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The Intercept reports:
The total U.S. budgetary cost of war since 2001 is $4.79 trillion, according to a report [PDF] [...] from Brown University's Watson Institute. That's the highest estimate yet.
Neta Crawford of Boston University, the author of the report, included interest on borrowing, future veterans needs, and the cost of homeland security in her calculations.
The amount of $4.79 trillion, "so large as to be almost incomprehensible", she writes, adds up like this:
- The wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, and other overseas operations already cost $1.7 trillion between 2001 and August 2016 with $103 billion more requested for 2017
- Homeland Security terrorism prevention costs from 2001 to 2016 were $548 billion.
- The estimated DOD base budget was $733 billion and veterans spending was $213 billion.
- Interest incurred on borrowing for wars was $453 billion.
- Estimated future costs for veterans' medical needs until the year 2053 is $1 trillion.
- And the amounts the DOD, State Department, and Homeland Security have requested for 2017 ($103 billion).
Crawford carried out a similar study[PDF] in June 2014 that estimated the cost of war at $4.4 trillion.
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Total Cost of USA's Wars Since 2001 Approaches $5 Trillion
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In Tulsa, Oklahoma, it is against the law to open a soda bottle without
the supervision of a licensed engineer.
(Score: 2, Touché) by The Mighty Buzzard on Tuesday October 25 2016, @12:41PM
Cheney's guys are Americans. The guys who build the bombs and bullets and guns and everything else are Americans. The guys who fight the wars are Americans. Are they just not the right kind of Americans to be getting pointless jobs for you?
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 25 2016, @12:48PM
Militarism has a very low multiplier effect. [wikipedia.org]
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by The Mighty Buzzard on Tuesday October 25 2016, @01:01PM
Linking the SJW bible now? I figured you had more intellectual honesty than that, even if I do think you're wrong on most everything.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 25 2016, @03:57PM
WTH did you wake up and take an extra ahole pill this morning? Or is the realization that you are about to see hill take the election messing with your head.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Wednesday October 26 2016, @01:40AM
If you can't take the heat...
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday October 25 2016, @01:24PM
Cheney's guys spent more on air conditioning than the entire NASA budget.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 1, Troll) by The Mighty Buzzard on Tuesday October 25 2016, @01:54PM
And? You think heating and air guys don't have bills to pay too or something? They contribute a hell of a lot more to civilization than NASA does.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday October 25 2016, @05:34PM
The figure wasn't for the heating and air guys, or their equipment, it was just the cost of fuel to keep the ACs running in-theater that exceeded NASA's annual budget within something like 6 months.
Point being, war is a big operation, even small parts of it have significant costs.
Main thing I think NASA has contributed to my lifetime is a solid demonstration of the ability to deliver ANY payload anywhere in the world via rocket, and the ensuing relative lack of war that followed from that demonstration. That and an incalculable advancement in technology, including digital computing.
But, hey, the modern grunt can't sweat like my grandfather did when he went to Iraq as a contractor in the 1950s.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Wednesday October 26 2016, @01:35AM
Oh the grunts sweated but you can't have an officer doing so. That just wouldn't be kosher.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Wednesday October 26 2016, @12:27AM
Fuck out of here with that bullshit. [nasa.gov]
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Wednesday October 26 2016, @01:31AM
Tell me that when it's 90+ both temperature and humidity.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by sjames on Tuesday October 25 2016, @03:53PM
Broken windows. We could do so much better than that.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Wednesday October 26 2016, @01:40AM
Kinda my point.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.