How Much Does the Iraq War Really Cost America?

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Dr. Mercola

January 30 2007

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How Much Does the Iraq War Really Cost America?

War

In the days before the war, the Pentagon estimated that the war in Iraq would cost about $50 billion. White House economic advisor Lawrence Lindsey predicted that the cost could go as high as $200 billion, and President Bush fired him for saying so.

But those predictions were off the mark by an incredible degree. The direct costs of the war are more than $300 million a day, an eventual total of $700 billion. Including indirect costs, the total price tag could be higher than $2 trillion.

In contrast, treating all unmanaged heart disease and diabetes in the

United States

would probably cost about $50 billion a year, and universal preschool would be $35 billion.

Sources:

CNN.com January 10, 2007

The New York Times January 17, 2007

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

The polls indicate that President Bush is at his lowest public approval rating and it is likely the war plays a big factor in the public's perception. Late last year, I ran an article warning about the extremely high cost of the current Iraq war.

The Brookings Institute recently estimated the real human cost of this war, apart from spreadsheets, politics and, of course, all the priceless, precious lives of our servicemen and innocent Iraqi citizens already lost, as detailed in this excellent CNN.com video.

So far, the price tag has been $350 billion (although, as detailed above, it is likely to be much more before the war ends.) In the United States, $350 billion could buy:

6 million new teachers
700 new elementary schools in every state
Free gasoline for every driver for a year

This article provoked many comments, and one of the most spirited discussions yet, from many perspectives, on Vital Votes. Replying to them, reader Marianne from Belleville, Michigan said:

"We should know how much the war costs. It should not be 'off budget' for our children to pay later. We have never had a war in the history of the U.S. that we did not pay for with taxes. This is the first.

"That is a fact whether you agree with the war or disagree with it.

"It does not make you unamerican, liberal, conservative, or anything else to say, hey, this costs a lot of money, and how are we paying for it?"

On the funnier side, Dr. Russ Bianchi wrote:

If you consider that there has been an average of 160,000 troops in the Iraq theatre of operations during the last 22 months, and a total of 2,112 deaths, that gives a firearm death rate of 60 per 100,000 Soldiers.

The firearm death rate in Washington D.C. is 80.6 per 100,000 for the Same period. That means that you are about 25% more likely to be shot and killed in the U.S. Capitol, which has some of the strictest Gun Control laws in the nation, than you are in Iraq.

Conclusion: The U.S. should pull out of Washington.

Other responses to this article can be viewed at Vital Votes, and you can add your own thoughts or vote on comments by first registering at Vital Votes.

Related Articles:

Iraq War Side Effect -- Depleted Uranium

The Curse of the Gulf War Babies

Gulf War 2 and Killer Pneumonia

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Community Comments ( 1 )

Brian Gray

[ Joined on 12/07 ] [ Posted on

June 30, 2008

]

4 Points

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There is no question that hindsight is 20/20 and that we are all good armchair quarterbacks. If any of us would be such great presidents, then I guess we should be running. Frankly there is more classified information on Iraq, the Taliban, and Al Queda than any of us could hope to have time to read.

Therefore, we should recognize that the decision to go to war MAY have been a sound one and it MAY be the reason that we are all still alive today. While that may not be the case, we must at least acknowledge it and stop second guessing every decision that doesn't seem like the right one.

Finally, telling me what could be bought with money that is being spent on the war is pointless. If we were all dead, it would be quite difficult to spend the money, and even less fruitful. The money that is being spent is going places, paying soldiers and buying American made equipment. It's not as though we are buying cheap junk from China with it, or spending it on time wasting video game systems.

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