Better use for our money, first thread!!

[maryf]

A friend suggested I make this my first thread; I made a flier of the following information and have been posting it around town, have to keep checking the bulletin boards as they keep disappearing!! I actually changed the information from the site from a one year coverage of 1.6 billion for my district for each of the past five years by diving the amounts given by five; the figures are stil quite impressive to me! I myself don't care about additional cops or inspectors, but the folks in the area like to feel "safe" ...Anyway, our priorities need to be adjusted drastically! And to stop the flow of folks into abject poverty, we need to change where the money goes!! contact your representatives about this...I'll add a contact info link here on edit.
https://forms.house.gov/wyr/welcome.shtml

LOCAL COSTS OF IRAQ

Taxpayers in Congressional District 20 (Gillibrand) have paid $1.6 billion for the Iraq War thus far. For the same amount of money, the following could have been provided for each of the past five years:


1,794 Affordable Housing Units OR (yes, in my little district for EACH year!!)
3,656 School Teachers (I think more)OR
58,215 People with Health Care OR
591,010 Homes with Renewable Electricity OR
6,093 Public Safety Officers OR
51,514 Scholarships for University Students OR
17 New Elementary Schools OR
110,312 Children with Health Care OR
35,966 Head Start Places for Children OR
4,744 Port Container Inspectors

you could also have all the above for EACH divided equally thus:

179 new homes AND
367 teachers AND
5,821 People with health care AND
59,101 homes with renewable electricity AND
609 Public Safety Officers AND
5,151 Scholarships for University Students AND
2 New Elementary Schools AND
11,031 Children with health care AND
3,597 Head Start places for children AND
474 Port Container Inspectors AND

Just think of how much lower your property and school taxes could be!

The above was extrapolated from data from the National Priorities Project.

http://www.nationalpriorities.org/publications/local_cost_of_the_iraq_war_through_fy2007

[annabanana]

1. By all means! This is an excellent way to point up the obscene

amount of money being thrown away in the Iraq misadventure. I am looking forward to visiting the link (when you get it up there)

Welsomce to DU, and
recommeded

[maryf]

3. Thanks, two links added...

One for congressional contact, second for the page I extrapolated my info from!!

[dubeskin]

2. Welcome and Thanks

This is a great idea, and just keep posting them, as it is a good awakener! How politically balanced is your district? If it's pretty red, good luck! And if not, oh well, nice work anyway.

And welcome!

[maryf]

4. My district is getting better, my county

keeps Bush's numbers up in the twenties, but folks are getting upset about the money, if thats what it takes, sadly, to tap into their selfishness to make them realize that we're all sinking fast, then I'll use it. Too many folks in dire straits to let this continue! Thanks!

[bobbolink]

16. Great action idea, indeed! Can you imagine a number of these being left in Food Courts in the mall,

at college student unions, etc?

A great way to raise awareness!

[JNelson6563]

5. Great idea.

:toast:

[maryf]

7. Thanks!!

make mine a rootbeer!

[Rosemary2205]

6. Just MHO but I think doing the math is counterproductive.

if someone believes the Iraq war was or is justified telling them it's cost us $456 billion makes their stomach ache. Telling them it's cost us $300 a year per person is going to make them roll their eyes and wonder what all the bitching is about.


Edit to add, IMHO the real tragedy of the Iraq war is not in the amount of money we've spent in the lst 5 years but what it cost in lives and what will cost us in the next 50 years in both treasure and lives.

[maryf]

8. Thanks! but,

Their stomach's should ache, and in reality its cost each of us 30,000 dollars since the war started. Doing my math that comes to $6,000 a piece, husband, wife, and child each, for a family of four thats $24,000 a year!! People need to be awakened!! And for some $300 dollars would be a whole lot...

And yes the lives, treasures, and minds are much more important, but it sometimes has to hit some in the pocketbook to make them see the light...compassion being in poor supply.

[Rosemary2205]

9. the math

From your link

456.1 billion divided by 300 million people = $1520.33 per citizen spent over 5 years. = $304.06 per person per year. Your website says we are spending about 275 million a day in Iraq. That's slightly less than $1 a day per person in the USA.

I'm interested in how you come up with $30,000 a year per person over 5 years. That's not supported by your link. Not doubting you but I have not seen numbers that support a total spent in Iraq of 9 Trillion dollar. If we have, that would be a real eye opener to Americans that the standard reporting for money spent is wrong.

[maryf]

10. Actually 30,000 wasn't from that site...

It was from my representative, who is a member of the armed services committee. anyway, they are all huge numbers no matter how you cut it, people are losing lives there, and livelihoods and quality of life here, its gotta be changed, why quibble? Peace, Mary

[Rosemary2205]

12. No, it's 9 trillion.

Could you check with your rep and see if we have actually spent 9 trillion (30,000 times 300 million people)

PR wise there is a huge difference between 300 dollars per year per person and 30,000 dollars per year per person. If we are going to win over those now currently supporting this war it's going to be important to make sure our facts are corrects and that they are framed in the most productive light.

[maryf]

13. Apology

The $30,000 amount was the national debt each person owes, I shouldn't have included that in this thread as thats a whole other issue, inextricably linked, however, IMO, my rep mentioned this at a February townhall meeting, I found a December article with this stat. Peace Mary

http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2007-12-03-debt_N.htm

[maryf]

11. 900,000,000

is what my calculator says, maybe the rep said per household...again, do you not see a problem?

[bobbolink]

14. EXCELLENT first thread, maryf!

:applause:

:yourock:

:hug:

[bobbolink]

15. Error: you can only recommend threads which were started in the past 24 hours

RATZ!!! THis deserves to be widely discussed!

:applause:

[calimary]

17. Welcome to DU! GREAT first thread!

Congratulations and welcome aboard the board!

Thank you for posting this. Some really terrific material in here to use when debating another one of those war-lovers you know (who, if they love the war so damned much, should be signing up, suiting up, and shipping out to it).