$81 billion more for Iraq.

[Dinner]

I recall a previous thread a week or two ago where a certain someone who shall not be named claimed Iraq was only costing %50 billion per year. At the time numerous sources were sited that in the 24 months since the war started any where from $300 billion to $150 billion, depending upon what you consider an Iraq expense verses a regular military expense verses an Afghanistan expense, had been spent on Iraq but now we are about to add $81 billion more to that total.

That means that since the war started in March of 2003 the total costs associated with it are between $231 billion to $381 billion (depending upon issues already mentioned) so the conservative estimate of cost is now $231 billion/2 or slightly more then $115 billion dollar per year. Does a certain someone wish to retract the claim that it "only" costs $50 billion per year?

http://www.cnn.com/2005/ALLPOLITICS/03/09/us.iraqspending.ap/index.html

[GePap]

OHHHH, a vindictive thread..gets out the popcorn...

About a month ago Stewart had a clip of the head of US AID I think, before the war began, telling the interviewer that when things were over, the war would only have cost the US 3 Billion......everyone remember how Iraq was going to be able to pay it all with its wonderful oil revenue? And yet somehow, with oil at 52 bucks a barrel, the money is hemmoraging in.

[Dinner]

BTW this total doesn't include the amount of debt relief Iraq has recieved which was in the hundreds of billions of dollars. Also oil production was cut in half due to the war, recovered to about 75%-80% then started going down again due to sabotage and 40 neglected 40 year old equipment breaking. Iraq can hardly pay for basic needs and modernization and the war effort.

Saddam, like any good Arab dictator, nationalized every business in the country worth anything because business owners tend to complain when you tax their businesses out of existance. That means there really is nothing else Iraq exports other then oil. If they spent hundreds of billions on new pipelines, holding facilities, and liquification plants they might be able to start exporting some of their natural gas but this isn't possible right now. So basically the entire national economy lives or dies based upon oil output and lately that's been going down, down, down.

[Sava]

commie oerdin

democracy in mideast... priceless

[Atahualpa]

wow that's a lot of money

[Garth Vader]

Wow, sooner or later that's going to add up to some real money!

[Whaleboy]

I bet China was screaming "Four more years!" last November

[Shi Huangdi]

We invaded Iraq, and are now responsible for rebuilding it. We need to spend whatever it takes.

[Whaleboy]

Shi: Well said

I didn't agree with the invasion and I feel vindicated, but that one should tie up ones own loose ends transcends for or against the war. Though of course, the US going cap in hand to the EU is rather amusing

[DanS]

Do we have to go through the math again? $81 billion is being appropriated for this fiscal year through September '05. The war spending started well before the war began. So the denominator is 3 years (October '02 - September '05).

Further, that $81 billion includes Afghanistan, some foreign policy giveaways, State Department construction funds, military restructuring, and a whole host of miscellaneous stuff not strictly related to Iraq.

I'm not going to post in this thread further because this has been explained to you once before. Understanding the math is not beyond your capabilities, as far as I know.

[Giancarlo]

Originally posted by DanS
Do we have to go through the math again? $81 is being appropriated for this fiscal year through September '05. The war spending started well before the war began. So the denominator is 3 years (October '02 - September '05).

Further, that $81 billion includes Afghanistan, some foreign policy giveaways, State Department construction funds, military restructuring, and a whole host of miscellaneous stuff not strictly related to Iraq.

I'm not going to post in this thread further because this has been explained to you once before. Understanding the math is not beyond your capabilities, as far as I know.

PWNED!

[Whaleboy]

But it still comes down to a great deal of expenditure directly related to the invasion of Iraq, or at least the latter is eating most of the money no?

[Giancarlo]

Originally posted by Whaleboy
But it still comes down to a great deal of expenditure directly related to the invasion of Iraq, or at least the latter is eating most of the money no?

Lets look at the basics of everything.. do you want to see Iraq get off on the right foot? Whether you like it or not, spending money to help rebuild the country is the only way to go. I think it is important as the developed world that we care about Iraqis and Afghanis.. pitching in. Of course the US always flips most of the bill..

[Whaleboy]

I'm not saying they shouldn't, I just find the financial side interesting and hopefully prohibitive to any future adventures. Iraq needs rebuilding and it would be unwise for US+UK troops to leave before Iraq can handle itself, democratic or otherwise. I'm opposed to the US, UK or other nations initially involved asking others to foot part of the bill because irrespective of the rights and wrongs it's their responsibility.

EDIT: Comma overload

[Giancarlo]

Originally posted by Whaleboy
I'm not saying they shouldn't, I just find the financial side interesting, and hopefully prohibitive to any future adventures. Iraq needs rebuilding and it would be unwise for US+UK troops to leave before Iraq can handle itself, democratic or otherwise. I'm opposed to the US, UK, or other nations initially involved asking others to foot part of the bill, because irrespective of the rights and wrongs, it's their responsibility.

Well it is very expensive and we are just going to have to flip the bill one way or the other. Of course the United States is flipping most of the bill.. I would like to request that nations that didn't participate in the war or that were even against it help.. out of the kindness of their hearts and only think about the Iraqi people. Even if you are against the Iraq war, would you as a person help support the Iraqi people in some form like a charity of some sort?