LOGO: Truthdig: Drilling Beneath the Headlines. A Progressive Journal of News and Opinion. Editor, Robert Scheer. Publisher, Zuade Kaufman. Winner 2013 Webby Awards for Best Political Website
May 22, 2013

 Choose a size
Text Size

Trending:     chris hedges     economy     elizabeth warren     politics     robert scheer
Most Read

Lock Up Washington

Rise Up or Die

Revenge of the Bear: Russia Strikes Back in Syria

California Man Sues Officers He Says Nearly Beat Him to Death

The Promise of a Courageous Al-Jazeera America May Be Fading

Most Comments
Most Emailed

Reports
 * NEW! * Lock Up Washington
 * NEW! * Too Soon to Tell: The Case for Hope, Continued
Warming Climate Endangers U.K. Farming

Ear to the Ground

A/V Booth

Arts & Culture
Act of Congress
Daily Rituals
The Girls of Atomic City

Digs

Truthdig Bazaar more items

 
Ear to the Ground

Take the Cost of the War and Double It

Email this item Email    Print this item Print    Share this item... Share

Posted on Nov 13, 2007

According to the calculations of congressional Democrats, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have already cost about $1.5 trillion. That’s nearly double the (already staggering) $804 billion that’s been appropriated or requested. Lawmakers arrived at the revised estimate by considering larger economic factors, including interest on debt and health care costs for wounded veterans.


Washington Post:

The economic costs to the United States of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan so far total approximately $1.5 trillion, according to a new study by congressional Democrats that estimates the conflicts’ “hidden costs”—including higher oil prices, the expense of treating wounded veterans and interest payments on the money borrowed to pay for the wars.

That amount is nearly double the $804 billion the White House has spent or requested to wage these wars through 2008, according to the Democratic staff of Congress’s Joint Economic Committee. Its report, titled “The Hidden Costs of the Iraq War,” estimates that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have thus far cost the average U.S. family of four more than $20,000.

“The full economic costs of the war to the American taxpayers and the overall U.S. economy go well beyond even the immense federal budget costs already reported,” said the 21-page draft report, obtained [Monday] by The Washington Post.

Read more

More Below the Ad

Advertisement


New and Improved Comments

If you have trouble leaving a comment, review this help page. Still having problems? Let us know. If you find yourself moderated, take a moment to review our comment policy.

By The Village Idiot, December 4, 2007 at 11:21 am Link to this comment

“THE WISE MEN WHO PLANNED THW WAR HAD “FORECAST” maximum 6 months of FIGHTING As ALREADY IRAQ HAD BEEN UNDER TORTUROUS SANCTIONS PUSHED ONTO IT ViA THE UNO SINCE 1990 and THAT WAS SUPPOSED To HELP IN OBLITERATING THE RESISTANCE, IF ANY.”

They knew EXACTLY what would happen if they invaded Iraq and removed Saddam, and they knew it about 8 years before the invasion. They had no illusions of being “greeted as liberators” or anything like that. Strange thing to see on Comedy Central, but this whole culture is becoming farcical so why not?


http://www.comedycentral.com/motherload/?lnk=v&ml_video=91612

Report this

By 1drees, December 3, 2007 at 10:12 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Well actually as far as I can remember everything as it started and went on right after 9/11.

EVERYONE I MET WAS FOR THE ATTACKS AND EVERYONE I KNEW OR TALKED TO WAS HAPPY AT THE PROSPECT OF CHEAPER OIL, of course the fact that it was stealing never really mattered to anyone TILL THE IRAQIs were observed to be refusing to ROLL OVER AND PLAY DEAD.

THE WISE MEN WHO PLANNED THW WAR HAD “FORECAST” maximum 6 months of FIGHTING As ALREADY IRAQ HAD BEEN UNDER TORTUROUS SANCTIONS PUSHED ONTO IT ViA THE UNO SINCE 1990 and THAT WAS SUPPOSED To HELP IN OBLITERATING THE RESISTANCE, IF ANY.

BUT LIKE IN REAL LIFE PLANS NEVER WORK, DO THEY? I MEAN THERE ARE ALWAYS PROBLEMS & THEN DEVITIONS.

SO THE WAR THAT WAS SUPPOSE TO END IN 6 months & THEN result in the START AN ERA OF “CHEAP OIL” went looney and SINCE THEN OFCOURSE IT HAS COST THE AMERICANS MUCH MORE MONEY & LIVES THEN ANTICPATED. to be on the safe side the FINANCIAL cost is like 4 times the governement admissions. as there are always loopholes in hiding the defence budget.

FOR AMERICANS 4000 AMERIcANS LIVES IS TOO TOO MUCH YET AT THE SAME TIME A COUPLE OF MILLION IRAQIs DEAD ARE OF NO WORTH THE MENTION.

REMEMBER THE OIL CORPORTIONS DONT EVEN THINK ABOUT THE 4000 SOLDIERs they just are concerned about THE SCHEDULE OF THE OIL SHIPMENTS AND thE PRoFItS THAT EACH SHIPMENT BRINGS IN.

AN AMERICAN STUDY ( ABOUT @ YEARS AGO) STATED THAT ON the average SINCE the war started ABOUT 300,000 barrels of OIL GO MISSING DAILY, & THIS LOSS WAS ATTRIBUTED TO THE “TERRORIST INSURGENTS” and did not mention the fact that certain ships fill up without any monitoring DEVICES FUNCTIONING.

VIVA AMERICA, maybe with a sever financial crisis tht might cause the fleeing of the ZIONISTS to their LOVE ISRAEL leaving the stts in an even more difficult mess BUT DOnT WORRY YOUR ESTEEMED LEADERS will carry on living LUXURiOUSLY in their palaces as they have been GOOD ZIONIST SLAVES.

Report this

By rodney, November 14, 2007 at 2:59 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Also take the deficit and double it. We really don’t know, and won’t be told of the true financial damage that Bush has done to this country until after he leaves office. I predict a long lingering recession or possibly a long lasting depression that will effect about half of us within the next couple of years. Of course,the spin machine will blame whoever is the president since it takes a while for the shit to finish flushing. But make no mistake about it. The damage this moron has done Iraq,prescription drug coverage,huge tax breaks for the wealthiest of Americans,world instability form wars will cause our economy to finally collapse. And the Decider aka the Idiot in Chief, will be in Texas clearing brush which is about the only thing he can do without totally fucking it up.

Report this

By Douglas Chalmers, November 14, 2007 at 3:34 am Link to this comment

#113320 by The Village Idiot on 11/13 at 10:33 am: “...this might be appropriate: “The last official act of any government is to loot the treasury.”...”

The typical act of an outgoing conservative government!

Report this

By QuyTran, November 13, 2007 at 12:15 pm Link to this comment

This criminal administration cuts our children’s welfare by using tax payers for war chest.

Report this

By The Village Idiot, November 13, 2007 at 11:33 am Link to this comment

Wouldn’t it have been cheaper to just buy Iraq’s oil, even at retail? Oh wait, then there’d be no revenue for Halliburton…

The neocons and those who share their views don’t care about whether America continues or collapses; they’re getting old and know they won’t hold power much longer, and the consequences of their recent actions will be felt by subsequent generations instead of themselves so they are essentially getting away with it (and yes, their own descendants will suffer as well, but why would they care about them when they don’t care about anyone at all?).

I forget who said it originally, but this might be appropriate: “The last official act of any government is to loot the treasury.” Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.

Report this

By P. T., November 13, 2007 at 10:52 am Link to this comment

Alas, this is why empires collapse.  The American Empire will be no different.  Bush and Cheney, though, think that with enough willpower, they can produce a different outcome.

Report this
Newsletter

sign up to get updates


 
 
 
 
Join the Liberal Blog Advertising Network
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A Progressive Journal of News and Opinion. Editor, Robert Scheer. Publisher, Zuade Kaufman.
© 2013 Truthdig, LLC. All rights reserved.