# $ 87 Billion dollars for Iraq? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 18, 2003, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/87-billion-dollars-for-iraq/208188 "2003-10-18T12:18:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![hlanelee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3bc359/32.png) [@hlanelee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hlanelee)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/87-billion-dollars-for-iraq/208188/1 "2003-10-18T12:18:25Z")
The President wants $87 billion dollars to rebuild Iraq and I can’t put my wife into a decent hospital without begging. If I’m not mistaken, half this country does not have the health care they need (sorry, too lazy to look up sites). I’ve been out of work since March. I didn’t vote for the cocksucker but then again I believe most of the country didn’t vote for him. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/87-billion-dollars-for-iraq/208188/2 "2003-10-18T12:35:00Z")
Most of the country didn’t vote for anybody. ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/87-billion-dollars-for-iraq/208188/3 "2003-10-18T14:07:41Z")
Well, hey look at the bright side of things. After we pump $87 BIL into Iraq they will probably have the decency to suicide bomb us less than four times a day. ---
**Author:** ![Mac\_Guffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2bfe46/32.png) [@Mac\_Guffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mac_Guffin)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/87-billion-dollars-for-iraq/208188/4 "2003-10-18T15:49:36Z")
Well I’m sold! Grr ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/87-billion-dollars-for-iraq/208188/5 "2003-10-18T16:09:17Z")
For the cost of the war and what will be spent in reconstruction, I bet you could have bought every Iraqi a car and a house by the beach. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/87-billion-dollars-for-iraq/208188/6 "2003-10-18T16:46:50Z")
You’re missing the point. Sure, it’s terrible for you, but rich white guys will get richer. Isn’t that what America is all about? ---
**Author:** ![Short](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Short](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Short)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/87-billion-dollars-for-iraq/208188/7 "2003-10-18T20:21:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by sailor \* > For the cost of the war and what will be spent in reconstruction, I bet you could have bought every Iraqi a car and a house by the beach. I agree with your sentiment, the money is not likely to be well spent, however your numbers are inaccurate. Iraq has a population, according to the CIA World Factbook, of 24,683,313 people. The total Iraq reconstruction budget, accoding to [The Washington Post](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/daily/graphics/supp_090803.htm) is 20 billion. Thus each person would get around $810, if all reconstruction money were given away in this manner. [Haliburton’s no bid contracts](http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/04/25/60minutes/main551091.shtml) piss me off. That the billions in military spending really hasn’t gone [to the troops](http://www.dangerouscitizen.com/Articles/889.aspx) pisses me off. That the Bush administration considered cutting [pay to troops](http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0815-09.htm) pisses me off. Doing this while pushing huge tax cuts, that _really_ pisses me off. I can’t say I oppose reconstruction spending in general. However, I oppose the current plan of deficit spending on sweetheart deals. Sure we need to rebuild Iraq/Afganistan and pay for the military. But let’s put some strings on the spending to make sure that we accomplish these goals. Let’s cut other military spending, not social services, to pay for this. Let’s hire local Iraqi/Afghani firms to do the work, thus boosting the local economy (and creating local capital) while reconstructing the infrastructure. And let’s raise taxes and pay for universal helthcare. That’s a bloody no-brainer. -Short ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/87-billion-dollars-for-iraq/208188/8 "2003-10-18T21:31:00Z")
I would like to see a break-down for how much of that $87 BIL ends up in the Texas economy. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/87-billion-dollars-for-iraq/208188/9 "2003-10-18T21:52:09Z")
Chirst! I hope somebody kept the receipt! ---
**Author:** ![Ryan\_Liam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ryan_liam/32/3965_2.png) [@Ryan\_Liam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryan_Liam)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/87-billion-dollars-for-iraq/208188/10 "2003-10-18T22:09:15Z")
I just wonder that did NOBODY in the American administration or in sections of society as a whole learn anything from the Marshall plan? And with inflation how much is the around 20 billion loaned by the US in 45’ comparable to the reconstruction of one country which needs 80 billion dollars of aid. I can see a big toilet constructed in Baghdad, and I can see hundreds of US troops throwing that money down it. ---
**Author:** ![Spavined\_Gelding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@Spavined\_Gelding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spavined_Gelding)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/87-billion-dollars-for-iraq/208188/11 "2003-10-18T23:41:21Z")
You all realize, I hope that of the $87,000,000,000.00 only some $20,000,000,000.00 is for Iraqi reconstruction and the balance is for the defense department. You also know, I hope, that this is only the beginning. The $87,000,000,000.00 is an emergency appropriation for the rest of this fiscal year. This thing is likely to go on for at least five years if not longer. I don’t know if this includes the $600.000,000.00 for the continuation of Mr. Kaye’s search for a pony in the manure pile. A slight high-jack: I could swear that as we ramped up to the invasion of Iraq some high mucky-muck in the Administration, maybe the Vice-President, maybe the Secretary of Defense, maybe a high administration official speaking on condition of anonymity, was braying that Iraq’s oil sales would reimburse the country for the cost of the invasion and the reconstruction. Is my memory faulty. If not what happened to that pie-in-the-sky-by-and-by strategy? ---
**Author:** ![capacitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@capacitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capacitor)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/87-billion-dollars-for-iraq/208188/12 "2003-10-19T04:23:30Z")
Well, they forgot that guerilla warfare is the best way to fight against a mighty entrenched force. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/87-billion-dollars-for-iraq/208188/13 "2003-10-19T07:28:27Z")
_USA Today_ stated that the _estimated_ final cost to rebuild Iraq (according to the World Bank) is a “mere” $500 billion. I’m sure we’ll end up picking up the tab for most of that. (You know, for _less_ than that, I could have a house on the Moon or Mars!) ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/87-billion-dollars-for-iraq/208188/14 "2003-10-19T10:29:56Z")
It’s an $87 (or $500 if you accept **Tuckerfan’s** or USA Today’s estimation) billion investment into Western economies…given that most of the monies spent on the reconstruction of Iraq will be going into the coffers of Western corporations who will be contracted to do the work. Think of it as a welfare subsidy for Very Rich Westerners…it isn’t _Iraq_ that is ripping off your accessibility to hospital services. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/87-billion-dollars-for-iraq/208188/15 "2003-10-19T11:38:09Z")
Not to suggest that Halliburton executives and workers aren’t the anti-christ or something but… Lets say a US company gets a contract for millions of dollars to rebuild Iraq. Doesn’t that money go to workers and suppliers and subcontractors to do work, rather than just being deposited in executive bank accounts so they can light stogies with $100 bills? ---
**Author:** ![owlofcreamcheese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@owlofcreamcheese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlofcreamcheese)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/87-billion-dollars-for-iraq/208188/16 "2003-10-19T17:50:08Z")
wait, isn’t that like… only a few hundred per person in america? not really sure that would pay for universal healthcare or pie in the sky or any of the other things that people say would be better use of the money. its not change from your couch, but split 300 million ways its not THAT much money. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/87-billion-dollars-for-iraq/208188/17 "2003-10-19T18:16:42Z")
It’s more than Bush sent out in those tax-cut checks. Some people made a pretty big deal about _that_.