Cost of Iraq Escalation $40 Billion

A report released yesterday by the Congressional Budget Office puts the cost of Bush's ill-planned escalation in Iraqnam at $40 billion.

At the request of the Chairman of this Committee, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has tabulated the funding provided through July 2007 for military and diplomatic operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and for other activities related to the war on terrorism, as well as for related costs incurred by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for medical care, disability compensation, and survivors' benefits. CBO has also estimated the budgetary resources needed to finance the recent increase in the number of troops deployed to Iraq and has projected the total cost over the next 10 years of funding operations in support of the war on terrorism under scenarios specified by the Chairman.

Since September 2001, the Congress has funded Bush's lost war of terrorism to the tune of $602 billion for military operations and related activities. Just imagine what we could do here with $602 billion dollars.

Lets put this $602 billion squandered in the war or terror in perspective:

One fourth of the Iraq war budget alone could fund healthcare for every uninsured person in this country.

Think what the trillions of dollars wasted on war, occupation and destruction could do for the people:

• Provide free medicine for all of our seniors and chronically ill.

• Change the dismal statistics of infant mortality in major cities like Detroit, Baltimore and Washington D.C. where the mortality rates for African American and poor children rival impoverished countries abroad;

• Stop the epidemic of hospital closings;

• It could provide healthcare and treatment for the physical and psychological trauma that the survivors of Katrina and Rita are still suffering from;

Is it worth it? Wake up Sheeple and take back our government.