Today's Article
For the false war of
Iraq, the loss of even
one American life
--or one American
dollar--is the loss of
one too many.
Iraq, the loss of even
one American life
--or one American
dollar--is the loss of
one too many.
The American Spark
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Budget Office Says War Costs Could Hit $2.4 Trillion By 2017
By Cliff Montgomery - Nov. 6th, 2007
Even if two out of every three American soldiers were removed from Iraq and Afghanistan, the final financial
cost of these deployments to American taxpayers may hit $2.4 trillion within a decade, stated the
Congressional Budget Office (CBO) in late October.
This cost projection, created for the House Budget Committee, includes:
Linda Bilmes, a Harvard public policy instructor, testified to the House Budget panel in late October that
America's final economic cost from lost lives, lost earnings potential and continued care for injured vets, as well
as increased oil prices and similar economic impacts created by the deployments, may add over $1 trillion to
the CBO estimate--creating a final loss of $3.7 trillion to taxpayers.
Another witness, Congressional Research Service defense specialist Amy Belasco, presented final numbers
which essentially tallied with those found in the CBO audit. But, she added, the annual cost of the two
deployments are now more than double what it was three years ago.
The three witnesses each protested the Bush Administration's misuse of emergency supplementals to pay for
these deployments, rather than employing the ordinary budget process.
The immediacy of the supplemental process keeps the American public and Congress from asking our Duce
pesky questions about these high spending requests--and it allows the Pentagon to use our taxpayer dollars
for expenditures not actually related to the Iraq and Afghanistan deployments, they added.
"It is difficult to understand why, five years into the war, we are still funding it largely in this manner," remarked
Bilmes.
The CBO estimate was requested by House Budget Chairman John Spratt (D-SC). Spratt joined the
witnesses in pointing out the rather under-handed guile of employing unchecked deficit spending and shadowy
supplementals to pay for the deployments.
Spratt also was appalled at the staggering projected cost of the deployments. But, he continued, "the dearest
price has been paid" by over 4,200 dead service members and over 35,000 troops who have been wounded.
Budget ranking member Paul Ryan (R-WI), did not question the CBO estimates, but decided neo-conservative
fallacies of logic would be better employed elsewhere to deny his administration's mess.
Ryan crowed that the costs of Bush's two deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan where low if one --for no
apparent reason--measured them by the segment of the gross national product being used for defense-
related spending, and also are low if we--again for no apparent reason--compared them to previous conflicts.
No doubt this is true, Mr. Ryan--no doubt, this amount is very low indeed when compared to the total amount of
money every person who has ever lived has ever made in the sum of their lifetimes...but it doesn't keep $2.4
trillion from being a breath-taking amount of money by any logical person's standard, regardless of the fallacy
of distraction you may use to make it falsely appear otherwise.
And when you can't verify where trillions of taxpayer dollars will be going--will they be spent on the
deployments, or will they not?--you demand answers, unless you don't deserve to be a representative of the
American people.
Oh, and as an addition to this retort, for all neo-cons--cease and desist comparing Iraq to America's real wars.
Most of our past wars were actual wars, based on actual evidence. Afghanistan may fit your strained analogy,
neo-conservatives--but Iraq isn't even close.
When we're discussing a false war based on fraud and deceit, the loss of even one American life --or one
American dollar--is the loss of one too many.
Like what you're reading so far? Then why not order a full year (52 issues) of the The American Spark e-
newsletter for only $15? A major article covering an story not being told in the Corporate Press will be
delivered to your email every Monday morning for a full year, for less than 30 cents an issue. Order Now!
By Cliff Montgomery - Nov. 6th, 2007
Even if two out of every three American soldiers were removed from Iraq and Afghanistan, the final financial
cost of these deployments to American taxpayers may hit $2.4 trillion within a decade, stated the
Congressional Budget Office (CBO) in late October.
This cost projection, created for the House Budget Committee, includes:
- All presumed repairs or replacements of damaged equipment;
- Final projected costs of the U.S. military and the Veterans Affairs Department for medical care of the
nation's injured or disabled troops; and
- Up to $415 billion in accrued interest on our national debt, from deficit spending needed to pay for
simultaneous military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan, said CBO Director Peter Orszag.
Linda Bilmes, a Harvard public policy instructor, testified to the House Budget panel in late October that
America's final economic cost from lost lives, lost earnings potential and continued care for injured vets, as well
as increased oil prices and similar economic impacts created by the deployments, may add over $1 trillion to
the CBO estimate--creating a final loss of $3.7 trillion to taxpayers.
Another witness, Congressional Research Service defense specialist Amy Belasco, presented final numbers
which essentially tallied with those found in the CBO audit. But, she added, the annual cost of the two
deployments are now more than double what it was three years ago.
The three witnesses each protested the Bush Administration's misuse of emergency supplementals to pay for
these deployments, rather than employing the ordinary budget process.
The immediacy of the supplemental process keeps the American public and Congress from asking our Duce
pesky questions about these high spending requests--and it allows the Pentagon to use our taxpayer dollars
for expenditures not actually related to the Iraq and Afghanistan deployments, they added.
"It is difficult to understand why, five years into the war, we are still funding it largely in this manner," remarked
Bilmes.
The CBO estimate was requested by House Budget Chairman John Spratt (D-SC). Spratt joined the
witnesses in pointing out the rather under-handed guile of employing unchecked deficit spending and shadowy
supplementals to pay for the deployments.
Spratt also was appalled at the staggering projected cost of the deployments. But, he continued, "the dearest
price has been paid" by over 4,200 dead service members and over 35,000 troops who have been wounded.
Budget ranking member Paul Ryan (R-WI), did not question the CBO estimates, but decided neo-conservative
fallacies of logic would be better employed elsewhere to deny his administration's mess.
Ryan crowed that the costs of Bush's two deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan where low if one --for no
apparent reason--measured them by the segment of the gross national product being used for defense-
related spending, and also are low if we--again for no apparent reason--compared them to previous conflicts.
No doubt this is true, Mr. Ryan--no doubt, this amount is very low indeed when compared to the total amount of
money every person who has ever lived has ever made in the sum of their lifetimes...but it doesn't keep $2.4
trillion from being a breath-taking amount of money by any logical person's standard, regardless of the fallacy
of distraction you may use to make it falsely appear otherwise.
And when you can't verify where trillions of taxpayer dollars will be going--will they be spent on the
deployments, or will they not?--you demand answers, unless you don't deserve to be a representative of the
American people.
Oh, and as an addition to this retort, for all neo-cons--cease and desist comparing Iraq to America's real wars.
Most of our past wars were actual wars, based on actual evidence. Afghanistan may fit your strained analogy,
neo-conservatives--but Iraq isn't even close.
When we're discussing a false war based on fraud and deceit, the loss of even one American life --or one
American dollar--is the loss of one too many.
Like what you're reading so far? Then why not order a full year (52 issues) of the The American Spark e-
newsletter for only $15? A major article covering an story not being told in the Corporate Press will be
delivered to your email every Monday morning for a full year, for less than 30 cents an issue. Order Now!