# White House doubles price tag for Iraq. We have to help. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 4, 2003, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-doubles-price-tag-for-iraq-we-have-to-help/199605 "2003-09-04T21:25:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dissonance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Dissonance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dissonance)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-doubles-price-tag-for-iraq-we-have-to-help/199605/21 "2003-09-05T03:01:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MrTuffPaws \* > \*\*How about Bush holds a fund raiser where US citizens can pay $500 to kick him squarely in the nuts. > > If Wolfowitz joins in, it would raise that much more. \*\* How much for Rumsfeld and/or Rummy and Wolfowitz? That I might **really** think about paying for. ---
**Author:** ![MrTuffPaws](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f475e1/32.png) [@MrTuffPaws](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrTuffPaws)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-doubles-price-tag-for-iraq-we-have-to-help/199605/22 "2003-09-05T06:33:13Z")
Dissonance: But would you have to kick them both in the nuts at the same time? Kung-fu lessons anyone? ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-doubles-price-tag-for-iraq-we-have-to-help/199605/23 "2003-09-05T06:38:25Z")
The _truly_ fair thing to do would be to tax all the folks who supported thid damn fool war to begin with. Failing that, I’ll settle for taxing all the senior members of the current Administration. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![gouda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c77e96/32.png) [@gouda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gouda)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-doubles-price-tag-for-iraq-we-have-to-help/199605/24 "2003-09-05T08:20:06Z")
If everyone willing to pay were to stand in a line, and then jump at one go, would the earth shift out of it’s orbit? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![lonelocust](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/73ab20/32.png) [@lonelocust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lonelocust)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-doubles-price-tag-for-iraq-we-have-to-help/199605/25 "2003-09-05T11:38:34Z")
Geez, how could I have forgotten, ::channeling Monty Python:: How about a tax on, you know, thingy? ::MP:: The bottled water and salty snack suggestions in my OP were a joke of course, but I think an added tax on regular consumer gas is a good idea. Put a dollar increase on regular consumer gasoline. I would leave out aviation fuel, diesel, home heating oil, natural gas and such; no reason to bring industry to its knees. But give the regular citizen an immediate and calcuable splash of reality on the costs of war. Leave the special tax in place until the war debt is repaid. Or better yet, until the deficit is gone. ---
**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-doubles-price-tag-for-iraq-we-have-to-help/199605/26 "2003-09-05T12:21:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Brutus \* > \*\*We should never-ever-ever cut non-critical spending. Nope. The _only_ alternative is to raise taxes. \*\* Good point. Except that your fuckwit hero suddenly decided that Iraq was _critical_ spending. It wasn’t before, but now it is. The fuckwit should have realised _beforehand_ that Iraq wasn’t critical spending. Alternative: The fuckwit shouldn’t have simultaneously (a) committed to _hundreds of billions_ in increased spending, whilst (b) simultaneously committing to _hundreds of billions_ in tax reductions. They don’t offset each other. They _add together_. This fuckwit has about as much sense and foresight, well, as _you_ do, **Brutus**. ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-doubles-price-tag-for-iraq-we-have-to-help/199605/27 "2003-09-05T15:29:33Z")
I’m not sure what all the brouhaha is about. The fact that it will cost twice as much doesn’t mean we have to raise taxes by a cent. We’ll just **double** the tax refund instead! Yeah, that’s the ticket. ---
**Author:** ![Binarydrone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Binarydrone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Binarydrone)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-doubles-price-tag-for-iraq-we-have-to-help/199605/28 "2003-09-05T16:26:05Z")
We could have a special tax on Weapons of Mass Destruction. The way that all of the ones that we are finding are piling up I am sure that this would be very lucrative. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-doubles-price-tag-for-iraq-we-have-to-help/199605/29 "2003-09-05T16:57:06Z")
For all those who want to pay for the privilege of kicking Bush, Rumsfeld, etc. in the nuts, i think you’re being unfair. This revenue-raising exercise should be non-partisan. Accordingly, i vote that we allow people like **milroyj** and **Brutus** to pay an equal amount to suck those guys off. I mean, it’s what they’ve effectively been doing for the last couple of years, so we may as well formalize the practice. ---
**Author:** ![Binarydrone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Binarydrone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Binarydrone)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-doubles-price-tag-for-iraq-we-have-to-help/199605/30 "2003-09-05T17:16:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mhendo \* > …Accordingly, i vote that we allow people like **milroyj** and **Brutus** to pay an equal amount to suck those guys off. I mean, it’s what they’ve effectively been doing for the last couple of years, so we may as well formalize the practice. Hell, that idea has synergy potential as well. I known that I would pay admission to see that. ---
**Author:** ![elf6c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c57346/32.png) [@elf6c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elf6c)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-doubles-price-tag-for-iraq-we-have-to-help/199605/31 "2003-09-05T17:44:03Z")
I wouldn’t kick poor Curious George in the wedding tackle, that would lower me to the level of the foaming at the mouth, tin foil hatted Clinton-haters. However, I would chip in $500 if they made ole George finish out his military service- preferably in Iraq. Also send the rest of the chickenhawks who had “better” things to do when their turn for service of their country came up. Let’s see how much they want the Iraqi’s to “bring it on” then. Additionally, we could tax each candidate for the California governorship 10% of their holdings. With Huffington and Arnold alone that would help. A use tax on Cell phones, a big one. How about a massive tax on fast food, booze, tobacco products, motorcycles owned by those under 45 where the funds will be paid directly into Medicare. And even bigger tax on hair plugs, Botox, teeth whiting crap, and any SUV or sports car over $50,000. Oh, and a $300 surcharge for the purchase of any Calvin peeing on a trademark, or “R-Type” stickers, fake wing kits, or neon kits for cars. How about a 40% annual tax on PACs and lobbying groups? How about some layoffs? Does each state **really** need two Senators? I bet Delaware and Rhode Island can live with just 1. States with the same last name (Dakota, Virginia, Carolina) will have their congressional delegations merged for efficiencies sake- with layoffs of those personel with expensive pension obligations or expensive medical needs. Do we really need a Vice President? All those medical visits are costing us money. In short- Vote Quimby! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-doubles-price-tag-for-iraq-we-have-to-help/199605/32 "2003-09-05T18:28:19Z")
Wow **elf6c**! I didn’t think you cappable of such profound wisdom. I wholeheartedly agree with you and I am not even American (well, yes, I am American, just not from the US) 🙂 I don’t have a candle in this funeral as they say here but I am willing to pitch in if they just BAN them Calvin stickers. And even though I am again capital punishment I think car neon lights just screams electric chair. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-doubles-price-tag-for-iraq-we-have-to-help/199605/33 "2003-09-05T21:06:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Brutus \* > \*\*We should never-ever-ever cut non-critical spending. Nope. The _only_ alternative is to raise taxes. \*\* Actually, there’s a third alternative, which is not to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on non-critical projects (e.g. useless missile defense program, starting an unnecessary unilateral war, etc.) in the first place, especially after already cutting hundreds of billions of dollars in taxes. This isn’t rocket science – perhaps the Bush administration would benefit from one of those debt consolidation programs, that teach you how money works. Maybe start with “if I have six apples, and I give two away, how many apples do I have left?” ---
**Author:** ![township](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f475e1/32.png) [@township](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/township)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-doubles-price-tag-for-iraq-we-have-to-help/199605/34 "2003-09-05T21:27:16Z")
Me, I protested the war. I didn’t vote for Bush. I just wish the motherfuckers who supported the war and voted for Bush, and still support him could be a lot more involved than me in paying for this shit. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2003, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-doubles-price-tag-for-iraq-we-have-to-help/199605/35 "2003-09-05T23:56:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Giraffe \* > \*\*Actually, there’s a third alternative, which is not to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on non-critical projects (e.g. useless missile defense program, starting an unnecessary unilateral war, etc.) in the first place, especially after already cutting hundreds of billions of dollars in taxes. > \*\* Yup. Bushies hate “tax and spend” so they replace it with cut taxes and spend. Bright boys. If we taxed everyone in the Administration $10k anytime they lied in public, the deficit would be closed in no time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-doubles-price-tag-for-iraq-we-have-to-help/199605.md?page=1)