The NYT has an interesting op-ed on the cost of the war:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/20/opinion/20bilmes.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1124539963-A2lxE2T6vb0V
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They tell us the cost of Boy Georgie's war could top 1.3 Trillion dollars within five years. But think about today: we've already spent more than 3/4 of a trillion (by my rough calculations: 250+ billion on the war directly, plus an increase of roughly 120 billion per year, for four years since 9-11, in direct defense spending. Plus homeland security spending, increased veteran's benefits and medical care. etc. of around 100 billion so far. That comes to about 830 billion give or take a few dozen billions).
There's more...
My question is, where's the money? What did we get??? We've spent (and "misplaced") billions in Iraq, but our troops still don't have the equipment they need, the country still doesn't have power and water and basic needs, they're not pumping oil at anywhere near useful levels. What did we buy there?
Here at home, we're no safer than we were before 9-11 and now the NTSB is thinking of rescinding some of the requirements for boarding planes. Our ports aren't any safer, our cities aren't any safer. Where did the money go???George Bush has spent around $2,200 for every citizen of the US, or around $6,600 for every US household. What did we get for the money???
Shouldn't that be a big part of the Democratic platform: Where's the money, George? What did you buy us with our money? What did my family get for its $6,600 (and counting)???
Frankly, I want my money back.
Part II:
What is a billion dollars anyway? It seems to me that when anyone starts throwing around big numbers like a billion or a trillion dollars, most people have no idea what that really means.
Think of it this way: the median income for an American family is around $50,000 a year. That means that every Million dollars represents a year's income for roughly 20 families. A Billion is 1,000 Million, so a Billion dollars represents a year's income for 20,000 families (the population of a good size town, like Barstow, California or Lake Forest, Illinois).
The US is spending roughly 6 billion a month in Iraq and Afghanistan. That translates into 72 billion a year, or the total income of 1,440,000 families. In other words, for the cost of the war last year George Bush could have given the entire population of the city of Philadelphia a year's vacation, with pay. Tax free. He might have done the same for the entire population of the state of Idaho. Or the entire populations of the states of South and North Dakota combined.
Think of it another way: tax burden. One Billion dollars represents the total taxes of around 100,000 average families. Last year George Bush squandered the total tax income from 7,200,000 families. For the price of a useless war George could have given every citizen of Los Angeles two years of zero taxes. Or the population of Virginia a tax free year.
And, finally, there are about 108,000,000 households in the US. Thus the cost of the war so far represents a cost of 6,666.66 for every household in the US. So far. What do have in your wallet?