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There's some chance lawmakers may opt to pay the bill as it comes due, rather than letting the balance and interest accrue. It's not the first time the idea has come up, but it may be the first time the idea is given serious consideration.
The White House estimates a troop increase will cost $1 billion a year for every 1,000 troops. So if Obama chooses to increase troops by as much as 40,000, that's $40 billion a year. That would be on top of the costs incurred for the troops and operations already on the ground, including the costs of any draw down in Iraq.
David Obey, D-Wis., chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, and other leading Democratic congressmen who have proposed a graduated war surtax beginning in 2011 to pay for U.S. military efforts going forward. The amount of tax collected would have to be sufficient to cover the full war costs of the previous year.
"Regardless of whether one favors the war or not, if it is to be fought, it ought to be paid for," Obey said in a statement. "The only people who've paid any price for our military involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan are our military families."
if the cost of the Afghan war isn't paid for it will "wipe out every other initiative that we have to try to rebuild our own economy."
On the merits I think it is a mistake to deepen our involvement. But if we are going to do that then at least we ought to pay for it because if we don't, if we don't pay for it, then the the costs of the Afghan war will wipe out every other initiative that we have to have to rebuild our economy. That's what happened with the Vietnam War which wiped out the Great Society. That's what happened with the Korea War that wiped out Harry Truman's Square Deal. That's what happened to the progressive movement back before the 20s when we went into World War I. In each case costs of those wars shut off the ability to afford anything else.
Originally posted by CoffinFeeder
reply to post by LadySkadi
ther eis a simple way to finance all this debt, and the war and all other debts in short order.. the immediate revolkation of any tax protections on church and religious services. once we start getting these essentially deadbeat churches to stop filling their coffers with out money tax free, the quicker we can get back on our feet.