Thought it is time to start a thread on this subject.
Following is an interesting collection of "Facts" ??
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How Much Does the Iraq War Really Cost America?

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.

CNN.com January 10, 2007

The New York Times January 17, 2007



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Below is a partial quote from A medical doctor on his website--
Dr. Mercola's Comment:

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.

Unquote.

These stats really point the fact that since 2003 the US has missed out on the chance to improve socially because of the war.

It would be interesting to note a fact that is not listed, Iraqis get free healthcare. Another cost to us.

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"To occupy Iraq would instantly shatter our coalition, turning the whole Arab world against us and make a broken tyrant into a latter-day hero ... assigning young soldiers to a fruitless hunt for a securely entrenched dictator and condemning them to fight
in what would be an un-winnable urban guerrilla war.
It could only plunge that part of the world into even greater instability."

A World Transformed (1998)
George Herbert Walker Bush (Dubwya's Pappy)

From what I gather, the cost is $500 billion so far.

The real question is how much money have we spent keeping dozens of bases and installations in England and Germany since the end of the Cold War? Why do we have F-15 in Iceland and England? Who are we defending Iceland against? Can anyone tell me that the English can't defend themselves and we need F-15s and other aircraft there?

At least in Iraq we are fighting a war. What are we doing in western Europe?

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