If we end the Iraq war immediately,...

[kimmerspixelated]

Or as soon as Prez Obama is able to do it, wouldn't the money NOT being spent-you know, the millions every day, help to turn the economy around almost instantly?

Or is even that just wishful thinking?

[Milo_Bloom]

1. Wishful thinking, it is borrowed money nt

[grantcart]

2. If it is invested back into the economy in an intelligent way it can provide

the same type of stimulus as the New Deal did - the key is that it has to stimulate job creation and productivity.


A billion dollars that is spent on something like bridges, for examples goes to contractors and employees who then purchase more supplies and spend money in the economy. This creates a "spin" factor so that a dollar spent can spin 4-5 times. Money that is spent in Iraq could spin dollars in Iraq but the security situation is such that the money just dies.

If it is used to assist poor people get better housing, for example the money not only has a positive spin factor but social scientists know that if people have a degree of home ownership crime drops dramatically. Less money is needed for police, prisons, insurance, etc. so there is a double benefit; You get the benefit of the money creating multiple spins and the government reducing expenses in other areas.

As for the question of debt raised by the earlier poster that is true, however if the expenditures stimulates and grows the economy it means that the percent diverted for finance costs are reduced AS A PERCENT OF THE BUDGET. The actual amount spent is not significant it is the percent that is critical.

Reagan/Bush/Bush have so burdened the country in debt that we have only two choices to get out of it:inflation or grow the economy.
Intelligent use of those funds can be used to grow the economy out of the hole we are in. Expenditures to Iraq just make the hole bigger.

[papapi]

3. What has already been spent in Iraq could have provided . . .

an economic stimulus package to forty million poor families in the amount of $15,000 per family. That should give you some idea how ending the war would help stimulate our economy.

[Warren Stupidity]

4. no.

However our children and grandchildren will be less burdened with debt.

[Igel]

5. End the war immediately, and the budgeted money goes unspent.

It's budgeted for a purpose, it's not unrestricted money.

It would go back to the "pool", and since we've been hearing about how bad the debt is and how we can't afford to spend the money, I think it would give some people whiplash to suddenly see how quickly it was re-allocated.

[TBF]

6. That alone won't do it, because as mentioned upthread it's borrowed - but there is another

component to the plan. Obama will not be so generous to the corporations with tax breaks, and he will not renew Bush's tax breaks to people making over 250K a year. Between the two things he should be able to give the economy a boost. I don't think we're ever going to see dirt-cheap gas again (nor should we), but I'm hoping we'll see him announce incentives/grants to help localities improve their public transportation. When I moved to Texas I was shocked to find that there is very little in the way of mass transit. In Houston I've watched them tear up old train tracks in order to have more space to widen roads. :banghead:

[cbc5g]

7. The war won't be ended immediately...even if Obama is elected.

Combat troops will start coming home but it won't be ended immediately. Leaving just as fast as we went in would be disastrous for Iraqi's and America's reputation.

But yes, once we start diverting funds from Iraq they will either go here or to Afghanistan or to repaying the debt.