it.
What else could we be doing with this money?
The War In Iraq Costs: $247,599,088,431
Instead, we could have provided 12,003,058 students with four-year scholarships at public universities.
The War In Iraq Costs: $247,599,170,202
Instead, we could have hired 4,290,923 additional public school teachers for one year.
What is the cost of this war to YOUR community? To the public services and programs dear to your heart?
Check this out: http://nationalpriorities.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=182
posted by Bird | 8:43 AM
13 Comments:
The cost of this war for me is the impact to my retirement and what services will not be provided when I become an old (er) man. All the enemies that have been made around the world and the real threat of being a target in or outside this land.
On a more personal note, 3 friends, their families and friends life's changed in a bad way, caused by this relentless and unneeded pursuit.
mr q, my condolences to you and your friends.
bird, thanks for visiting Moon Watcher.
The cost of the war means that 2 Australian teachers were taken by Palestinians and then released when they realised they were NOT Americans. How sad is that in more ways than one.
The cost of the war to Australia is one of loss of our hard worked for independence from colonialism being substituted for Imperialist USA. The cost to OZ now being that as the Brits are withdrawing 800 of their troups guess who is going to replace them on the front line? Yep Aussies. It is like our PM is just wishing for some Australians to die!
Cost to hospitals, our indigenous communities, our public education, the homeless and mentally ill is to be neglected in preference to sending troups....
Great blog Bird as usual. Hits the spot!
Soaring over, lady Bird to thank you for your visit to the Porch--left you a thought or two, there.
As for the cost of war--remember that some of cost is recycled into thangs that's a hep to us too--the economy recoups some of it....course, we could be buying Iraqi currency--it is so cheap now one wonders if it is possible to get any lower? So only way is up? WEll, suh,
I t'aint an economist.
Aunty Belle
Mr. Q:
I read or heard on the radio that the money we've spent on this war could have "fixed" social security for the next 75 years - or something like that.
My heart goes out to you and your friends and family. So far, I've been lucky; some of my son's and daughter's schoolmates have gone off to Iraq, and some of my students, but they are still alive and hopefully will make it home in one piece physically (who knows what shape they'll be in inside their heads).
Allison: So, just as here - Aussie money into the war instead of helping out the people. Sigh.
Aunty Belle,
I am at a loss to see how this war can help us economically. Perhaps it is helping Haliburton make more money, but I don’t see it helping our economy – it’s just sucking money away from us like mad.
By-the-by, I hopped over to the back porch (http://auntybelles.blogspot.com/2006/03/hostage-to-their-belief.html) and am pondering your question about fundamentalists and my fear of them - and after I've taken some time to think it through - will respond. Great question to ask!
All the best to your family Mr. Q.
The cost of war. It's amazing that 37% of extrapolated Americans DO think it's worth the cost. Amazing!
The cost of war is looking at a little girl in the eye, a bomb strapped to her by her parents, and deciding if you will shoot to defend your comrades or if you won't shoot because she's a little girl. Either way, she loses.
here ya go might as well be fair and balanced here's Clintons poll #'s
low 20%
Helping the economy? Military-industrial complex? New jobs created this past year? And then I hear news reports where companies - Sprint, GM, etc. - laying off 20-30 thousand? It's all so confusing? Well you get what you pay for, and we are paying for one hell of a mess!
BTW, was is Satchel Paige who said, "Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it."?
To help your private economy should you invest in Halliburton?
the American people need to have patience and fortimilitude... democralizing a country takes time to grow... but freedom is truly on the march... the dream of a free and democratic Iraq is taking wing... as the Iraqis stand up, we will shoot them down...
in other words, it's a total clusterf*ck...
Pete :-)
At least you didn't succumb to the old ethnic slur concerning Mongolians and the total clusterf..k
Do you think America will be able to get back to a democratized country?
Btw, what is fortimilitude? I couldn't find it in Sherlock.
jack - it's a Bushism... meaning, a nonsense word...
Cool! I should have known. Thanks for the info.
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