Originally Posted By ecdc Hardball's David Shuster did a report on today's show on the cost of the Iraq war. It's about 250 million a day. He did an interesting comparison to other things Americans want or need. Cost of 6,000 more border agents and more border security for one year: 1.4 billion, or 6 days in Iraq. Cost to screen *all* baggage that goes through every American airport: 1 billion, or 4 days in Iraq. Cost to innoculate every single American child: 4 billion, or 16 days in Iraq. It isn't worth it, not by a longshot. Here's the link, then click on Watch Video. <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/" target="_blank">http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30 36697/</a>
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Yep - that could feed the majority of the worl's population. Provide medical care to americans. Think about the improvements that could be made to education - that could actually fund a number of University Courses. War is not cheap, it's big business.
Originally Posted By gadzuux Where's the benefit to us, the people that are footing this ridiculous bill?
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo At the risk of trivialising this, the US could have build Tokyo Disney Sea in 12 days!
Originally Posted By melekalikimaka This would be a prime example of why I despise politicians so much.
Originally Posted By gadzuux Some more than others. It's not many "politicians" that would have led us into this debacle.
Originally Posted By melekalikimaka No, I'm going to blame the democrats who voted for this war too. (Most of them voted yes.) I don't care what their motivations are. They are just as responsible as the republicans who voted for it.
Originally Posted By gadzuux But not as responsible as the republicans who actually led us into it. The 'yes men' aren't at the front of the parade.
Originally Posted By melekalikimaka True, I guess, but it's a long-ass parade and lots of blame for everyone involved. LOL
Originally Posted By DouglasDubh How much did it cost not to do anything about Bin Laden in the 90's? How much did it cost not invade Iraq?
Originally Posted By mrichmondj << How much did it cost not to do anything about Bin Laden in the 90's? How much did it cost not invade Iraq? >> Not even relevant to the current situation we are in now when there were countless other options that could have been pursued at far less of a cost. How much would the cost be to transform our energy policy so that we don't have to worry about Middle East security? How much would the cost be to lift opressed nations out of poverty so that they don't feel compelled to follow the Bin Ladens of the world?
Originally Posted By gadzuux >> How much did it cost not to do anything about Bin Laden in the 90's? << About the same as it costs us to not do anything about him in the 2000s. >> How much did it cost not invade Iraq? << TO "not invade iraq? You mean in the first gulf war? Or during clinton's administration? I don't understand the question.
Originally Posted By DouglasDubh <Not even relevant to the current situation we are in now when there were countless other options that could have been pursued at far less of a cost.> I disagree. And as far as your questions, I think both would cost a lot more than what our liberation of Iraq has cost.
Originally Posted By DouglasDubh <About the same as it costs us to not do anything about him in the 2000s.> I think it cost much more. Not doing anything about him in the 1990's cost us 3000 lives and caused a recession to deepen. <TO "not invade iraq? You mean in the first gulf war? Or during clinton's administration? I don't understand the question.> There were costs involved in "containing" Saddam.
Originally Posted By gadzuux >> Not doing anything about him in the 1990's cost us 3000 lives and caused a recession to deepen. << So then it's hard to guesstimate what it's going to cost us due to our failure to apprehend him over the past six years. It's a safe bet that he's cookin' on something big too. And we're over here in iraq, bogged down in a competely unrelated "humanitarian gesture", if I've got the current talking points right.
