The cost of war

September 20, 2006 11:45 AM

National Priorities Project for what its worth...
posted by hard rain (17 comments total)

for what its worth

Apparently it's $316,121,103,550 and counting.

What a depressing mood that just put me in.
posted by quin at 11:55 AM on September 20, 2006

Turn off javascript and try again. It'll cheer you right up.
posted by landis at 12:13 PM on September 20, 2006

Don't forget that much of that money is not simply leaving the country, never to return, but making some americans very rich. Many of the fat cats benefiting from this money pay taxes and buy things.
posted by ae4rv at 12:14 PM on September 20, 2006

Many of the fat cats benefiting from this money pay taxes and buy things.

1. Start a war
2. Get the rich to reconstruct
3. ????
4. Poor people profit!
posted by Terminal Verbosity at 12:49 PM on September 20, 2006

Hmm. Over $217,000,000 from New Orleans. I really can't think of any other way that money could be spent, can you?
posted by brundlefly at 1:11 PM on September 20, 2006

This is what happens when you let someone else spend your money.
posted by hoverboards don't work on water at 1:16 PM on September 20, 2006

Many of the fat cats benefiting from this money pay taxes and buy things.

Actually no, they're not. Unlike us mere mortals, these guys have the means to avoid paying taxes both legally and illegally. At the very least, they know people who know people at the IRS. That's how it works.
posted by bardic at 2:15 PM on September 20, 2006

It Will Be a Great Day When the Schools Get All the Money They Need and the Air Force Has to Hold a Bake Sale to Buy a Bomber!!!
posted by huckhound at 2:22 PM on September 20, 2006

for what it's worth! God, that is so funny!

Calculating costs with javascript is so entertaining, but does it gel with reality?
posted by parmanparman at 2:43 PM on September 20, 2006

Hopefully our FPPer was making a nice CSNY reference there.

As for ????.... I think we'd be better off collecting underpants.

It would probably better-benefit the Global War on Whatever.
posted by j-dub at 3:00 PM on September 20, 2006

Errr... Buffalo Youngfield. CS+Y. The Ungrateful Dead.

Whatever.
posted by j-dub at 3:54 PM on September 20, 2006

The numbers that site is providing are a lowball estimate, too. That's just the direct supplemental appropriations for the war, I believe, outside of the DoD budget. Columbia's Joseph Stiglitz estimated that the total direct costs to government of the war will run around $750 billion to $1.2 trillion, and that was assuming a drawdown in 2006.
posted by gsteff at 3:55 PM on September 20, 2006

i could have used one of the 15 million 4-year scholarships to a public uni.
posted by j-urb at 6:55 PM on September 20, 2006

GAAARGH!!
posted by longsleeves at 7:13 PM on September 20, 2006

This reminded me of the Iraqometer, which somewhere along the line replaced its animated running tally with cold hard data.
posted by Dr-Baa at 7:01 AM on September 21, 2006

Many of the fat cats benefiting from this money pay taxes and buy things.

Some of you didn't smell the snark. You think I'm defending this crap?
posted by ae4rv at 8:06 AM on September 21, 2006

It will be a sad day when barbarians steal our baked goodies and loot our schools because we were too stupid to buy any bombers.
posted by codswallop at 6:14 PM on September 21, 2006