Iraq war costs more per month than Vietnam

WASHINGTON, Aug 31 (Reuters) - The U.S. war in Iraq now costs more per month than the average monthly cost of military operations in Vietnam in the 1960s and 1970s, according to a report issued on Wednesday.

The report, entitled "The Iraq Quagmire" from the Institute for Policy Studies and Foreign Policy in Focus, both liberal, anti-war organizations, put the cost of current operations in Iraq at $5.6 billion per month. This breaks down to almost $186 million a day.

"By comparison, the average cost of U.S. operations in Vietnam over the eight-year war was $5.1 billion per month, adjusting for inflation," it said.

As a proportion of gross domestic product, the Vietnam War was more significant, costing 12 percent of annual GDP, compared to 2 percent for the Iraq War. However, economists said the Iraq war is being financed with deficit spending and may nearly double the projected federal budget deficit over the next 10 years.

The U.S. Congress has approved four spending bills for Iraq so far with funds totaling $204.4 billion and is expected soon to authorize a further $45.3 billion.

"Broken down per person in the United States, the cost so far is $727, making the Iraq War the most expensive military effort in the past 60 years," wrote authors Phyllis Bennis and Erik Leaver.

Source:
Reuters

Interesting no?

5.6 billion $ per month.

That's almost 186 million $ a day.

I wonder whats next...

Interesting no?

5.6 billion $ per month.

That's almost 186 million $ a day.

I wonder whats next...

What’s it to you? Its not your taxes so don’t worry about it. Rebuilding a nation isn’t cheap.


[edit on 31-8-2005 by WestPoint23]

Originally posted by WestPoint23
What’s it to you? Its not your taxes so don’t worry about it. Rebuilding a nation isn’t cheap.

Nice to know that some people are making Big Bucks out of this so-called Liberation.

And it's not You or Me....

Nice to know that some people are making Big Bucks out of this so-called Liberation.

And it's not You or Me....

Someone has to do the work, its not going to get done by itself.

Originally posted by WestPoint23

Nice to know that some people are making Big Bucks out of this so-called Liberation.

And it's not You or Me....

Someone has to do the work, its not going to get done by itself.

Sure.

Somebody has to "Pick up all the Money Laying Around" Right?

Why not the ultra filthy rich war pigs?

Somebody has to "Pick up all the Money Laying Around" Right?

Why not the ultra filthy rich war pigs?

Like I said someone has to do the work, if the only ones who have the resources to do it happen to be rich I don’t care, it doesn’t matter who it is as long as they rebuild Iraq.

I dont know where you get your information souljah but it is biased as hell,i dont think its that clear cut. Yes, there are greed and other things involved but hopefully people laundering money will be prosecuted.

Originally posted by WestPoint23
Like I said someone has to do the work, if the only ones who have the resources to do it happen to be rich I don’t care, it doesn’t matter who it is as long as they rebuild Iraq.

Yes ofcourse - that's why the Military Budget of the US is Recrod High - so the greedy war profiteers can get the piece of that pie. Why do you think corporate directors are politicians today?







The War in Iraq Costs the United States

$191,260,395,448

Instead, we could have fully funded global anti-hunger efforts for 7 years.

Instead, we could have fully funded world-wide AIDS programs for 19 years.

Instead, we could have ensured that every child in the world was given basic immunizations for 63 years.

But - NOOoooo! Boys wanna play Cowboys and Indians.

When are WE - as Humanity - Gonna Learn?

When its TOO LATE?

Originally posted by Souljah

$191,260,395,448

Instead, we could have fully funded global anti-hunger efforts for 7 years.

Instead, we could have fully funded world-wide AIDS programs for 19 years.

Instead, we could have ensured that every child in the world was given basic immunizations for 63 years.

But - NOOoooo! Boys wanna play Cowboys and Indians.

When are WE - as Humanity - Gonna Learn?

When its TOO LATE?

Who the hell is WE? I believe these are american tax dollars. You want to fund anti-hunger and aids programs, YOU donate the money.

With respect Souljah you say we could have done this and that but the question is , why would we do it?
Because its right?
Because its the moraly right thing to do?

The UK spends 8% of its budget on defence, 8 percent compared to the NHS's 43% now tell me, how can we help people more by not spending that much money on defence?

Originally posted by devilwasp
With respect Souljah you say we could have done this and that but the question is , why would we do it?
Because its right?
Because its the moraly right thing to do?

The UK spends 8% of its budget on defence, 8 percent compared to the NHS's 43% now tell me, how can we help people more by not spending that much money on defence?

Hmmm...

Are you seriously Asking me that?

How about increasing Education, Health, Social Services and all other areas which don't get enough Money at all?

By looking at this Pie Charts it's much too OBVIOUS who is the No.1 Military Empire on this Planet and where the Billions of Dollars go, when this Money should go to the people who really need it.

Or do we need more Tanks? More Aircraft? More Warships? More Nuclear Bombs? More Weapons to blow ourselves UP?

Yes - Apparently YOU PEOPLE need more of that.

So Children in Africa will get their first gun when they are 12 and start killing people.

Yes, that's what we need.

[edit on 31/8/05 by Souljah]

what I want to know is how many died in Vietnam in the frist 2 years as compared to in Iraq..I asked that somewhere else on this site but was conveniently ignored..

in reality, i see those percentages increasing in the future. i would like to see some of that money allocated in other, more needed sectors but the U.S. is so deep in military funding it's just going to increase it. unless we get a new leader or the climate changes to that of one that military funding doesn't have to be close to half of what we are spending our money on.

i believe souljah isn't trying to demonize the u.s., just pointing out it's horrible habits which in turn effects each and everyone of us. how can you make something better if you don't point out the flaws?

Originally posted by Souljah
Interesting no?

5.6 billion $ per month.

The 5.6 bill compared to Vietnam 5.1 bill is not an accurate comparison. Your talking 1960's dollar figures bub. You also seem to be ignorant of Iraq's debt of approx $120 billion owed to foreign countries, that has been forgiven, based on U.S. footwork

This angers me so much, it’s our money we can do with it whatever we want. The problem in Africa or the rest of the world is not my fault, and I should pay for it because it’s the right thing to do??? Give me a freaking break! If we want to sped more on our DoD bugged so what? Mind your business!

Originally posted by Daedalus3
what I want to know is how many died in Vietnam in the frist 2 years as compared to in Iraq..I asked that somewhere else on this site but was conveniently ignored..

Interesting Question, and I really don't know the answer how many died in the first 2 years - all I got was the total number.

Of the Americans, 58,226 were killed in action or classified as missing in action. A further 153,303 Americans were wounded to give total casualties of 211,529.

...on the Other Side...

Vietnam's Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs released figures on April 3, 1995, reporting that 1.1 million fighters—Viet Cong guerrillas and North Vietnamese soldiers—and nearly 2 million civilians in the north and the south were killed between 1954 and 1975. Other figures run as high as 4 million civilian casualties with 1 million casualties being NVA or VC fighters. Robert McNamara, in his regretful memoir of the war, references a figure of 3.2 million.

en.wikipedia.org...

How sad to see people that are still in denial when it comes to Iraq and its deadly repercussions to our economy, our wallets and our inner structure.

Yes our "TAX" payer money is been diverted not to the most needed in our own soil but to fight a religious ideology and a crusade.

Who benefit from it, everybody but the American tax payer.

Great thread.

Lets see who is going to forward the money for the destruction in the south.

Our country still have the biggest battler to fight yet, our own natural disaster. Let see how Mr. Bush is going to handle the financial burden of the reconstruction of cites.

As generous as he has been to Iraq he should have not problem with our own nation.

Bottom line we are paying for all the US generosity to Iraq.

Originally posted by WestPoint23
This angers me so much, it’s our money we can do with it whatever we want. The problem in Africa or the rest of the world is not my fault, and I should pay for it because it’s the right thing to do??? Give me a freaking break! If we want to sped more on our DoD bugged so what? Mind your business!

Well - Why does YOUR Goverment then stick your nose into "Other People's Business" when they want to? The Problems of Africa are not YOURS to solve - but problems of the People of the Middle East are? Hmmmm... Such Hypochrisy. I guess their Lives are not worth saving and they can die in that Prison Continent called Africa.

[edit on 31/8/05 by Souljah]

Lets see who is going to forward the money for the destruction in the south.

Our country still have the biggest battler to fight yet, our own natural disaster. Let see how Mr. Bush is going to handle the financial burden of the reconstruction of cites.

As generous as he has been to Iraq he should have not problem with our own nation.

Bottom line we are paying for all the US generosity to Iraq.

We made thee mess in Iraq we should be the ones to clean it up, hence why were paying for it.
Anyway the money that’s ne

Well - Why does YOUR Goverment then stick your nose into "Other People's Business" when they want to? The Problems of Africa are not YOURS to solve - but problems of the People of the Middle East are? Hmmmm... Such Hypochrisy. I guess their Lives are not worth saving and they can die in that Prison Continent called Africa.

If it was up to me we would have never gone into Iraq because frankly, I don’t really care for their liberation. But now we’re there and we have to clean up our mess. We should not get involved in Africa any more than we already are.