# The cost of the war.
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cost-of-the-war/189801
**Category:** Great Debates
**Created:** [July 20, 2003, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cost-of-the-war/189801 "2003-07-20T22:25:35Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)
#### Post date: [July 20, 2003, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cost-of-the-war/189801/1 "2003-07-20T22:25:35Z")
> **[Cost of National Security](https://www.nationalpriorities.org/cost-of/?redirect=cow)**
>
> What counts as national security depends on your perspective. These embeddable counters track how much the U.S. spends on a variety of programs that protect our future, from military to food assistance. Do our nation's spending choices align with...
> [@](#):
>
> “Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.”
> President Dwight D. Eisenhower
> April 16, 1953
Watch those numbers change…it’s almost hypnotic. Then you realize those are dollars disappearing.
This is terrible. Money down a black hole. Money that could be so much better spent in other places.
Those that support this bogus war should be ashamed that our and our childrens futures are being comprimised.
Bush supporters please tell me why you think this is money well spent.
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### Author:  [@niceguy01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/niceguy01)
#### Post date: [July 21, 2003, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cost-of-the-war/189801/2 "2003-07-21T00:33:32Z")
Well aside from the fact that yeah maybe money will be decreased. But think about this. Saddam was killing more people than alot of deseases(not exageration no fact is bassedin that comment except that saddam has killedmore than a million people in the years past.) I would also like to say that I supported giving more chances to people in poverty NOW. So America the land of opprotunity had the opprotunity to save people in Iraq or make life more convenient in decades to come(and who’s to say there won’t be another opprotunity in years to come). It saddens me that people like you try to discourage others opinions and personal beliefs as something evil that should be embarrising. It’s people like you who make some countries hate us.
I’d like to borrow a quote from the great president John adams-“Statesmen, my dear Sir, may plan and speculate for liberty, but it is religion and morality alone, which can establish the principles upon which freedom can securely stand.” I like to believe that this quote is to show that the plan set up for this war was based on the morality that the people in Iraq should be allowed to be free like us. I believe that your opinion may be yours but it certainly doesn’t make you any beter a person by it. It’s your actions that show your integrity and earn respect. That’s why I not only respect President Bush’s action but stand by and admire his integrity and selflishness.
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### Author:  [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)
#### Post date: [July 21, 2003, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cost-of-the-war/189801/3 "2003-07-21T00:38:07Z")
Excuse me? You admire Bush’s integrity?
I do agree with the selflishness though. I leave out the second L though.
BTW…Welcome to the boards!
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### Author:  [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)
#### Post date: [July 21, 2003, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cost-of-the-war/189801/4 "2003-07-21T01:05:19Z")
Shrub’s administration has totally squandered critical moral capital needed for our nation to deal with North Korea. That could well prove to be the single most disastrous upshot of the entire Iraq imbroglio. A domestic nuclear attack may end up being the true price we all pay for their being overly fixated with the Middle East and its oil.
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### Author:  [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)
#### Post date: [July 21, 2003, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cost-of-the-war/189801/5 "2003-07-21T02:35:14Z")
Zenster:
Can you elaborate on what “moral capital” has been lost? If NK started firing Nukes, the entire world would **beg** the US to take them (NK) out.
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### Author:  [@YourOldBuddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YourOldBuddy)
#### Post date: [July 21, 2003, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cost-of-the-war/189801/6 "2003-07-21T02:46:08Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by niceguy01 \* … saddam has killedmore than a million people in the years past.)
Cite?
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### Author:  [@YourOldBuddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YourOldBuddy)
#### Post date: [July 21, 2003, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cost-of-the-war/189801/7 "2003-07-21T02:48:17Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by John Mace \*
> \*\*Zenster:
>
> Can you elaborate on what “moral capital” has been lost? If NK started firing Nukes, the entire world would **beg** the US to take them (NK) out. \*\*
No not really. S K and Japan could do it alone.
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### Author:  [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)
#### Post date: [July 21, 2003, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cost-of-the-war/189801/8 "2003-07-21T03:47:51Z")
The next move of the GW-Wolfowitz-Rumsfeld axis might be to make the war’s cost secret on the grounds of national security. After, financial data could help terrorists estimate the scope of our “war on terror.”
Or maybe the Iraq adventure isn’t related to that.
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### Author:  [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)
#### Post date: [July 21, 2003, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cost-of-the-war/189801/9 "2003-07-21T04:19:29Z")
niceguy, plenty of people are being killed all over the world, including lots of places in Africa. How much can we afford. Do you at least agree that we should repeal Bush’s tax cut to pay for this humanitarianism?
If the war and occupation are to keep us safe, I’d say fine. But, did you know the budget of the FBI is $5 billion? Don’t you think maybe a week of occupation money would do us some good. Did you know that policemen are getting fired? Maybe a week or so of Iraq occupation money might help a bit.
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### Author:  [@kiwiboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiwiboy)
#### Post date: [July 21, 2003, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cost-of-the-war/189801/10 "2003-07-21T11:01:22Z")
What a call site! Thanks **Reeder**.
I particularly like the way you can get a break down by city. I now know the war cost the good people of Pontiac, Michigan approximately $9.3m. It’d also be kind of fun to see how much the war costs each American.
Anyone know how accurate the figures are? [Here’s](http://www.costofwar.com/numbers.html) a link to their methodology. Seems pretty sound to me, but then I’m no economist/accountant.