Back in December ’04, I embedded a JavaScript counter tallying the cost of war in Iraq, which continues to tick away at a rate of around $2,000/second. The topic came up with friends the other night, triggering another look into the topic. nationalpriorities.org provides a very well annotated and sourced database comparing the cost of war in Iraq to the costs of other national expenses. The trade-offs below are based on a projected total cost of $315.8 billion for the war in Iraq, which would be equivalent to:
71,717,012 People Receiving Health Care or
5,472,330 Elementary School Teachers or
41,823,351 Head Start Places for Children or
185,783,623 Children Receiving Health Care or
2,843,180 Affordable Housing Units or
37,159 New Elementary Schools or
61,230,780 Scholarships for University Students or
5,441,915 Music and Arts Teachers or
7,114,877 Public Safety Officers or
558,642,585 Homes with Renewable Electricity or
4,946,324 Port Container Inspectors
Unfortunately, the database sessions at the site time out, making the reports tough to link to. For a current report, click Tradeoffs, then select United States | Cost of War | All.
Thanks baald