Still think the war in Iraq is a good thing for democracy and peace? How about the effect it's going to have on our economy?Marie Antoinette over at Let Them Eat Cake points out that after all is said and done with this War on Terr, the costs to us will be somewhere in the area of two trillion dollars.
This ungodly amount - derived from analysis from professors from Columbia (Joseph Stiglitz) and Harvard (Linda Bilmes) - accounts for certain long-term costs that the Bush Administration, in their creative accounting, decidedly leaves out, such as long-term health care for veterans. From the BBC:
Professor Stiglitz says 20% of injured US personnel have brain injuries, 6% have had amputations and another 20% have other serious injuries.Of course, the White House hasn't commented.
On the strength of evidence from previous conflicts, he said, still others will have various health and mental problems in the future.
There will be disability pay and health care costs to the US budget that will continue for several decades.
His figures also include the loss to the economy from injured people being unable to contribute as productively as they would otherwise have done.
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2 comments:
Actually, Mags, the White House has commented ...
Any discussion against the Iraq policy is helping the enemy.
So, you're apparently working for "the enemy".
Recall, by the way, that rationale is also used for illegal wiretaps...
It's just a continuation of their demonization of anyone who disagrees with them.
"You're either with us or you're with the terrorists."
No wonder there are so many wingers out there who want to string us up just for beng not-Republicans.
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