War with Iraq: who pays?

[ruri]

I heard on the radio at work this morning that a war with Iraq will cost in the neighborhood of $200 billions, in addition to the $250 billions we spent every year on defense. A Tomahawk cruise missile costs a cool $1 million each, as an example.

So the question I had was who is going to pay for that?

With the $1.5 trillions tax-cut, a stagnant (or even recession) economy and the homeland security cost, I wanted to know how Bush & company planned to pay for all of this?

My guess is he'll just spend whatever it takes to wage his little war, and let the next generation, MY generation, foot the bill.

Here's a sobbering set of statistics for all of you:

Last year, we paid $332 billion in interest payments on our $6.2 trillion deficit. That's just interest payment alone!

14 cents out of every $1 in tax is used to service the interest payment.

The interest payment accounts for more spending than the Department of Defense budget. It is greater than the Department of Agriculture, Energy and Education combined. As a spending item, it is only 2nd to Heatlh & Human Services.

source: http://www.federalbudget.com/

It has been estimated that with this war and the way the economy is going, by 2010, 1 out of every 5 cents in tax will be needed to pay the interest payments.

To me, that cost is a greater threat to America's way of life than any terrorists organization.

I'm all for going to war if the cause is just, but I also wanted to know who's going to pay for it.

I proposed that the government imposed a war tax to pay for the war. THEN we'll see how much Americans support the effort.

[ECA]

Want more Stats...
WWI we rebuilt most the major cities and GAVE most of the Europen countries money to rebuild...WHY?
WWII....SAME thing... Including Japan and a few of the pacific Islands. WHY?

These were considered Loans..
Only one country has ever paid us back.

NOW out your info, WHERE has all the Debt come from. Our government wont tell us. WHY??

In the Ideal of DEBT... WE dont owe no body, and they dont OWE us. There is NO Debt. The problem they cal this DEBT, is that the government BORROWS for one source or another(from inside the government it self, Social sec. is one source) to pay for another section of Governement. Another problem is that the RICH people in our Government dont have knowledge of BASIC buying. What would you pay for a Hammer. $10-30 Right? They pay $200-2000 for the SAME hammer. WHY??
The FBI, recently did a Resource invantory. They hadnt looked to see what they had in materials for over 5 years. They found they had LOST 300 laptops. NOW, think, 300 laptops, NOT the cheap ones, Not the ones with basic software.. Probably about $5000-7000 EACH($1,500,000-2,100,000)... WHAT company do you know of, would let this happen. To loose 300 laptops, And not do an invantory of there location for 5 YEARS.
Lets look at it another way... What is the cost of living in Wash. DC.... BARE living is $100,000. And I dont know many living at that level, that WORK in the area of Wash. DC. Average wage for MOST is $140k-200k and that AINT upper management.

[llbbl]

I think it is time we cut our losses and GTFO of Iraq. Bush needs to wake to the anti-american sentiment spreading through that country everyday we still have a major force in THEIR country.

A senior Iraqi oil ministry official is gunned down in Baghdad. Insurgents have stepped up attacks since an interim Iraqi government was installed. Despite the violence, Iraqi and U.S. officials say the country is making progress in the rebuilding process.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...toryId=4657678

He should have just left the country in chaos and let them figure it out for themselves. Any progress we are appearing to make at this point is just counter productive. How much longer will we have our army in Iraq? Well at least another 3 years. Let us all pray for the American people to have some sense in the next election.

[llbbl]

Lets send some more republicans to fight and die in this stupid war, that way there will be less of them to vote! It is like the Christian right is on some holy war the way they have all have mobilized and supported the commander and chief. If this country is to survive we need to work on being more inclusive of other religions.

The Pentagon was made aware three years ago that US personnel might have been desecrating or mishandling Korans at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp in Cuba, the International Committee of the Red Cross says.

Credible information on the issue had been given to the Pentagon in confidential reports in 2002 and early 2003, Simon Schorno, a Red Cross spokesman, said. Representatives of the Red Cross, who have played a key role in investigating abuse allegations at Guantanamo Bay and other US military prisons, had never witnessed such incidents first-hand during visits, but Red Cross delegates had gathered and corroborated enough similar, independent reports from detainees to raise the issue several times with Guantanamo commanders and with Pentagon officials, Mr Schorno said on Wednesday.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/Red...?oneclick=true

The fact that The United States has a negative image in the Muslim world is no surprise. Whether one agrees with the war in Iraq or not, the perception of America as imperialist and arrogant is unavoidable. The media in our country works as an important conduit in disseminating news about the war and usually reports in an impartial and objective manner. The current controversy regarding Newsweek’s error concerning Koran abuse is an anomaly and should be treated as such. Not as an excuse for the administration to pressure independent media to toe the government line.

http://www.bayoubuzz.com/articles.aspx?aid=3985

[ECA]

I would like the Major Gov players to NOT get any wages until the war is over...LET them pay for what they started..

[brianj]

Originally Posted by TecknoGeek

Lets send some more republicans to fight and die in this stupid war, that way there will be less of them to vote! It is like the Christian right is on some holy war the way they have all have mobilized and supported the commander and chief. If this country is to survive we need to work on being more inclusive of other religions.

Well, I'm a republican and also fought in the 1st Iraqi war (Desert Storm vet)...sorry I didn't die TG, I'll try better next time ...just remember it is the republicans..and democrats who died to make it possible for you to say that online without the threat of someone from the government busting into your house and putting a bullet in your head -- like in Iraq. Freedom is never free, and we in the United States are willing to pay the price so other less fortunate people in foreign countries may experience this.

I guess when the World Trade Center was bombed we should have just curled up into a corner and cried ourselves to sleep, praying that the 'bad man' would go away. The we could all go ito couseling and discuss it, writing letters to those responsible saying we forgave them.

Turning the other cheek only works in fairy tales. Usually what happens is you get kicked in the balls when expecting the second slap in the face. I usually don't say **** about all the republican bashing on this forum, but it's getting pretty old.

[ECA]

Ahhh, I like that..
But,
Why did we have to go to War in Iraq this time?? There wasnt anything going on.

Do you know what lead upto the bombings in the US, and why they did them in the first place?? I dont think they TOLD you what happened to cause it.

The Afghans were BACKED by the US, in there fight with Russia. For 10 years we helped them with 1 promise. That when it was over, we would help rebuild. Can you guess who was in office when they ASKED us to rebuild?? Bush Senior.
Can you guess his answer, even tho the russian Governmant had fallen? he said NO!

for the cost of rebuilding 1- 3rd world nation we went to War..
Then some ODD-BALL said that Iraq Again, had weapons of MASS destruction..
And with a few pictures, and NO PROOF. We then continued into another nation.

This is funny as we setup Marcos, and 90% of the Governments in the pacific, and even a cuban dictator and aint done SQUAT to help those people against what WE DID.

Its like the worries of N. Vietnam..
I AINT worried about the nukes, I worry about ICBM's(intercontinental balistic missles).
Nukes are easy, and 1/2 the middle east has them.. Its if they can REACH us, I worry about.
I HOPE that any international airport SHOULD be able to detect a Nuke device going threw there gates.
It would also be nice if EVERY international airport and border, have an international listing of Visa's and passports. I wouldnt let ANYTHING/anyone land that didnt.
such an easy fix for an OLd problem.

[VeX]

Originally Posted by brianj

Freedom is never free, and we in the United States are willing to pay the price so other less fortunate people in foreign countries may experience this.

HAhahaha! This really made me laugh!! You actually want to say that USA fougth the war for the well-being of people in Iraq!?! And not for that black fossil fuel called OIL!?!? HA! That's a off-the-scale hipocricy!!

Originally Posted by brianj

I guess when the World Trade Center was bombed we should have just curled up into a corner and cried ourselves to sleep, praying that the 'bad man' would go away. The we could all go ito couseling and discuss it, writing letters to those responsible saying we forgave them.

Turning the other cheek only works in fairy tales. Usually what happens is you get kicked in the balls when expecting the second slap in the face. I usually don't say **** about all the republican bashing on this forum, but it's getting pretty old.

I don't know about the WTC, but it has been proven that AMericans crashed the plane on Pentagon themselves just as an excuse so they could bomb Afganistan!

[ECA]

If you REALLY look at it...what did Iraqs leader do...
He kept the religious fanatics OUT.
WE opened a VOID, and it is NOW trying to be filled by NUTS, who want that country for there OWN purposes. Mostly to wage war on US/WE.
So what he was a PAIN. He was also a STOP-GAP for those who wanted another RELIGIOUS state. If some religious NUT gets in there, it will be a massacre of all the other religions there.
another
Saudi arabia
chetnia(sp)
Afghanistan
sudan
and others...

[brianj]

Originally Posted by VeX

HAhahaha! This really made me laugh!! You actually want to say that USA fougth the war for the well-being of people in Iraq!?! And not for that black fossil fuel called OIL!?!? HA! That's a off-the-scale hipocricy!!

I'm glad that you find the expendeture of American lives and my duty to my country laughable, VeX. Maybe you are right. Maybe we SHOULD start just plowing into these smaller middle east countries and raping them of all their resources. We certainly have the power to do so, and at least then we would deserve the publicity from it - while sitting back and drinking from golden cups instead of trying to establish a Democratic state. It's not that we are trying to establish DEMOCRACY, for that is just a word. It's what Democracy stands for - freedom. You know what that is, right? Being that your country wasn't exactly rainbows and cupcakes in the past.

Originally Posted by VeX

I don't know about the WTC, but it has been proven that AMericans crashed the plane on Pentagon themselves just as an excuse so they could bomb Afganistan!

You need to get with that idiot who kept saying we weren't in Baghdad's city limits while you saw tanks rolling in the background...Yer both on the same wavelength. This has got to be second dumbess suggestion I have heard in regards to the war since it started.

This is what I think America should do:

1) Seal our borders. Screw the world. You want top-notch medical or industrial training? Tuff ****...go someplace else. Your not welcome. This also pertains to flights and ships into/out of the country. Exceptions perhaps going to our allies who have stood shoulder to shoulder with us. Australia and the UK come to mind at the top of the list (forgive me if I don't mention the others....you know who you are, and we appreciate your support).

2) Deport ALL non-nationals (may need to take #1 into consideration on a case by case basis on this one as well). On a Visa here? Not any more! See ya.

3) Keep our noses out of all future world problems so that all the left wing liberals have nothing to ***** about any more (Ya, I'm sure they can find something else). What? Your dictator is gassing your people? Dissentary and disease running rampant in your country? Need medical/food/clean water/money to rebuild? Tough...not our problem. The money we save could be placed into alternative fuel sources like sunflower oil or windmills or whatever.

4) Cut off all trade with the outside world. This includes exporting as well as importing. Believe me, the outside world (ie - YOU VeX) needs us MUCH more than we need another Dollar Store item - I never did like the prizes inside of the Cracker Jack boxes to begin with, even when I was a little kid.

Ya, maybe we bit off more than we could chew acting like the 'World Police' and sh1t, but SOMEONE needed to do it and obviously the US is the only one with balls big enough (or actually cared enough) to take it on. So I will close my post with one word..

'whatever'