The Cost of the War in Iraq - What else could have been done with the money?

OK - time to stir things up - right wingers vs lefties - let's see what trouble I can cause. Things have been pretty boring lately.

I found this really interesting site on the net:

http://www.nationalpriorities.org/costofwar_home

It provides a continuous, running estimate of the money being spent on the war in iraq. It also shows the cost broken down locally, as well as providing a tool that shows upon what else the money could have been spent, e.g., elementary school teachers, police, etc.

Here is a sample, just for Bakersfield, CA:

Taxpayers in Bakersfield, California will pay $409.1 million for total Iraq war spending approved to date. For the same amount of money, the following could have been provided:
168,368 People with Health Care for One Year OR
728,863 Homes with Renewable Electricity for One Year OR
7,308 Public Safety Officers for One year OR
5,779 Music and Arts Teachers for One Year OR
61,477 Scholarships for University Students for One Year OR
1,224 Affordable Housing Units OR
152,914 Children with Health Care for One Year OR
48,932 Head Start Places for Children for One Year OR
5,875 Elementary School Teachers for One Year OR
5,167 Port Container Inspectors for One year

Notes and Sources
Go to Cost of War Counter


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