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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) by Joe Desertrat on Tuesday October 25 2016, @10:00PM
Don't forget the first of the "wars" we started losing: the war on poverty. You have to add in all the money that's been channelled to funding the indolence of the lowest classes and their multiplication through breeding while the working middle class starves and sees its Obamacare tax rise 25% this year alone.
Except that we weren't losing the war on poverty. The poverty rate declined steadily from roughly 22% in the late 1950's until it reached a low of roughly 11 percent in 1973. It fluctuated between 11 and 12.5% in the rest of the 1970's but started to rise quickly in 1980, reaching 15% by 1983. It started declining again in the early 1990's, almost back down to 11% again by 2000, but since then it has risen again, reaching 15% again by 2010.