Iraq Cost Could Mount to $100 Billion

[Nambe]

Washington Post

The cost of the war and occupation of Iraq could reach $100 billion through next year, substantially higher than anticipated at the war's outset, according to defense and congressional aides. This is raising worries that other military needs will go unmet while the government is swamped in red ink.

The cost of the war so far, about $50 billion, already represents a 14 percent increase to military spending planned for this year. Even before the United States invaded Iraq in March, President Bush had proposed defense budgets through 2008 that would rise to $460 billion a year, up 74 percent from the $265 billion spent on defense in 1996, when the current buildup began.

At the same time, the federal budget deficit is exploding. This week, officials expect to announce that it will exceed $400 billion for the fiscal year that ends Sept. 30, the largest in U.S. history by a wide margin. Former White House budget director Mitchell E. Daniels Jr. said last month the deficit should be smaller next year, but economists at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. -- factoring rising war costs -- said Friday the deficit may climb even higher than their previous $475 billion estimate. ---

Banish bush From Texas Too

[Itascapark]

1. Hummmmm...

Let's see...I'm thirty-four...how long will it take to pay this off?

[DUreader]

2. You will owe about $200,000+

Don't worry you can just pass it on to the next generation

who will be too distracted fighting the endless war on terra to notice

[UpInArms]

3. this misadministration is attempting

to take over the world with a bankrupt nation.

Two antiwar activists, Elias Vlanton of Takoma Park, and Niko Matsakis of Boston, are keeping a running tally of the war costs on their www.costofwar.comWeb site. Among the site's assertions: the $67 billion spent this year on the war and Iraqi reconstruction could have put 9.5 million more children in Head Start, financed the hiring of 1.3 million schoolteachers, or covered the health insurance costs of 29 million children.

forget anything that our country needs - put it all on the war machine

[revcarol]

4. Yhe Washington Post ought to know BETTER.

They are implying that the Iraq war IS INCLUDED IN THE DEFENSE BUDGET and IT'S NOT.This is only mentioned in passing.


Remember the special appropriation for war that included all that goodie pork the repugs included? Well, that's almost spent. The Defense Department is going to appear soon and ask for more money OFF BUDGET.

What irresponsible reporting.

[indictrichardperle]

5. 100 billion

and that isnt taking into account Afghanistan, which is several billion.......its going to hit a trillion someday soon.

This god damned quagmire is going to bankrupt this country. Soviet Union collapse part deux.

:argh: Neo-cons are ruining this country.

[LauraK]

11. And while Hallibuton gets rich, the Soviets are bonding with....

China, Old Europe, and India in trade agreements. Maybe the 'cold war' isn't over until it's over.

[Delarage]

6. According to my pen from True Majority

(the same pen Dennis Kucinich held up during a debate, by the way, go to www.truemajority.com to get your own),

The U.S. spends (yearly):

39 billion on Children's Health
34 billion on K-12 education
6 billion on Head Start
1 billion on reducing world hunger


According to True Majority, approximately 50 billion/yr could:

Provide Head Start for all eligible U.S. kids (2 billion/yr)
Provide Health Care for all uninsured U.S. kids (6 billion/yr)
Rebuild America's schools over 10 years (12 billion/yr)
Achieve energy independence with clean technology (9 billion/yr)
Provide basic nutrition/health care for the world's poor (13 billion/yr)
Reduce debts of impoverished nations (9 billion/yr).

[NYC]

8. You probably need a new pen.

I'm sure they've cut most of those budgets by now.

[Judi Lynn]

7. It may sound minor, in comparison to the huge problems

yet I heard within the last coupla weeks either 20% or 25% of our nation's bridges are unsafe now.

This really affects everyone in the States, as well.

"Well, we'll cross THAT bridge when we come to it." Right.

Since when did anyone ever imagine our country would be so ravaged that the very bridges we drive on could collapse, simply because our budget has been plundered?

[lkinsale]

9. Evil Big Government Conspiracy to Repair Bridges

It must be stopped! It was probably Gore's idea to fix 'em, that spendthrift!

Drip...drip...drip...

You know, it's not the lies that will take * down in the end. It's how much this thing is gonna cost. They'd better plant some WMD's really soon.

[codeword]

10. This is a good deal! :)

There is at least $2 trillion worth of oil in Iraq's Rumallah oil field alone (100 billion barrels).

A $100 billion investment to reap trillions in profits is a real bargain for US oil companies. Especially when the $100 billion will be paid by US taxpayers.

If ever there was a sound business plan, this is it--IF (and this is a big "if") the pipelines can be protected against Iraqi sabotage.

[psychopomp]

12. The Cost of War

live "counter" at this site

edit: same site as referred to in post no. 3

[realFedUp]

13. Hope Americans are waking up to these numbers

.