| The Three Trillion Dollar War By Joseph Stiglitz & Linda Bilmes |
The Trillion Dollar War: The True Cost of the Iraq Conflict
"The cost of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts have grown to staggering proportions"
-Article on AlterNet: The Three Trillion Dollar War
*********************
C-SPAN had an interview with Columbia University Professor Joseph Stiglitz on their March 1, 2008 early morning show. Below are some of the highlights of the interview:
The Professor said he estimates the cost of the war, by 2017, will be "three trillion dollars" and that is a "vastly conservative figure." He said it is the only war that is "completely financed by deficit spending." He believes "the only winners in the war are oil companies and independent contractors." While soldiers make about $40,000 to $50,000, contractors like "Blackwater security guards can make as much as $400,000 per year." The professor went on to say that insurance doesn't pay when soldiers are killed in hostile fire so the government picks up the cost; it is difficult to figure out what the actual costs are since the government doesn't list all fatalities or injuries. This war has recruited very young people, and that means some of these people will need support for many years to come. "We will be paying for the next 50 years for families and veterans." By diverting the war from Afghanistan to Iraq, this has led to more terrorism. We have gone from spending $25 billion to $12 billion per month. The president did not level with the American people. A democracy is more than an election.
A caller called in to the show and asked: "As an American, can I sue this guy, Bush?"
Source:
C-SPAN
On AlterNet: The Three Trillion Dollar War
On Amazon
_____________________________
Joy R. Cullum
March 1, 2008
|
|
