Scifi author Charlie Stross recently discussed other alternatives for the monies that funded the Iraq war. He noted that using current technology the bounty could have created and staffed a colony of 500 astronauts on Mars or enabled the construction of tens of gigawatts in nuclear energy throughout the US. Or even helped build cities for 600,000,000 people in China to live in.
Arguably the fairest solution would be to have simply returned the money to the original taxpayers thereby removing the incentive for the Fed to expand the credit supply to fund the current war.
However, regarding a hypothetical mission to Mars, at the very least none of the astro guys would be kinetically detonating onto population centers.
An entire region of the globe comprising a billion people wouldn’t be annoyed with the West for lofting 500 rocket scientists onto a barren rock. The same can’t be said for 500 pound bombs.
See also: The Broken Window Fallacy and Can the Future Do Without Economic Logic?
Six trillion dollars. Let’s see, that would be $6,000,000,000,000.00. Is that right? Is that enough zeros behind the 6? Let’s see thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions, billions, and then trillions. Yeah, that’s enough. The sheer staggering number of numbers should leave America seething with revolutionary anger. Has America had enough of Congress yet? Congress does hold the old American purse strings. Golly, what would be the cost of one functioning and updated guillotine?
What a novel idea…. that is… NOT to spend, or tax (i.e. “steal”) it in the first place! Here is something to ponder. Just how many refineries could be built (using private money) in order that fuel costs could be lowered? Hmmmmm? I’m certain 6 Trillion wouldn’t be necessary.
More importantly than the refineries, how much would a barrel of oil cost if we weren’t spending all this money to keep Iraqi oil OFF the market?
For the cost of the war we could have provided every American with Health Insurance, removing that cost from businesses, which would allow them to be more competitive with the civilized world…you know, every other country. We could have also provided College Tuition for every child that wanted it, thereby allowing families to invest the approximately $100,000 minimum it will cost for a four year college edusation. Hell, we could have sent those kids to study abroad, maybe creating a less-parochial generation, one less likely to be so warlike. Oddly enough, for most Americans, the only way to travel overseas is to join the military.
We could have funded No Child Left In a Failing School.
In short, we could have spent the money on improving our Republic. Instead of building a crumbling Empire.
We should have used some of that money to impeach Bush and Cheney, and held War Crimes trials for Rumsfeld, Wolfie, Perlman et al.
I think Bush and Cheney have guaranteed their place in history. Clearly, the worst Administration in American history….and the most arrogant, selfish, discredited, foolish, dishonest and dumbest.
I hope our republic can recover from the destruction they have wrought which, at times, appears to be intentional. I have my suspicions on that too.
I know from the reading of History that there have been some terrible leaders of Nations. However, in the age of reason and logic, one would think that leaders would “think before they leap.” I feel that this whole war was a set up from the beginning. No one could be that stupid and arrogant. Like the Good Book says: “Pride goeth before a fall.” Let us hope that the sky don’t fall on “we the people” much harder than it already is. However, it looks like there is no end in sight.
The military-industrial-congressional complex continues its parasitical bloodsucking of the beleagured American taxpayer.
The real crime is that it wasn’t our 6 Trillion dollars to start with - it was all “borrowed” money. I say “borrowed” instead of borrowed because it never belonged to anyone (in the present) and will never be paid back to anyone. We just traded on the honesty of the dollar (built up over 2 centuries) to print a lot of trash like Treasury Bills. It is like a good man who turns to drink and whores using his previous good reputation to spread bad paper all over town. Have no illusions, America is bankrupt - financially and morally. Not a penny of the National Debt will ever be paid off; we have neither the will nor the ability to do so.
All of these government projects would be a waste of taxpayer money or would create disasters that would cost us more later. Citizens of the USA need affordable health care and old age care more than they need anything else.
6 Trillion! 6 Million times a Million! How about no taxation without reprsentation! Congress represents Israeli interests over American! Tax Israel and it’s supporters instead of hostage America!
Many states are having very severe budget crises.Chirty begins at home!