Comments on: Cost of War Reaches $450 Billion http://themoderatevoice.com/14421/cost-of-war-reaches-450-billion/ An Internet hub with domestic and international news, analysis, original reporting, and popular features from the left, center, indies, centrists, moderates, and right Mon, 28 May 2012 05:56:38 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 By: pacatrue http://themoderatevoice.com/14421/cost-of-war-reaches-450-billion/comment-page-1/#comment-94186 pacatrue Tue, 07 Aug 2007 22:34:57 +0000 http://themoderatevoice.com/war/14421/cost-of-war-reaches-450-billion/#comment-94186 Speaking of these issues, one way I have so far been disappointed in virtually all the candidates is in their seeming complete lack of serious interest in paying down the debt. Democrats want to let the Bush tax cuts go and hope things work out from that alone. Republicans are all over the place, it seems. Does anyone know of a good site that takes a look at the various candidates's position on budgetary matters, balanced or otherwise, with the pros and cons? Speaking of these issues, one way I have so far been disappointed in virtually all the candidates is in their seeming complete lack of serious interest in paying down the debt. Democrats want to let the Bush tax cuts go and hope things work out from that alone. Republicans are all over the place, it seems. Does anyone know of a good site that takes a look at the various candidates’s position on budgetary matters, balanced or otherwise, with the pros and cons?

]]> By: Gray http://themoderatevoice.com/14421/cost-of-war-reaches-450-billion/comment-page-1/#comment-94169 Gray Tue, 07 Aug 2007 21:02:07 +0000 http://themoderatevoice.com/war/14421/cost-of-war-reaches-450-billion/#comment-94169 "!The money could just as well be used to further more fiscally conservative causes such as paying down the national debt, reforming social security, or exacting further tax cuts." Uh, no! This would be irresponsible. Remember, this isn't money the US earn but that they borrow, from the Chinese, among others. The only right thing is stopping to spend it. “!The money could just as well be used to further more fiscally conservative causes such as paying down the national debt, reforming social security, or exacting further tax cuts.”

Uh, no! This would be irresponsible. Remember, this isn’t money the US earn but that they borrow, from the Chinese, among others. The only right thing is stopping to spend it.

]]> By: Nick Rivera http://themoderatevoice.com/14421/cost-of-war-reaches-450-billion/comment-page-1/#comment-94165 Nick Rivera Tue, 07 Aug 2007 20:52:41 +0000 http://themoderatevoice.com/war/14421/cost-of-war-reaches-450-billion/#comment-94165 The point of me linking to NPP is not to suggest that the money we're spending in Iraq should instead be going into public housing, public education, or health care. The money could just as well be used to further more fiscally conservative causes such as paying down the national debt, reforming social security, or exacting further tax cuts. The point is that the Iraq War—like any government program—costs money. And while I don’t think American foreign policy should be dictated by popular opinion, I believe that American taxpayers have every right to demand that their taxpayer dollars not be spent on a war which is not improving our national security. Every hour that we spending debating whether the surge has been successful or whether we should set a deadline for withdrawal, $12 million of taxpayer dollars is spent nation-building in Iraq. When you go to Las Vegas with $6,000 and manage to blow off $3,000 of it, the rational response is to stop to consider whether that remaining $3,000 might better be saved or invested in some other enterprise and realize that if you continue to gamble, there’s a very high likelihood that you’ll end up losing the remaining $3,000 as well. It is not rational, on the other hand, to continue gambling under the assumption that if you quit now, the first $3,000 will have been lost in vain or that the odds of recovering that $3,000 is in your favor. The American people have worked hard to achieve what money they have, and it is not fair to ask them to continue to fritter away their hard-earned money on some utopian fantasy cooked up in some neoconservative thinktank. The point is that the Iraq War--like any government program The point of me linking to NPP is not to suggest that the money we’re spending in Iraq should instead be going into public housing, public education, or health care. The money could just as well be used to further more fiscally conservative causes such as paying down the national debt, reforming social security, or exacting further tax cuts.

The point is that the Iraq War—like any government program—costs money. And while I don’t think American foreign policy should be dictated by popular opinion, I believe that American taxpayers have every right to demand that their taxpayer dollars not be spent on a war which is not improving our national security.

Every hour that we spending debating whether the surge has been successful or whether we should set a deadline for withdrawal, $12 million of taxpayer dollars is spent nation-building in Iraq.

When you go to Las Vegas with $6,000 and manage to blow off $3,000 of it, the rational response is to stop to consider whether that remaining $3,000 might better be saved or invested in some other enterprise and realize that if you continue to gamble, there’s a very high likelihood that you’ll end up losing the remaining $3,000 as well.

It is not rational, on the other hand, to continue gambling under the assumption that if you quit now, the first $3,000 will have been lost in vain or that the odds of recovering that $3,000 is in your favor.

The American people have worked hard to achieve what money they have, and it is not fair to ask them to continue to fritter away their hard-earned money on some utopian fantasy cooked up in some neoconservative thinktank.

The point is that the Iraq War–like any government program

]]> By: domajot http://themoderatevoice.com/14421/cost-of-war-reaches-450-billion/comment-page-1/#comment-94164 domajot Tue, 07 Aug 2007 20:46:25 +0000 http://themoderatevoice.com/war/14421/cost-of-war-reaches-450-billion/#comment-94164 Mikkel said: I’m not normally one to say “if not for the Iraq wa] then we’d be able to fund such and such” I --------- I haven;t said it much, but I've thought about it a lot. The link is fascinating and illustrates how pedestrian the talk in Washington about new technologies is. We're way behind many countries in innovating in order to deal with the demand for fuel and other areas, as well. (note our auto industry). I think we're turning into Rip Van Winkle, and I hope it won;t be too late when we finally wake up. Yeah, the cost of the war is shckling us in many ways, IMO. Mikkel said:
I’m not normally one to say “if not for the Iraq wa] then we’d be able to fund such and such” I
———
I haven;t said it much, but I’ve thought about it a lot.
The link is fascinating and illustrates how pedestrian the talk in Washington about new technologies is.

We’re way behind many countries in innovating in order to deal with the demand for fuel and other areas, as well. (note our auto industry).
I think we’re turning into Rip Van Winkle, and I hope it won;t be too late when we finally wake up.

Yeah, the cost of the war is shckling us in many ways, IMO.

]]> By: carpeicthus http://themoderatevoice.com/14421/cost-of-war-reaches-450-billion/comment-page-1/#comment-94156 carpeicthus Tue, 07 Aug 2007 20:26:50 +0000 http://themoderatevoice.com/war/14421/cost-of-war-reaches-450-billion/#comment-94156 As GYWO said so long ago, for that kind of money the Iraqis should be so free they can fly. God, I wish we could take this decade back. As GYWO said so long ago, for that kind of money the Iraqis should be so free they can fly. God, I wish we could take this decade back.

]]> By: mikkel http://themoderatevoice.com/14421/cost-of-war-reaches-450-billion/comment-page-1/#comment-94152 mikkel Tue, 07 Aug 2007 20:09:26 +0000 http://themoderatevoice.com/war/14421/cost-of-war-reaches-450-billion/#comment-94152 I'm not normally one to say "if not for the Iraq war then we'd be able to fund such and such" but then I ran across this <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070804/ap_on_sc/drilling_for_heat;_ylt=AjvFzIDtqIn2aRl98jpXkE.s0NUE" rel="nofollow">article about geothermic power</a> (I've linked to it before, but I'm still amazed so I'm gonna do it again and probably again in a few weeks). Based on their numbers, we could be producing close to enough power for the whole country for 2 months of the Iraq war...near perpetually and with minimal impact (the biggest hurdle would actually be energy delivery at that point). I’m not normally one to say “if not for the Iraq war then we’d be able to fund such and such” but then I ran across this article about geothermic power (I’ve linked to it before, but I’m still amazed so I’m gonna do it again and probably again in a few weeks).

Based on their numbers, we could be producing close to enough power for the whole country for 2 months of the Iraq war…near perpetually and with minimal impact (the biggest hurdle would actually be energy delivery at that point).

]]> By: pacatrue http://themoderatevoice.com/14421/cost-of-war-reaches-450-billion/comment-page-1/#comment-94145 pacatrue Tue, 07 Aug 2007 19:59:48 +0000 http://themoderatevoice.com/war/14421/cost-of-war-reaches-450-billion/#comment-94145 Thanks for the link to NPP, Nick. While I have some reservations about components of their material -- for instance, they are clearly designing many of the charts and graphs to give a certain impression of spending by the manner in which budget items are grouped or divided -- it has a lot of very useful intro materials on the debt, expenditures, etc. Nice place overall. Thanks for the link to NPP, Nick. While I have some reservations about components of their material — for instance, they are clearly designing many of the charts and graphs to give a certain impression of spending by the manner in which budget items are grouped or divided — it has a lot of very useful intro materials on the debt, expenditures, etc. Nice place overall.

]]> By: Chris http://themoderatevoice.com/14421/cost-of-war-reaches-450-billion/comment-page-1/#comment-94131 Chris Tue, 07 Aug 2007 19:20:47 +0000 http://themoderatevoice.com/war/14421/cost-of-war-reaches-450-billion/#comment-94131 Who was it that said that it's a lot cheaper to buy oil than to steal it? Who was it that said that it’s a lot cheaper to buy oil than to steal it?

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